Going green on a family vacation is much easier now than it used to be. With environmentally-friendly hotels popping up everywhere and many eco-excursions available, you can save the planet while enjoying a memorable trip together.
Green Hotels
Many hotels are making efforts to use sustainable practices, from encouraging guests to reuse bath towels to serving farm-fresh dishes in their restaurants. When selecting a place to stay, do some research and choose one that strives to make a difference. Here are a few California hotels that have gone above and beyond to save the planet.
- Montage Laguna Beach: With a Director of Sustainability on staff, this resort continually looks for ways to improve its commitment to the environment. They have a state-of-the-art composting machine, irrigate with reclaimed water and participate in local beach clean-ups.
- The Good Hotel, San Francisco: Marketed as "the first hotel with a conscience," here you'll find an eco-friendly decor, sustainable T-shirts for sale and free use of bicycles.
- The Stanford Inn, Mendocino: The gem at this Inn is the organic vegetable garden. Produce is picked fresh and used in the menu items served at the on-property Ravens' Restaurant. The Inn also provides mountain bikes, kayaks and canoes to explore the area.
- 968 Hotel, Lake Tahoe, CA: Constructed using green building practices, the eco-hotel is conscious about things like water and energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
Eco-Adventures
Protecting the planet is fun! Teach children to respect nature by getting out and enjoying it...ride a bike, swim in the ocean, take a hike. These eco-tours provide entertainment and education about the planet.
- Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel: The resort's Ambassadors of the Environment program offers eco-excursions to locals and hotel guests with a focus on the ocean. Families can enjoy things like a docent-led tide pool exploration, organic garden tour, or kelp forest snorkel adventure.
- Ocean Institute, Dana Point:
- Sierra Club Outings: The Sierra Club offers family vacations with a focus on protecting the planet. Guided activities include things like hiking, swimming and crafts projects.
- Adventure Travel with REI: Promoting active outdoor exploration, these family-oriented guided trips are developed with kids in mind. Go on a safari in Africa, bike through Bangkok, hike the Grand Canyon, or go heli-skiing in Canada. These types of trips are bound to make lasting memories.
- Camping in America: What better way to embrace the outdoors than with pitching a tent and sleeping in nature. Camping has long been a favorite family vacation activity. America's National Parks offer full-service amenities and breathtaking scenery.
Offset the carbon footprint of your next family vacation by staying at a green-conscious hotel, using alternative transportation or participating in a nature-based activity. It's easy being green.
Sharael Kolberg - With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Hawaii, Sharael combines her interest in family travel with her passion for ...
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