5 Things Hotels Are Doing to Save the Planet

Eco-friendly traveling doesn't have to mean "roughing it." In fact, a number of luxury hotels are taking steps toward reducing their carbon footprints (and yours). You don't even have to be outdoorsy to take part in their programs -- actually, you probably won't even notice them, so here are five things hotels are doing to save the planet:

1. Recycling water, water bottles, and even soap. The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in Atlanta, along with 39 other hotels, is sanitizing and reshaping partially-used bars of soap and sending them to refugee camps in Africa as part of the new Global Soap Project.

2. Greening up the wine list. Kimpton has led the industry in selecting sustainable vineyards for their cellars. It helps that their sommelier Emily Wines finds that eco-friendly wines are better wines.

3. Keeping it cool -- but not all the time. The Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui has motion sensors on its thermostats. If a door closes and no one's in your room, the temperature adjusts to five degrees higher. This may not sound like much but if it's saving them 20 percent on their electric bill, and it is, it's pretty darn good for the planet, too.

4. Using eco-friendly materials. Hotels like The Good Hotel, RockResorts, and even Chicago's historic Talbott Hotel are building and decorating hotels with sustainable materials from responsible sources. Do you mind if the floor is bamboo? I bet you don't. It's gorgeous.

5. Partnering with other programs. Kimpton is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy to plant a billion (a billion!) trees, and Ritz-Carltons (pictured is the Jean-Michel Cousteau Ambassadors of the Environment Center located on-site in Kapalua) and other leading hotels work with local organizations already active in their communities (in ways other than "here's $1,000") to help serve their areas in more ways than just providing jobs and bringing tourists.

So, if you want to take an eco-friendly vacation, you don't have to skimp on luxury -- just ask your hotel what environmental programs they have, and be choosy! And if you're curious, Sustainable Travel International has a site here where you can calculate your trip's environmental impact and get ideas for reducing it.