Does Your Hotel Offset 100% Electricity?

There are about, oh, a gazillion "standards" when it comes to rating green lodging. I'm not in favor of adding another semi-reliable rule-maker to the list, so instead, I'm taking a closer look at the hotels and resorts that have made one very impressive list courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The 100% Green Power Purchaser list represents only the organizations that buy enough alternative power to meet 100 percent of their ENTIRE electricity use. Made up of several different industries, the list hosts a small number of travel and leisure companies, even fewer when we're just considering accommodations. In the whole lineup, however, the combined power purchases amounts to nearly 5.5 billion kilowatt-hours annually, enough to power 544,000 average U.S. homes per year.

The 100% Green Power Purchaser list represents only the organizations that buy enough alternative power to meet 100 percent of their ENTIRE electricity use.

The list changes annually, as organizations opt in and out of the program, but in my opinion, it's worth dropping a note to the owners of your favorite hotel. Whether they're a B&B, a boutique hotel or a sprawling resort, this is a step that speaks volumes and doesn't pass unnoticed.

Never heard of the EPA's Green Power Purchaser list before? Take a look at the above link and scout out other retailers and service providers near you who made the cut.

100% Green Power Purchasers
Alpine House Inn & Spa (Jackson Hole, WY)
Aropahoe Basin Ski Resort (Keystone, CO)
Carlyle Suites Hotel (Washington, D.C.)
Grand Targhee Resort (Alta, WY)
Habitat Suites Hotel (Austin, TX)
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Jackson Hole, WY)
Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre (Rockville, MD)
Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa (Whitefield, NH)
Powdr Ski Resorts (Park City, UT)
Savoy Suites Hotel (Washington, D.C.)
Steven's Pass Resort (Skykomish, WA)
Stratton Mountain Resort (Stratton Mountain, VT)
Sugar Bowl Ski Resort (Norden, CA)
Talbott Hotel (Chicago, IL) *shown above