Vancouver's Sustainable Stays

On Canada's west coast, mountains meet sea in an eclectic sprawl of urban activity. Vancouver, oft referred to as "Hollywood North," is a destination unlike any other in North America--diverse in culture, rich in art, and dogeared as one of the most appealing places to live by many a magazine. And while I've never gotten the chance to venture due north of Seattle or south of Alaska, I've always held a sweet spot for the city. A crush from afar, if you will.

This month, the buzzing metropolis plays host to the 2010 Olympics, luring international travelers from near and far and offering up a hardly surprising array of eco accommodations. We're taking a closer look at some of the city's downtown alternative energy options should you be inspired to plan a visit of your own. After all, there's a lot of gold, silver and bronze in this town right now... someone should be cheering on the green too, right?

The Listel Hotel
Loaded with artistic appeal, The Listel Hotel is an airy, colorful downtown destination that's known locally for its live jazz seven nights a week. An intimate size with 119 guestrooms and 10 suites, The Listel offers guests a choice of rooms on Museum or Gallery floors--both featuring key pieces of Northwest Coast eye candy--and subscribes to an initiative dubbed Environment Matters. Created with annual objective setting and reviews, the program serves as a check point to ensure that waste is minimized, natural resources are conserved, and decision-making incorporates eco considerations. Most admirably, it hinges on community partnerships (including a solar panel project with a B.C.-based renewable energy leader), education and increased awareness of positive environmental change.

Cascadia Hotel
An extended-stay property, Cascadia Hotel & Suites is the nation's first to be 100 percent zero-waste... using mixed container recycling, organic recycling and alternative recovery to help choke the flow of everyday trash. In addition, the hotel, a dream for business travelers, uses annual third-party audits to measure successes and reveal strategic opportunities. The 2008 run-down calculated 106 cubic yards of saved landfill space, 601 un-chopped trees, and nearly 250,000 gallons of water left in the ocean.

Pacific Palisades Hotel
A boutique option on chic shopper's Robson Street, the Pacific Palisades Hotel appeals to the trendy traveler with 232 mod guestrooms and suites, a rotating local art gallery, and requisite state-of-the-art spa. Recently awarded a four out of five Green Key ECOmmodation rating by the Hotel Association of Canada, the property has taken several small-scale steps to greening up, including organic menu options, composting kitchen waste, low-flow water valves, and eco-conscious cleaners. Guests can save 10 percent by using the Green Rate (code EOR).

Header image courtesy of Thom Quine, via Flickr.