Q&A with Select Green Hotels

by Pollyanna Durbin | Oct 21, 2021 | Climate Experts: Q&A, Green Business, Sustainable Tourism

Q&A with Select Green Hotels

Growfish.co met with Isabelle, the owner of the wonderful new eco-travel business Select Green Hotels – a booking platform that specialises in luxury eco-resorts. Here she inspires us with the stories behind setting up her businesses and tips on the best hotels to look out for in 2022.

What inspired you to set up both Green Luxury Guide and Select Green Hotels?

I have always been very aware of environmental issues, and I’ve been eating organic and using organic skincare and eco-friendly cleaning products for years. I also love vintage shopping. However, I’ve lived quite a fast and busy life with little time to make conscious choices if they weren’t presented in an easy way to me. When the lockdown in Germany was announced in March 2020, I was working in Marketing Communications for a luxury hotel brand. Like many in the industry, I was grounded with a lot of time for myself. For me, this meant finally figuring out how to live more sustainably in all aspects of daily life. I realized quickly that to find really pretty eco-hotels, it takes days to search the internet. I happened to have the time and industry knowledge to do this, but who else has the time and patience? I felt that there was a huge gap between the traveller who wishes to travel more sustainably and the offerings of hotel booking platforms.

How can we all travel more sustainably?

Sustainability is such a broad term, it includes eco-friendliness but also social and economic stability. I think it can be overwhelming for people at times. Easy things to implement are taking trains instead of cars or planes, eating local and seasonal at the destination and actively refusing single-use plastics – this does have an educational effect as well. Whenever possible, I advise enjoying local culture and products. That way our trip has a positive economic impact on the local community. Looking out for eco certifications and our Select Green Sustainability Criteria when choosing a hotel helps to better understand if the accommodation is making an effort.

How do you make sure you practice self-care as a busy ecopreneur?

That’s the toughest question 😉 At some point, I realized that I’m barely moving from my computer all day. So I started doing 10-minute HIIT workouts every morning – no excuses – to get my body going. However, I do find entrepreneurship so uplifting that I feel I do a lot of mental self-care just by working on something I deeply believe in.

Where do you think the conscious travel industry is headed in the future?

The future of travel is green! Looking at the latest reports, the demand for more sustainable accommodations is growing immensely. Hoteliers start to understand that sustainable practices are more than just a good marketing tool. Guests are becoming more and more educated, so greenwashers will be spotted easier.

Which eco hotels should we look out for in 2022!

These past years saw some great new hotel openings. For a romantic Mallorcan getaway, I recommend LJs Ratxo – it’s completely plastic-free and in the middle of a nature reserve. For a city trip to Paris, HoY is a chic yoga hotel in the hip Pigalle district, and for an alpine skiing trip, Valsana in Arosa is chic yet laidback ski hotel.

For information on the best new eco-hotels to visit in 2022, visit www.selectgreenhotels.com.

Written by
Pollyana Durbin

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Q&A with Select Green Hotels

Oct 21, 2021 | Climate Experts: Q&A, Green Business, Sustainable Tourism

Growfish.co met with Isabelle, the owner of the wonderful new eco-travel business Select Green Hotels - a booking platform that specialises in luxury eco-resorts. Here she inspires us with the stories behind setting up her businesses and tips on the best hotels to...

5 Travel Tips on How Be a Conscious Traveller

May 16, 2021 | Sustainable Tourism, Tips

Travel? What’s that? At this point it feels like a foreign concept or a former luxury from a past life. As hard as it is to believe, international travel will be possible again! Until then, I’m sure most of us are still happy with the idea of local travel in the...

5 Travel Tips on How Be a Conscious Traveller

by Sydney Bracken | May 16, 2021 | Sustainable Tourism, Tips

5 Travel Tips on How Be a Conscious Traveller

rattan cushions on a sunny terrace for an environmental awareness campaign

Travel? What’s that? At this point it feels like a foreign concept or a former luxury from a past life. As hard as it is to believe, international travel will be possible again! Until then, I’m sure most of us are still happy with the idea of local travel in the coming spring and summer months. I know I am!

With that being said, how many of us are spending the time and effort to ensure when we travel (whether locally, domestically or internationally) that we are doing it in a sustainable, low impact way?

In a sense, it does feel like travel is difficult to make “sustainable”, especially as one traveller, but it is possible to make small changes that can have a large impact on the environment and its wellbeing. Here are a few tips for local and international travel that you can use during and post-pandemic!

1. Shop Local and Respect the Culture

Although respect may seem like a no-brainer to some of us, many people travel like they’re just passing through and don’t think about the consequences they leave behind. If you are going to buy that souvenir necklace, why not buy it from the handmaid jewelry stand of a woman who’s been coming to the market with her products for years?. Always remember to give what you can to the local economy, since it’s more than likely that you can spare the extra dollar here and there and it could make a huge difference. “Respect” can also refer to the local customs and ways of life. Make sure you look into these before you travel to international destinations to show as much reverence as possible.

2. Avoid Caged/Trained Animal Activities

Yes, we’ve all seen the amazing pictures of that girl you knew back in high school riding an elephant in Thailand. It may look like SHE is living her best life, but what’s going on behind that photo? How is the elephant being treated? More often than not, these tourist traps don’t treat animals humanely and they are taken from their natural habitats at a young age. If you are an animal lover, instead opt for an animal sanctuary and support conservation efforts for these endangered species.

3. Carry a Travel Kit

This is easy and efficient since you’ll be using these products at home and during travel! A good travel kit can often include a reusable water bottle, a quick-dry towel, bamboo utensils, a biodegradable toothbrush, reusable bags, etc. This allows you to avoid single-use plastics on the road (or in the air) and a small kit can be lightweight to fit in a carry-on bag.

4. Travel Slow

Keeping your carbon footprint small during travel can be difficult, but there are ways to lessen your impact. Travelling to five different destinations in one trip creates a lot more emissions than staying put for a week, so if you can do this on at least one trip per year, it helps a lot! Try travelling by different means of transportation, such as a train instead of the car or a plane. This can actually reduce your CO2 by over half, even if it can take twice as long, it’s a fun experience!

5. Choose an Eco Destination

There are so many countries and destinations around the world that offer amazing environmentally friendly ways to travel, so why not try them out? Costa Rica for example is extremely biodiverse and they have ecotourism at the forefront of their economy. Locally, you could try an organic winery or maybe hiking a conservation area. There are so many options available now and many of them offer unique experiences that you’ll never forget.

I hope these sustainable travel tips get you excited to get out there on your next adventure with sustainability in mind! Safe and happy travels.