Traveling is Greener in Chicago

Travelers from every walk of life will find something to enjoy in the windy city. Chicago has great food, diverse culture, a "Magnificent Mile" of shopping, beautiful parks and a lot of history. There is so much to do in Chicago that over 40 million travel to the city each year. What many travelers don't know about Chicago is that they're going green. Their Mayor, Richard Daley, has actually made it his mission to make them the greenest city in the country. Even the hotels in Chicago are taking part in the green up, and RezHub.com has put together a Top 5 list of the Greenest Hotels in Chicago.

Green Travelers will be quite impressed with the Green Lodging in Chicago. The hotels are luxurious, close to the action, and offer a range of prices to fit any budget. RezHub awards hotels points for incorporating environmental programs into their daily operations, and hotels earn one Green Branch for every score level they achieve. Each of these Top 5 Chicago Green Hotels have earned a RezHub.com Green Score of at least 3 out of 5 Green Branches for showing a superior dedication to the environment. Travelers can learn what environmental programs each hotel participates in by visiting RezHub.com.

Green Restaurant Tips - Who Said It Wasn't Easy Being Green?

Everywhere you look, we are constantly encouraged to "go green." Within the food service industry, from fast food to fine dining, there are a lot of opportunities to make a difference on your establishment's ecological footprint.

Benefits of going green

While there are many benefits to the environment, having a "green" conscious also can positively impact you as a business owner. If your restaurant is minimizing its environmental impact, the results can -

• save your business money

• add-value to your customer's experience knowing they are supporting an environmentally progressive company

Whether you decide to implement small, incremental changes or radical ones, there are options available for any restaurant establishment.

Changes to implement

Buying in bulk

Buying products in bulk will reduce the amount of individual packaging and have to throw away. Purchasing large amounts of a product results in lower unit costs. The benefits are a cost savings for you and less waste for the environment. Condiments are great for this, as well as milk, sugar and a variety of products, depending on what your restaurant serves.

Take out containers

The "to go" mentality is very prevalent in today's culture. Even if people are drinking their beverages at coffee shops, baristas are continuing to serve up mochas and lattes in disposable cups.

Consider this statistic - in the US it is estimated when you purchase one cup of coffee (or tea) in a disposable container every day, you create about 23 lb of waste each year (Ideal Bite). That is a lot of waste for one person. Think of the implications when thousands of people grab a coffee to-go a day.

Using washable cups and mugs for to-stay orders will require you to purchase fewer disposable cups and throw out less garbage. Many customers will appreciate being offered this option and want to participate in sustainable practices.

Using recyclable products

Depending upon your business, eliminating takeout containers might not be an option. If this is the case, try using to-go cups that contain recyclable material. They are lower in cost and people recognize the effort of businesses that support environmentally conscious practices.

Use efficient lighting

Using an energy efficient light bulb (LED), is another way to make an environmental decision for your business. For the most part, making the switch is as easy as unscrewing your current light bulb and replacing it with a new efficient one. Although the initial cost of the new bulb is a bit more expensive than the standard one, it will save significantly on energy costs and the total cost of the new bulb will be less expensive in the long run.

Sustainable building

In the future, if you are planning a remodeling project for your restaurant or are building a new location, consider implementing green building practices, such as including solar panels or using natural lighting. As technology advances and the need to curb our environmental impact increases, there are many options that will allow you decrease your business's energy costs and increase your energy savings to the environment.

Future of businesses and the environment

Being environmentally responsible is no longer just a 'nice thing to do'. Negative changes in the environmental landscape are making it a requirement. It might not be that long before legislation will enforce businesses to take responsibility. Conscious customers might also take up this issue into their own hands and refuse to support businesses that do not promote positive environmental practices. Being proactive will save you time and money in the long run and will positively impact the community within where your business operates.

Many people have heard the terms "green travel" and "eco-tourism". These terms conjure images of someone napping in a tree house in a jungle located at the far reaches of the Earth and or floating down the Amazon River in a canoe. And while these are certainly green alternatives, this is only one type of eco-friendly travel. The good news is that you won't have to sacrifice the comforts to which you've grown accustom, nor will you have to venture to a location in the middle of nowhere. You can even 'go green' when traveling to big cities or well populated beaches. All you really need in order to preserve the planet is a desire to protect and preserve the planet around you, no matter where you travel."Green travel" is a catch phrase that has become common as of late; this phrase has lots of company with other terms like eco-tourism, responsible travel, and sustainable tourism. We hear these terms more and more as the concern over our planet's state continues to grow. There are a variety of shades of divergence amongst each of these terms, but the value of defending the natural and civilizing environment of each place you visit remains as the heart of the matter. This means we must strive to conserve plant and wildlife, as well as other resources while respecting all the local cultures and traditions.Almost a billion tourists cross the globe annually. For this reason, it's become more imperative than ever before for travelers to reduce their singular impact on natural and cultural resources. The probable harmful affects of tourism will affect both the local and global environment. It's a well known fact that oceanfront hotels heavily contribute to beach erosion to the erosion of beaches in Hawaii and the growing number of tourists is severely threatening the delicate ecosystem in the Galapagos Islands, and on top of everything else, we're catalyzing global warming with our plane rides and our car trips in a massive way!Your first step should be to try and find a green hotel. You will find lots of online sources to help you along the way. When using Web sites, keep in mind that each site has its own rating criteria. Therefore, you will need to do your homework in order to make sure that your hotel of choice meets the standards you're seeking.Consider asking the following questions before booking a hotel:Is the lodging facility locally owned? If it isn't locally owned, is the staff local? It's a good idea to stay at a hotel that is run by local citizens.Does the hotel offer a recycling program? Do they offer bins for potential recyclables?
Does the hotel encourage guests to reuse towels and linens?Does the hotel employ techniques to reduce consumption? For example, do they use low flow toilets, low flow showers, solar power, and energy saving light bulbs?Be sure to ask lots of questions, and remember, finding a green hotel is only one step in the process. Do your homework and go green today!

How I Planned A Green Vacation

I'm going on vacation! And rest assured, it will be a green one. From my hotel stay to my activities to my flight I'll be keeping my carbon footprint as tiny as possible while I travel through the Yucutan Peninsula. Since my blogs are normally full of green travel tips, I thought I'd spend some time showing how simple it really is to plan and take a green vacation. While traveling will likely never be good for the environment, we all have the ability to lighten our load on the planet on any trip we take.

Every vacation begins with the research stage. I spent a few weeks searching through our directory of green hotels. In my search I found some excellent eco hotels all around the world from Jamaica to Canada to Sweden. You might be surprised to learn that we now have green lodging listings in 47 countries! I decided on our Dream Green Giveaway resort – The Hacienda Tres Rios. Tres Ríos began as a nature park and has been developed to preserve that unique environment. From their planning to their construction to their daily operations, Hacienda Tres Ríos carefully works to ensure the least environmental impact on the ecosystems and environment. Details of their environmental mission can be found on their website by visiting http://www.tres-rios.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view§ionid=6&id=35. While I'm there I'll be checking out their programs and giving them their RezHub Certified Green Hotel award.

Now that my resort is all set up, it's time to look for a hybrid car rental or a green rental car. I started off using our RezHub car rental search to find the best deal. While there were no hybrid options available to me in Mexico, I was able to rent a green car. I chose an economy car because it was highlighted in green in the search results. Renting the smallest car possible helps by reducing the amount of gas you'll use which also reduces your carbon emissions.

Finally comes my flight. Everyone is looking for the best deals on airfare, and unfortunately air is one of the slowest sectors of travel to green up. It's not necessarily that the airlines don't care to make changes for the planet, but there is a lot more involved in greening up an airline. I went ahead and booked the best fare, and then purchased my carbon offset. There is a lot of controversy about how effective carbon offsets really are. I believe that while no, they are not going to immediately take the carbon out of the air from my trip, they do benefit the environment. If you're not familiar with the types of offsets out there check out our Green Flights page for more information. I linked over to Sustainable Travel International to calculate and offset my trip which took under 2 minutes. The entire offset for the two of us came to only $36.00 and this includes our flights, car rental, and hotel stay - $18 a piece, simple and affordable.

Newest Way to Travel Green: Search for Cheap Plane Tickets

Can you save the environment with reusable water bottles, carbon offsets, and public transportation?

All of it helps, but now there’s an even easier way to reduce your impact: Search Green Travel.

Just by searching for travel, you can give back to the environment.

Search for Plane Tickets, Hotels, Rental Cars Using Search Green Travel

Search Green Travel is a new travel tool, created by yours truly (Kimberly and Elizabeth), to help you plan your eco-friendly, cost-effective travels. With Search Green Travel, you can find cheap plane tickets, deals on hotel rooms, and reasonably priced rental cars.

We use the best travel search engine on the web to help you find lowest price on the web. The search engine collects prices from hundreds of sites, so you know you’re getting the best deal. Search Green Travel is still in beta testing, so please send us your feedback.

Profits Donated to Environmental Non-Profits

Every time you search, we get a small share of advertising revenue for referring you. Then we donate 50% of our profits to environmental charities, particularly those that focus on preservation and sustainability world-wide.

You Don’t Have to Buy — Just Search

Using Search Green Travel is an easy way to give back to the environment, and all you have to do is search. It’s unique in that you don’t have to buy a product in order for us to donate to charity.

You search. We donate. It’s that simple. The bonus is that you also find the best travel deals on the web.

The Easiest Way to Travel Green is to Search Green Travel

Now, you can be green from the start of your trip planning.

Alone, we can’t stop melting glaciers, receding coastlines, or disappearing forests. But together, we can do a little bit more to make sure your favorite destinations are still there when you go back.

Our goal with Search Green Travel is to work with eco-conscious travelers like you to give back — one cheap airfare search at a time.

Check It Out and Spread the Word

Please bookmark http://gogreentravelgreen.com/searchgreentravel (or http://searchgreentravel.com) and use it every time you’re looking for cheap flights, airfare, or rental cars. Then tell your eco-conscious traveler friends and family about it, and share it on Digg, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, or your favorite social bookmarking site.

What Do You Think?

We’ve been developing this tool for some time, and we’re excited to finally launch it. It’s still in beta testing, so we welcome any feedback.

What do you think? Is it something you’ll use? How can we make it better?