Best Spots for a 'Green' Vacation

Choose Greener Hotels

If you equate R&R with someone delivering your cocktails poolside and someone else gently nudging you along to your 2:00 tee time, then at least check your resort's green credential before you head out on your trip.

Certifications are very much a hodgepodge of local accreditations, so one has to rely on web surfing and Googling to pick the green from the green-washed.

The Jungle Bay resort in Dominica is an independent hotel that's gotten attention for its mix of luxury and sustainability.

Fairmont Hotels, which owns properties from Mexico to Singapore, began working toward environmental responsibility long before the trend became hip. In 1990, Fairmont started developing a collection on green best practices through its Green Partnership program. Steps to reduce waste and use energy-efficient light bulbs are taken across its properties, while programs such as one to recycle wine corks and another that focuses on coral-reef health are specific to certain destinations.

The Rainforest Alliance has an online SmartGuide to Sustainable Travel that can point you to sustainable hotels, restaurants and tourism services across the Americas.

Head Into the Wild With the Sierra Club
The not-for-profit offers everything from wholesome family weekend hiking and camping in the lower 48 to Alaska rafting and African safaris for the more adventurous to service-based trips (spend a few days repairing trails while you enjoy the views they proffer) in various places.

They're affordable, and the club claims that all of its trips invoke the spirit of its founder, John Muir, who said: "If people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish."

Happy eco-trails to you.