Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
Once, hotels seemed progressive if they asked you to consider reusing your towels to save water. Now they're doing the water-saving themselves: installing low-flow fixtures, recycling gray water in landscaping, even solar-heating your shower.
The water plan is just a drop in the bucket of an industry that is hot for all things eco. Experts say both travelers concerned about global warming and developers looking for construction savings win with green hotels. Now inns ranging from hip newcomer to historic establishment are boasting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (or LEED) certification from the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, which promotes sustainability in design and construction.
The youthful boutique Ace Hotels in Portland and Seattle stock vintage (read: recycled) furniture, and supply refillable shampoo and body wash rather than tiny disposable bottles. The D.C. grand-dame Willard InterContinental Washington is fully wind-powered and ferries guests around town in a hybrid car. The debut Element chain of extended-stay hotels aims to save over 4,000 gallons of water per room annually and 75 percent of energy use, all while looking sleek, smart and modern.
Here, a closer look at a few stylish eco-inns.
E-mail Elaine Glusac at www.eglu@elaineglusac.com
Orchard Garden Hotel
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.
Eco-scene: The 86-room Orchard Garden Hotel, one block from Union Square, has all the amenities you'd expect in a sophisticated urban hotel, from iPod docking stations and WiFi to a rooftop bar with spectacular views. But its construction and operation – including sustainably harvested wood, concrete made from a by-product of recycled coal, compact fluorescent lighting and chemical-free cleaning products – qualify it for LEED certification. As in European hotels, room-key cards activate the electricity in the rooms; leave with your key and the entire room shuts down.
Playing field: The hotel's Roots Restaurant sources locally grown foods whenever possible. Also keeping it local, the hotel's art program showcases the bronze works of Archie Held and flower X-rays by Dulcy Wolverton. An "eco-getaway" package includes a tour of the city in one of a number of vintage vehicles retooled to run on propane.
411: Rooms from $189, 415-399-9807, www.theorchardhotels.com
Posada de Mike Rapu
EASTER ISLAND
Eco-scene: Since most archeologists believe the natives of Easter Island in the middle of the Pacific died largely due to environmental devastation, it's only fitting the island should get South America's first LEED-certified hotel. That designation is pending at the new 30-room Posada de Mike Rapu, a partnership between local dive-shop owner Mike Rapu and upscale Chilean outfitter Explora. Constructed of renewable woods and native volcanic stone, installed with low-flow water features, strategic windows and terraces that reduce the need for artificial light, and landscaped in native plants, the Posada is stylishly minimal with blond wood walls and pillowy white sofas.
Playing field: Though the flight to Easter Island is long (connect through either Santiago, Chile, or Papeete, Tahiti), once you arrive you'll spend most of your time on foot, hiking to see the great moai, over 600 colossal stone figures that mysteriously anchor the island. There's also biking and snorkeling between treks.
411: All-inclusive rates from $1,794 per person for three nights, 866-750-6699, www.explora.com
Tiamo
SOUTH ANDROS ISLAND, BAHAMAS
Eco-scene: The party-happy Bahamas isn't exactly a hotbed of eco-initiatives, but Tiamo is charting the way. Located on the remote and sparsely populated island of Andros, Tiamo is owner Mike Hartman's attempt to keep his piece of paradise pristine. Elevated to minimize their footprints on the ground, 11 wood-frame beach bungalows are solar-powered, and the ample Bahamian sun heats the shower water, too. Gray water is filtered and recyled; the low-flow toilets are composting. But nothing screams "granola" given the breezy island-style furnishings, privacy-providing foliage and gourmet food.
Playing field: Tiamo was designed by and for nature-loving romantics. Snorkel the blue holes offshore, take a trimaran sailboat to a deserted beach, hike the inland jungle to learn about bush medicine or kayak to the far side of the island for a castaway adventure, all under the knowing guidance of staff "nature concierges."
411: All-inclusive rates from $315 per person, 242-471-8087, www.tiamoresorts.com
Arenas del Mar Beach & Nature Resort
MANUEL ANTONIO, COSTA RICA
Eco-scene: A hotbed of ecotourism, Costa Rica boasts yet another eco-lodge in the new Arenas del Mar. Neighboring Manuel Antonio National Park, the 38-room resort overlooks the Pacific from an 11-acre bluff-top perch where roof tiles are recycled plastic from the banana industry, bamboo-fiber sheets and towels are dried by the sun, all the vehicles on the property are electric, electrical systems are buried to protect wildlife, water is solar-heated, and waste water is treated for irrigation. Sounds rustic, but the rooms with tiled floors, porch-front Jacuzzis and tropical artwork are far from spartan.
Playing field: In addition to supporting its own hiking trails and beach, Arenas del Mar is ideally located for trips into the national park to peer at monkeys, sloths, toucans and armadillos. An hour's drive away, Carara National Park is a prime place to track scarlet macaws.
411: Rooms from $200, 011-506-777-2777, www.arenasdelmar.com.
Whitepod
LES CERNIERS, SWITZERLAND
Eco-scene: December through April, Whitepod decamps nine geodesic domed tents in the Dents du Midi mountain range in the Valais region of Switzerland. Wooden platforms minimize surface impact, while heating is supplied by campfire and light by gas lamps. The cozy tents include beds dressed in organic linens with sheepskin throw blankets under transparent windows that allow you to stargaze while supine. Whitepod's environmental practices extend to the community, supporting local charities, using local produce and hiring local guides.
Playing field: Just to get to the neighboring lodge, which houses bath facilities and restaurants, you'll have to snowshoe or ski. No motorized sports are allowed, though the resort runs its own ski hill with chairlift. Massages and yoga are also available, but above all you come to Whitepod to unplug in the seasonal peace and quiet of the Alps in winter.
411: Rooms from $313, 011-41-24-471-3838, www.whitepod.com
