Go Greener Tips

Although humanity deserves a pat on the back for improvements in eco-friendliness over the last decade, you will have to acknowledge that said improvements are still insufficient for us to honestly say to our children that we proudly give them their greatest inheritance on Earth – that is, the Earth itself.

Fortunately, we have good news that brighten up our day and make us believe once again that there is still hope for humanity and for the Earth. The good news comes from eco-friendly hotels, a top car manufacturer’s efforts to go green, and environment-friendly pet care options.

Starwood Hotels

For businessmen and frequent travelers, the search for eco-friendly hotels can be a frustrating one especially when one considers the general wastage of resources from the toilet paper to the electricity that happens inside hotels and motels.  Fortunately, the popular Starwood hotel chain, which is composed of the Sheraton, W Hotels and St. Regis brands, has advocated eco-chic.

Supposedly, eco-chic pertains to the blending of Starwood’s signature style and comfort with adherence to rigorous eco-friendly measures as recommended by the United States Green Building Council.  It has the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification to show for it.

Among the eco-friendly features of the new hotels are high-efficiency kitchen appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs to conserve energy, low-flow toilets to conserve water, and even recycling bins in the public areas and guest rooms.  If all goes according to plan, the Starwood hotels should be the best option in green accommodations.

Volvo

Cars are not exactly the most eco-friendly transportation available to us at present.  Consider this fact of life:  If you drive your average car for 10,000 miles yearly, it would have produced 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide for every year of use.  And that environmental cost does not include its manufacture and disposal.

Volvo has made their truck manufacturing plant carbon neutral, which is a welcome breath of fresh air indeed, pun not intended. Their Umea Sweden plant uses an ice-cold underground river for cooling purposes, thus, making way for significant energy usage daily.  It is a very cool eco-friendly idea indeed.

Now, if only other car manufacturers will follow suit. Or better yet, if the idea of water-powered vehicles can catch on with these manufacturers, then better for us and for the environment.

Pet Care

The human efforts to protect the environment have gone to the dogs, so to speak. Nowadays, pet owners have a variety of eco-friendly pet care options to choose from. You have organic dog food, eco-friendly toys for your cats and dogs as well as biodegradable bags for your pet’s poop. With the internet, you ought to find a pet care provider that will provide all these options without draining your pockets.

From hotel accommodations to car manufacture to pet care, we have so many more eco-friendly choices.  It is up to us to choose the best one that fits our needs and wants while still thinking of the environment’s welfare.  Soon, you might progress from a C- to perhaps a B- for action.