Earth Day, annual holiday of environmental sustainability, is on Monday, and green lifestyle and sustainability are especially in vogue.
It also happens to mark the beginning of peak travel season in various parts of the world. Who says hospitality and eco-consciousness have to be mutually exclusive?
Below, we've compiled a megalist of some of the top eco-friendly hotels in the world. With solar-powered electricity, structural elements made from natural materials and downright beautiful scenery, you'll definitely find a destination where you can travel responsibly.
Check out the list, and let us know in the comments which ones pique your interest.
1. Six Senses Con Dao
Image courtesy of Six Senses Con Dao
Location: Con Dao, Vietnam
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The building materials come from sustainable resources, the structure maximizes air flow to reduce the need for air conditioning and the staff has a passionate commitment to social responsibility and reducing the carbon footprint.
2. Hotel Tierra Patagonia
Image courtesy of Tierra Patagonia
Location: Torres del Paine, Chile
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Built into the hillside of the far south of South America, Tierra Patagonia refuses to overshadow the natural environment. Inside, you'll find low-energy lighting, wooden walls that help maintain a comfortable temperature and furnishings made by local craftspeople.
3. White Pod
Image courtesy of White Pod
Location: Swiss Alps
What's Eco-Friendly About It? You sleep in luxurious pods that double as "low impact accommodations" – meaning you use minimal water and electricity, produce less waste and utilize renewable resources.
4. Spice Island Beach Resort
Image courtesy of Spice Island Beach Resort
Location: St. George's, Grenada
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The resort maintains energy-efficient practices like recycling, replants trees, participates in community cleanups and educates employees about conservation.
5. The Park Hyderabad
Image courtesy of the Park Hyderabad
Location: Hyderabad, India
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The Park Hyderabad's stunning exterior maximizes natural light, reducing the need for electricity, and there's a culture of incentives for green transportation (bicycles, electric cars, etc.).
6. Saffire Freycinet
Image courtesy of Saffire Freycinet
Location: Coles Bay, Tasmania
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The Saffire Freycinet has energy-efficient windows, lighting and air conditioning, and the kitchens get their food on site and from local vendors.
7. Hotel Punta Islita
Image courtesy of Hotel Punta Islita
Location: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Hotel Punta Islita's dedication to protecting the environment has earned it awards from the Costa Rican government's Sustainable Tourism department, and the staff regularly engages in reforestation initiatives and wildlife conservation.
8. Proximity Hotel
Image courtesy of Proximity Hotel
Location: Greensboro, N.C.
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Proximity Hotel is a LEED Platinum "green hotel" boasting more than 70 sustainable practices, including a vegetated restaurant rooftop and 100 solar panels to heat 60% of the water for both the hotel and restaurant.
9. Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Image courtesy of Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Location: Maldives
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Various parts of the hotel EW built over the water in the Indian Ocean, minimizing interference with the natural environment. Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa received silver EarthCheck certification.
10. Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge
Image courtesy of Morgan's Rock
Location: Near San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Morgan's Rock's bungalows are extremely minimal and open to the ocean. The layout of the accommodations is designed for guests to become one with nature.
11. Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas
Image courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The hotel's facade blocks heat and maximizes natural light, while the lamps use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The furnishings are toxin-free and the restaurant's sushi bar serves sustainable fish.
12. Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda
Image courtesy of Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda
Location: Gargnano, Italy
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The various structures of the resort are integrated into the village's hill slopes to reduce energy and heat dispersion. Lefay Lago di Garda also collects rainwater and manages waste sustainably.
13. Lapa Rios Ecolodge
Image courtesy of Lapa Rios Ecolodge
Location: Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Poaching and deforestation are major issues on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, and Lapa Rios has pledged to protect the 1,000 acres within its private reserve. It has many sustainable initiatives, including heating its water by solar power.
14. Jetwing Vil Uyana
Image courtesy of Jetwing Vil Uyana
Location: Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
What's Eco-Friendly About It? The hotel increases the area's biodiversity, since it was built on manmade wetlands previously used for slash and burn agriculture. The Jetwing Eternal Earth Programme (JEEP) works to innovate in ecotourism and give back to the community.
15. Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Resort
Image courtesy of Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Resort
Location: Vanu Levu, Fiji Islands
What's Eco-Friendly About It? Jean-Michel Cousteau is a world-renowned explorer and conservationist, so it's no surprise the resort named after him is just as sustainable. The menus don't include farmed fish, the lighting is low-voltage and the wood comes from certified local forests.
Click here to view and read about the other 15 amazing eco friendly hotels from Mashable….
