ETHICAL TRAVELLER:I WAS INVITED to stay at a Malaysian ecohotel earlier this year, as the owners were keen to show off their green credentials. The flight alone was going to munch up every bit of my personal carbon allowance for the year, so I checked it out thoroughly before accepting the offer.
Their website showed no responsible-tourism policy, no reference to the national park the hotel was in and no evidence of local food sourcing. The only real sign of green was on the dollars it was raking in, so I took one more look at the infinity pool on the website and, through gritted teeth, decided against it.
So how can you tell if a hotel is really green? Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to guarantee good ethical practice unless you go there yourself and ask the right questions, but the website is a good start. Check out some leading green guidebooks, such as Alastair Sawday’s Green Places to Stay and Green Europe. Another must is Rough Guides’ Clean Breaks, which is due out later this summer. In my own book, Ecoescape Ireland, I ensured that every featured place was visited and owners interviewed (www.ecoescape.org).
Green accreditation schemes can also help. In Ireland the EU Flower ecolabel (www. greenbox.ie) and Green Hospitality Award (www. ghaward.ie) are recognised by Fáilte Ireland. In the UK the Green Tourism Business Scheme (www.green-business. co.uk) provides a detailed list of approved accommodation. I have worked with many of these businesses, and the changes they have to incorporate are in no way tokenistic. The UK’s Federation of Tour Operators has a green-rating scheme called Travelife, assigning a bronze, silver or gold award to hotels around the world that the First Choice tour operator has incorporated into its brochure.
But the most reliable way to find out what a hotel is doing is simply to ask. Don’t presume that it separates the waste in your bedroom; ask. Ask, too, about the menu. What is local, and if there is a large selection of unseasonal food on offer, why? A truly green hotel will have trained its staff and be proud to shout about its achievements. If your ecolodge stinks of bleach, don’t just ask, shout. Many hotels won’t change until they see that consumers are demanding it.
In the meantime, here are a few good green basics to look out for: key cards to turn off lights and appliances when you leave the room; a TV that is actually switched off, not in standby mode; sheets changed only every two or three days; showers with adjustable flow; dual-flush toilets; refillable bathroom goodies; and, of course, a towel policy. In drought areas (including most of southern Europe), golf hotels are rarely in a position to call themselves “eco”; nor are those with a constant sprinkler over luscious lawns and flower beds.
Hotels with endless pools and spas are not high up the ecoscale, either, so if they are calling themselves “eco”, ask why. Air conditioning should not be taken for granted, either, and any hotel should recommend ways of keeping cool without cooking the atmosphere.
Look around at the staff, too. If none of the managers in a tropical ecoresort is local, and the only sign of local employment is the woman who comes to change the sheets, this is not a good sign. Local employment and training for skilled jobs are among the best ways a hotel can have a positive influence on a community.
And, finally, some hotels, such as Wineport Lodge, in Co Westmeath, collect you at the station free if you come by train. A good green hotel will recommend alternatives to flying, or at least highlight greener forms of transport during your stay, as well as local walks, cycling routes and so on. If it doesn’t, ask why not, and do your bit to help it change its ways.
www.ethicaltraveller.ie