Travel Green TopCanadianHotels

Travelling through the Okanagan Valley you will be somewhat familiar with Kelowna area.  Kelowna is located on the shores of the Okanagan Lake between Penticton and Vernon.    One of the major issues with Kelowna over the past 30 years has was the traffic congestion in the peak summer months.    Over the past few years Kelowna has added a new bridge for faster traffic flow in and out of town.   The old bridge with its lift up gate, would allow sail boats to pass under was a HUGE issue for the traffic.     Now they have added a HOV lane in both directions from the bridge to the HWY 33 intersection.   Take a trip to Kelowna this summer check out the improvements in traffic flow, enjoy the warm lake, downtown sector, orchard park, beaches, entertainment and so much more.   Stay at green hotels in Kelowna

Reduce and recycle waste.  Your waste reduction and recycling program will preserve resources, conserve energy, reduce air pollution, and save water.
 
Materials that can be recycled:

• cardboard boxes
• newspapers/magazines
• telephone books
• office paper
• laser printer catridges
• electronics
• aluminum cans
• glass bottles
• plastic containers
• food waste/kitchen fats and oils
• yard debis
• construction and demolition debris.

Give your guest the opportunity to hang up their towels in stead of tossing them on the floor for changing and using their bed linens for more than one night. Hotels save money in reduced water consumption, energy, detergent, sheet and towel replacement costs, and labor.
 
Signs can be placed in your guest rooms indicating that this program is operational.
 
Join in supporting the environment.

Lets start with my favorite team the Canucks in Vancouver. The home of the Canucks is General Motors Place located at 800 Griffiths Way.  This is our list of green friendly hotels near GM Place.   Next would be Calgary Flames home in the Pengrowth Saddledome located at 555 Saddledome Rise Southeast.  Hotels near the Calgary Saddledome.  Also located in Albert is the Edmonton Oilers home in the Rexall entre here is a list of  green friendly hotels near Rexall Place.

In Ontario we have the Toronto Maple Leafs playing out of the Air Canada Center.  Your green friendly hotels near Air Canada Center.  Also located in Ontario is the Ottawa Senators located in the Coral Center.  Your green hotel list of hotels near Scotiabank Ottawa.

Also, located back east is the Montreal Canadians located in the Bell Centre.  We also have a list of popular green hotels near Bell Centre.

Bring Stanley back to Canada!!

Have an eco-friendly Christmas, it’s time to reevaluate some of your
Christmas traditions and protect the planet.

Here are a few ideas to go green this holiday season:

1.) Christmas Cards Consider sending Christmas cards to your loved ones via the computer.  E-cards are are a fabulous way to show your love for the planet.

2.) Holiday Wrapping Paper Paper wrapping is such a waste. Try wrapping your gifts with fabric. This is a fantastic way to add a little creativity to your gift.  There are plenty of fabrics available that you can purchase, but check your closets you’d be amazed at all the potential wraps you have hidden in their there.

3.) Buy Local Christmas Trees Make it a habit of buying local. Whether it is your seasonal fruits of vegetables, buying local saves on packaging and transportation costs. And you’ll be able to recycle it after the holiday.

4.)  Cut Back on Your Christmas Lighting Cut back on a few strings this year.  Switch to energy efficient LED lights. You can save up to 90% on your energy costs that way.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

There are numerous names for green lodging, including green hotels, ecolodges, and sustainable tourism.   The best place to start your green accommodation research is online, starting with this website Top Canadian Hotels listing participating green Hotels, Inns, Lodges and Bed & Breakfasts.

Staying at a green facility is just another way to go green on the go.

Participate in hotel linen programs, or let the hotel know that it’s not necessary to change your sheets and towels every day.

Reduce the amount of water used for bathing or showering.

When you leave your hotel room, turn off the AC/heat, lights, TV and radio. Close the drapes.

Participate in hotel recycling programs by placing recyclables in appropriate bins.

Carry a dry cleaning bag with you in which to carry dirty laundry home.

Bring your own soap and shampoo leaving little bottles of amenities in the guestroom if unopened.

Let hotel management know, by speaking directly to management or writing them a note, that you want them to conserve and that you want to participate.

Instead of leaving bathroom lights (and fans) on all night, it’s wise to pack night lights for hotel stays.

If the hotel provides complimentary newspapers, pass yours on to someone else, or leave it in the lobby for another reader. Ask the hotel to see that it’s recycled.

Environmental programs or events may be listed on “things to do in the area” portion of the in-house TV programming.

Going, going, gone.

Extinction is a threat for a third of the 47,667 species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the most comprehensive information source on the status of the world’s plant and animal species.

The group’s annual Red List released this week — which tells the world how much of our wildlife is threatened, by what, where, and what the consequences are likely to be to us and our kids — also reveals that 804 known species are now extinct and 65 extinct in the wild.

While Canada fared better than many other countries — 72 threatened species compared to 1,141 in Malaysia or 2,211 in Ecuador — experts say we’re in serious trouble. The disappearing species don’t just provide food, fuel, clothes or medicine, they purify water and air, prevent soil erosion, regulate climate and pollinate crops.

“Although Canada’s footprint in the world is much smaller than the U.S. is, it’s still much higher than most countries and clearly needs a lot of work,” said Simon Stuart, chair of the species survival commission of the IUCN.

Want to help? Make a donation to a conservation group, especially one working in the tropics, adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and start lobbying the government to take note of biodiversity, says Stuart.

LIZA.SARDI@SUNMEDIA.CA

This pleasant and country town was home to the novelist and humorist
Stephen Leacock (1869-1944).  Leacock's extremely popular Sunshine
Sketches of a Little Town poked fun at the vanities of provincial
Ontario life in the fictional town of Mariposa.
Leacock's home has been conserved as the Stephen Leacock Museum.
The museum contains original furnishings as well as details of his life.
Orillia lies along a narrow strip of water linking Lake Couchiching to
Lake Simcoe which is a great base from which to cruise both lakes.
Hotels in Orillia

HAMILTON
Hamilton is located 70 km’s (44 miles) from Toronto.  Specializing in
steel the city’s mills churn out approximately 60% of Canada’s
production. 

Hamilton possesses some enjoyable attractions such as Dunburn Castle, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.  Check all the hotels in Hamilton Ontario.

The Dunburn Castle dating from the 1830s is a Regency villa whose
interior holds a fine collection of period furnishings.  The castle was
built for one of the most infuencial families in Ontario, the McNabs.
1854 to 1856 is when the Prime Minister of Canada Sir Allan Napier McNab resided there.

The Royal Botanical Gardens is comprised of forests, marshes, and small lakes over some 2,700 acres on the northside of Hamilton harbor.  With crisscrossing trails the lakeshore offers visitor several special gardens such as the popular fine Rose Garden, the Laking Garden with its peonies and irises, and the heavily perfumed lilac garden.  There is a large conservatory in the Mediterranean Garden that contains plants found in the climate zone drawn from every corner of the globe. 

In town you’ll find the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum which displays more than 30 operational aircraft dating from World War II to the jet age.