Today we have a guest post by Sam Marquit, who gives us an insight into the unlikely venue of Las Vegas as being a green tourist destination.
Making the Travel Industry a Little Greener – Las Vegas Welcome
Making the Travel Industry a Little Greener
Guest Post By Sam Marquit
On my travels, I have seen a number of different environmentally friendly methods and green building techniques. I see hotels and hospitality companies looking toward the future and implementing sustainable practices in their businesses, which makes travel for your average person a bit more environmentally friendly.
Making the Travel Industry a Little Greener
Recently, the Marriott bought 24 million “green key cards”.
These little devices are made with corn by-products, so they are recyclable and biodegradable. They were purchased to replace the typical plastic keycards.
This saved about 66 tons of plastic being thrown into landfills.
In addition to the Marriott, Charlotte’s Ritz-Carlton is being insect-friendly and reducing its carbon footprint by offering honey to guests that has been harvested right from the bees on its rooftop.
Implementing green methods is not the only way hotel chains are looking toward the future; some are even taking it a step further.
The ink48 hotel has reached out and started a group they call Earthcare. This program allows members to discuss how to be more environmentally friendly.
There are a number of cities with businesses throughout the country developing new and sustainable practices.
Two cities stand out as far as being eco friendly and they actually reside in the hotel industry. Las Vegas in particular is at the forefront of this trend.
Las Vegas actually boasts the “Most Eco-Friendly Hotel in America” with the Las Vegas Palazzo Resort and Hotel. This resort contains water recycling systems as well as solar panels. The Palazzo is even able to reuse its own waste for energy.
Being a contractor has given me great chances to see the use of green building materials and how that leads to LEED certification. What I really enjoy is seeing the individuals and businesses that do so much green construction, get recognized for being pioneers in this movement.
I get to work with many people and think perhaps there should be more appreciation than just LEED certification.
We are seeing more appreciation for eco-friendly business in Asia with “The Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Awards.” They focus on things like nature conservation, resource usage, sustainability and cultural preservation.
Through all of my experiences, it has been fantastic to see a number of hotels in Las Vegas striving to reach sustainability.
Being apart the green building industry has been quite enjoyable. If a city like Las Vegas who takes in 40 million people a year and has more than 100,000 hotel rooms is able to change its practices, many others can as well. If others catch on and follow the Palazzo’s blueprint, the impact on the planet would be enormous.
Short Bio:
Sam Marquit – I am an independent contractor and home remodeling expert in New York. Forecasting the possible application and implementation of new green building materials and technologies is just one small part of my effort to reduce everyone’s carbon footprint.
Visit Sam… http://fmarquitv.tumblr.com/
I hope you have found this article – Making the Travel Industry a Little Greener – informative, and you will share your own experiences below in the comment box and please take the time to click on the share button, many thanks; see more articles on The Daily Green Post home page.
