Share and Voice: Tourism

While I was traveling in Europe last school year during my time spent studying abroad, I noticed that many of the hostels and hotels I stayed at were making an effort to "go green". I hadn't done a lot of traveling in the U.S. so this was a new and exciting experience for me as I began to appreciate those lodgings that were striving to be environmentally friendly. Here are a few of the changes that I repeatedly noticed:

1. Hostel showers that only turned on for about twenty seconds at a time.
2. Signs in hotel bathrooms that encouraged people to reuse their towels, saying only towels left on the floor would be washed during their stay.
3. Hotel room lights that only turned on when activated by the room key, eliminating the event of lights being left on when no one was in the room.
4. Real dishes and silverware being used at breakfast instead of paper products.

Once I returned back home, I began to keep my eyes open for hotels in the U.S. that were going green. Did you know that our very own The Inn on Lake Superior here in Duluth is the recent winner of the Minnesota Sustainable Tourism Award? This award "is presented to the person, company or institution that supports outstanding efforts to sustain, protect and enhance Minnesota's environment while promoting tourism markets."

Here are some of the improvements they have made:

1. Using Duluth Steam's waste hot water to heat water, the pools, spa, and front entrance.
2. Using worm juice instead of chemicals to treat the lawn.
3. Buying recycled paper products.
4. Buying locally whenever possible.
5. Using energy efficient CFL light bulbs.
6. No more Styrofoam products during breakfast!
7. Accessible recycling bins, including a food waste bin in the breakfast area.

These are just a few of the ways in which The Inn has gone green. Check out their web site to learn more!