 Do you want to go green when you travel for vacation but you don't have any idea where to go? If you are thinking of traveling, EnviroCitizen.org suggests you consider choosing one of the top seven US green destinations.
1) Camp Denali, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska: Centered on Mt. McKinley (Denali), the tallest peak in North America, the phrase "unspoiled paradise" won't seem an exaggeration as you step out of your guest cabin into spectacular parkland.
2) Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francicsco, Calif.: A LEED-certified hotel in the heart of arguably America's greenest city. Skip the car while in town and take a stylish, recuperated tram, or rent a Prius to visit nearby Point Reyes National Seashore and dine at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
3) Rock Harbor Lodge, Isle Royale National Park, Mich.: Hidden on a remote island in Northwest Lake Superior, Rock Harbor Lodge is about as far away from it all as you can get.
4) Smugglers' Notch Family Resort, Smugglers' Notch, Vermont: A leader in the state of Vermont for sustainable building, Smugglers' Notch is also one of only a few mountains in the Northeast recognized as a member of Sustainable Slopes. The resort's green initiatives are extensive, and include wildlife and habitat protection, energy efficiency, recycling, and water conservation, to name a few. But we also noticed--when we visited Smugglers'--the huge focus on education. There are “no idling” signs around the resort, instructions on washing machines include how much water they save, and guests are encouraged to tour the wastewater treatment facility.
5) The Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen, Colorado: Reputed as the center of the green ski movement, Aspen naturally tops our list. The Aspen Skiing Company (ASC), which owns four mountains in the Aspen area (Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk) began their eco initiatives back in 1997 and have since become an inspiration to others. ASC was the first of its peers to purchase wind power and was the first to offset 100 percent of its electricity. The only company with a green building policy, ASC has the largest photovoltaic system in the industry, and trail-grooming vehicles running on biodiesel.
6) Park City Mountain Resort, Park City, Utah: For the past three years, Park City Mountain Resort has annually conducted an in-depth energy audit on its entire operation, in order to slash its carbon footprint. Thanks to the audit, Park City has trimmed the resort's carbon footprint by over 15,000 tons. According to their Web site, this is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 2,492 passenger vehicles or the electricity use of 1,802 homes for one year.
7) Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort, Bend, Oregon: We love when forward-thinking companies make steps to preserve the environment for the future. The studies will help determine a road map for consistently reducing the resort's carbon footprint. The team is also consistently analyzing waste and recycling efforts, petroleum use, and renewable energy. Mt. Bachelor seems to recognize that the small efforts are just as important as the large.
No matter what you picture as your ideal green destination, EnviroCitizen.org is sure that one of these places is sure to fit the bill.
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