Articles tagged with: Eco-friendly tourism
Posted in Eco-Friendly, Green, Tourism, World on 6 July 2008
Bright mornings and idyllic sunsets, breakfast in lush green gardens and a reconnection with nature. Sounds heavenly, feels heavenly. It’s the Hidden Valley Cabins in Australia.
The award winning eco-friendly resort is Australia’s 1st carbon neutral resort and tour company. Located 1.5hrs northwest of Townsville, near Running river on the western slope of the Paluma range in Queensland, the resort is ideal for a relaxing holiday to recharge your batteries. So, what’s new in that? Aren’t resorts supposed to be relaxing retreats for aching muscles and frenzied souls? Well, yes they are but how many resorts which help you in experiencing nature are actually worried about nature and minimally sponge upon natural resources?? Hidden Valley Cabins sure is eco-loving as it operates on 100% solar power and saves 78 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The tour company has purchased carbon credits to off set the green house gases and their resorts are now CLIMATE NEUTRAL. Established in 1982, the resort is continually improving its facilities and its impact on eco-diversity of the region. Now, a stand alone solar system has been installed to run the entire resort 24X7. The system includes: 12 KVA inverter, 90 x 130 watt solar panels delivering 120 volts DC into 60 x 2 volt 1660 amp batteries. The resort is built up of recycled local timber only. The furniture and décor is hand crafted from again local timber.
The buildings are designed aptly to reduce their environmental footprint. Trees and vegetation planted around the resort are mostly native to blend into the natural landscape and encourage the birds and animals to visit the resort.
The area is abundant with varying species of birds, butterflies, wallabies, Lace Monitors, Platypus, nocturnal animals such as gliders and much more. Hidden Valley Cabins is a great area for bird watching and wildlife enthusiasts. The activities available at the resort are offered accordingly so that visitors and guests make the most of the natural splendours of the area without harming it. The resort has received advanced eco-tourism accreditation through Eco-tourism Australia. Other ideas besides solar energy utilization that are employed at these cabins include:
· Power conservation: Resort’s conventional light bulbs have been replaced by energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs thus reducing power consumption from 2220 watts to an amazingly low 430 watts!!!
· Waste management: Left over food and paper products are converted into compost manure to be further used in resort’s gardens.
· Education: Hidden Valley Cabins actively educates the public and guests on the importance of protecting the environment in order to protect vulnerable species. It works closely with The Australian Wildlife Conservancy aswell.
Thus the resorts offer a complete holistic experience of being in nature, understanding its intricacies and respecting it. The entire stay can change your perspective towards eco-sustainability. So, if this summers you are in a mood to experience the Australian outback tranquility then, Hidden Valley Cabins is the perfect destination to head for.
Via Inhabitat
Posted in Eco-Friendly on 29 June 2008
‘Go Green’ is the norm these days. To put less strain on our planet every industry, every sector wants to add a dash of ‘green’ aka ‘eco-friendly’ quotient to their entities. Initially when the hospitality sector stepped in this drive the max hotels did was provide eco-friendly sanitary ware, towels, linen and so-on. Back then, the awareness among customers was also limited. But now, things have started changing. With ever more concern towards issues like climate change, global warming, carbon footprint etc. hotels need to step-up their eco-friendliness.
Although, out of 47,000+ U.S. hotels only a small number are currently enrolled in green programs in a formal way. Only eleven hotels are constructed as per the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED standards. The number of Energy Star-certified properties has now become 314. These properties are aptly designed so as to reduce the energy consumption in best possible manner. Newer trends are emerging in such hotels and properties to upscale their eco-friendly quotient.
Latest trends include:
· Adopting such eco-friendly habits like using biodegradable paper cups instead of Styrofoam.
· Installing furniture, carpeting made from recycled products.
· Retrofitting with low-flow showers and toilets (to save water).
· Offering “Eco-chic” suites including upholstery made from organic materials, eco-friendly toiletries and cosmetics, organic wine/coffee and snacks. ( available at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in San Francisco and Washington).
·Having eco-friendly oasis & ponds with recycled water at hotels (LEED-certified: the Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco and the 133-room Gaia Napa Valley Hotel in American Canyon).
· Eco-friendly organic food in restaurants & mini-bars (items like Tom’s Natural Toothpaste, organic crackers and organic licorice logs are offered).
While these moves are surely promising the number of hotels implementing these need to be increased. So far as the conscious and eco-friendly tourists are concerned, they just need to make intelligent choices. Rest, most of the things in the “go green” drive are looked after by the hotels themselves.
Via LaTimes