🍃‌[FESTIVAL] How we promote sustainability in our listings 🍃‌

[Patricia2526]

As a sustainable Airbnb host involves several steps that we do in our listings.

Small steps makes big changes

Promoting refillable bath amenities is a sustainable choice that reduces single-use plastic waste. By switching to refillable options, you can help minimize environmental impact and encourage a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

We installed low-flow fixtures, and very quick in fixing leaks promptly, and we also encourage guests to reuse towels and linens.  Promoting responsible water usage habits so we provide towel racks.

We provide recycling bins, composting options, and minimize single-use plastics.

We equip our property with energy-efficient appliances most are inverters and LED lighting to reduce electricity consumption.

We provide locally sourced and organic goods to support local businesses and reduce carbon emissions from transportation.

Our township provides free shuttle within our area so we encourage our guests to use free shuttle or walk.

We Inform guests about our sustainability efforts and encourage them to participate, such as by turning off lights and appliances when not in.

By implementing these practices, we can create a more sustainable Airbnb experience for both hosts & guests.

Which sustainable practices have you implemented, and would you like to share some of these practices or tips? 

[Annabel356]

@Patricia2526 We use ethical toiletries and refill bottles too as well as recycling. We are self catering so people use towels for their whole stay rather than get them replaced daily. We have also started recycling the nespresso pods as they offer that now which is great!  Also we have an air source heat pump although I must say that is expensive to run. 

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Annabel356

Great initiative! Thanks for sharing 🥰

[Linda-and-Peter0]

@Patricia2526 We use re-fillable bathroom amenities as well as cleaning products for the kitchen.  We plant our own loofah to use as brush for pots & pans in the kitchen.  We use bicarb & vinegar as cleaning products and we do not use any insect spray in our cottages.  We use a homemade soap to wash our linen.  We try to minimise use of plastic bin bags and encourage guests to buy products not packaged in plastic.  However to minimise the use of plastic is very challenging but we'll presevere!   We plant hardy & waterwise plants in the gardens.  

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Linda-and-Peter0 

Hooray! Such excellent work, and thanks for sharing the details of what you are doing. 

[Patricia2526]

Hello @Linda-and-Peter0

Oh this is so true! We end up providing eco-bags in the end for guests to use during their stay. 

[Linda-and-Peter0]

Great idea - I am going to look into it

[Brett500]

@Patricia2526 We also use refillable shower supplies and bathroom hand soap dispenser.  We provide a recycle bin outside which we empty after each guest visit.  In our mini fridge, instead of water bottles, we provide a refillable filtered water pitcher.  We have rooftop solar.  Only LED lightbulbs.

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Brett500

Thanks for sharing your best practices to support conservation efforts, every action counts. 🌱 

[Paula]

Hi @Patricia2526, thanks so much for sharing these great practices🍃.

Your post reminded me that every action counts, and if we all start implementing small sustainable practices, we can truly make a significant impact in our communities and the world 🌍🌱.

This is really inspiring, @Patricia2526. Thanks for sharing 💝!

[Patricia2526]

Thank you @Paula

Our commitment to sustainability is woven into everything we do. One eco-friendly decision at a time 🥰

[Karen3592]

Hello @Patricia2526  from KV garden cottage. We supply a recycle pail as well as a waste pail. We also have a pail labeled specifically for coffee and tea grounds, which I use to feed my garden plants. Roses love the benefit! Most of our guest stays are less then a week so we only provide guests with two towels each, as well as a wash cloth and hand towel. We also provide paper towels in the bath room which can be composted. We added a sign by the door which says please turn off all appliances before leaving for the day. We provide one set of bed linens per visit. As a hairdresser I use professional hair products, soaps and lotions in the cottage. I buy large sizes and refill the smaller bottles. We are in walking distance to many parks trails, a lake, a family park, shops and restaurants and we encourage our guests to take walks through our area. I propagate trees and succulents and have given many plants and trees to our guests to take home as a farewell gift. We also get an allotment of wine form our winery so we regift a bottle to each booking. Repurpose reuse and regift are all good things to consider!

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Karen3592

Thanks for sharing! How I wish I also have big garden. Every step we take brings us closer to a more sustainable world 🌱 

[Luis5555]

@Patricia2526 One other sustainable idea that we request at our Airbnb is asking guests to refrain from using synthetic fragrances; "We care for the well being of all, including the environment, thus we super appreciate you refraining from wearing synthetic fragrances so other visitors, who have allergies, lung, or heart conditions, aren't negatively affected. For your health and convenience, we offer fragrance free laundry soap, dish soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, and hand soap. Camaliti Cottage is also cleaned with cleaners that are free of chemicals and fragrance which are healthier for you and the environment." We refill bottles for all those products with fragrance free and usually organic products from a larger jugs. We also say, "If you have any questions or concerns about being fragrance free during your stay, we would LOVE to help you understand and feel better about that." I have many years of teaching others how and why to live a chemical free life body, mind, and spirit. We also use eco friendly toilet paper and other products as such in our Airbnb. We offer a reusable cooler as we are near the race track and many parks. And we offer reusable shopping bags, compost, recycle bin, and some LED lights. Some people have a hard time with that lighting. Wishing Great Discoveries everyone- Daniele and Luis

[Nicole3664]

@Patricia2526 I try to purchase only sustainably-made bulk items (like soaps, detergents  & cleaning products) that are biodegrade-able, biocompatible, non-toxic, septic-safe, skin-safe etc.).

I purchase items in bulk to reduce packaging (coffee, tea, powdered creamer, dish detergent, laundry detergent, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, oil, salt, pepper, sugar etc.)

I don’t supply guests with paper products like paper towels, napkins or tissues. Instead, I provide washable, reusable cloth kitchen towels and cloth napkins. 

I ask that guests turn off lights, fans and appliances. All outdoor lights are motion sensing to save energy and to prevent light pollution! I would love to have all my indoor lights be motion sensing, but I’m not there yet.

I ask that guests put no recyclables or food waste in the regular (landfill) trash. Instead I provide a recycling and composting station.

My aim is to provide positive and easily “digestible” education and information on how my cabin is run in an are eco-friendly way, how guests are expected to behave, but also to educate guests about how they can practice this at home. 

My goal is to have signs in every room that explain simply and quickly the logistics/practices of how to behave, while also providing a QR code on the sign that links to a great article that goes further in depth about the subject. 
For example, above the washer & dryer  machines, we ask guests to only use our non-toxic laundry detergent provided and quickly run down the common toxins in most laundry detergents and how they affect the aquatic life here (for example endocrine disruptors).

A QR code links them to an in-depth article about what all these toxins are and how to reduce them in your life. 

I think it requires a bit of psychology, effective marketing, and gentle info, to get people to care for and preserve your space/land/the earth, while also helping them to practice at home. 

I am shifting my hot tub over to a natural method that doesn’t involve chlorine or bromine (neurotoxins)… it’s challenging to make these changes, but worth it. 

All my light bulbs are LEDs. I provide guests with refillable water bottles and encourage them to not buy packaged water. I limit the number of towels and encourage guests to hang towels to dry. I supply reusable shopping bags and encourage guests to go to the farmer’s market instead of the grocery store.

I believe that practicing daily life habits is far more important in terms of true sustainability than having solar panels or expensive technologies that help with sustainability. Although these are great as well, we aren’t all in a situation where we can have those things. 

I am hoping to see an eco-friendly or sustainability certification and badge from AirBnB that boosts rankings and has benefits for hosts / listings who meet these standards and possibly even penalties for not doing so?

This will set a precedent to get more hosts AND guests educated and on board with living a more sustainable life. Unfortunately, due to the mostly short-term nature of rentals and the psychology of “vacation-brain”, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of being terribly wasteful, which we’re all taking steps to remedy! ❤️