Love to see a new way to rate hosts and guests- starting a Green Host certification

Marcelle10
Level 3
Sarasota, FL

Love to see a new way to rate hosts and guests- starting a Green Host certification

Hi Folks,

We are very concerned about our carbon footprint. The UN just put out a report stating that we have 12 years to save us and the planet.

 

I would love to see AirBnb start a 5 star Green rating.

For the host-

do they recycle?

Use LED lighting?

Provide non-plastic garbage bags?

Use reusable shampoo/conditioner/liquid soap containers?

compost bins?

 

For the guest-

Did they recycle?

Turn off lights or turn down A/C?

Use bikes, public transportation or an electric car?

 

For Airbnb-

Provide a link to CO2 buy back to make air travel carbon neutral.

 

Something so that as an Airbnb community, we can try to lesson our carbon footprint.

 

Hope others would be interested...

38 Replies 38

@Rebecca0 I know. When I lived in Canada, I used to wash out all my plastic bags, hang them on the line to dry and reuse them until they were no longer usable. Then I moved to Mexico and saw millions of plastic bags laying around everywhere, stuck in the fences, etc. (most of Mexico is strewn with garbage) and thought how silly it was for me to be washing out my plastic bags-it seemed like such a tiny drop in the bucket. But really, all any of us can do it try to reduce our own personal footprint, educate those around us (including our guests) and work with or contribute to organizations that are creating solutions.

It's odd how long its taken for people to start recycling- my dad was a mechanical engineer and I remember he was working on a project with his company when I was a kid developing a method to make 2x4s for building out of recycled plastics. This was like 55 years ago. 

Sudsrung0
Level 10
Rawai, Thailand

Hi, we sure do explain while do the paper work and passports my husband shows them around and he is English he runs through how to use A/C we did recently make some intructions A4 we leave lying around for them to read also, 

The islands are being eroded by the tourist $ one day we will have no coral there will be no marine life left,

Any thanks for your reply

Merry Christmas to everybody

Chris225
Level 5
Flagstaff, AZ

All excellent ideas. I could see many of these options @Marcelle10 gave could be features hosts select (LED Lights, Recycle, Compost, Re-usable Containers [non-individual sized], Smart Thermostat, non-plastic, etc.).

 

I could also see options for eco-fiendly upon host review process. Many times I come to the house with lights left on. We even have people that stay in our home leave bedroom or bathroom lights on when they leave the house for dinner. I had no idea that was a thing people did--as my family taught me to turn lights off when leaving a room (especially a home). Many times our guests leave bathroom lights on (which I try to mitigate with night lights), garage lights, kitchen, etc.

 

Also if you'd find non-toxic cleaning supplies feature (or any feature helpful) I suggest you submit it to AirBnB via feedback. Please see post here for template:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Organic-Hosting-non-toxic-plant-based-supplies/m-p/90988...

 

@Lizzie

Heather588
Level 2
Hardwick, VT

I have been thinking this, too.  It would be nice if guests could isolate those who are using environmentally conscious practices in their search and have a rating system.  I hope this is a next priority!

Sami459
Level 3
Denver, CO

I appreciate the sentiment and agree with a lot of these ideas, but I don't love the idea of trying to control my guests' behavior or adding yet another hurdle for hosts to have to "Green" their homes in order to comply with some arbitrary AirBnB rules that will undoubtedly go against hosts rather than for us. Obviously, we should all do our part as best as we can, but people simply have different habits, preferences, etc..

I also don't believe this nonsense about the world will end in 12 years. That's just silly. :). Still, we should be as environmentally conscious as we can - but that will vary wildly from one host to another for many reasons. Do you have several thousand dollars to upgrade your Furnace or A/C to one that's more "Green"? Does everyone have the ability to add solar panels? Obviously we all have different situations and what's do-able for one, is a hurdle for another.

There are certainly some simple things we can do (such as cut down on plastics, use eco-friendly products, recycle), but we can't expect all guests to comply. For example, I provide my guests with re-usable (washable) paper towels to cut down on waste. But I also provide them with regular paper towels. I encourage them to use the re-usable ones, but some people simply prefer the paper ones.

I don't think it's fair to hold Hosts accountable to a list of things that may not be feasible or might be cost-prohibitive for some hosts (such as non-plastic garbage bags) and I don't think it's fair to "force" guests to behave in a way that may not be comfortable for them. We should certainly nudge as best as we can, but I don't like the idea of adding so many extra rules. I don't want my guests walking on eggshells or trying to remember a long list of House Rules. I want to keep it as simple as possible, while at the same time, being as Green as possible.

My best advice for energy conservation in the home is to invest in Smart devices like Thermostats, LEDs, Smart Switches and Outlets, etc. - set rules and automation for the home and make it as easy as possible for guests. Obviously certain things are a no brainer, such as having a recycle bin.

Here is an example of what I'm working on for my Guests at the moment. Rather than creating a long list of "checkout instructions", I will automate some of these things for my guests so that they can all be accomplished with a push of a button at the door, when they check out. I will be installing Flic buttons in the home. Flic buttons integrate with Alexa, Google, Homekit and you can assign certain actions to the buttons. The buttons have 3 commands (single click, double click and press and hold). There are other companies that make similar buttons as well. So, you could create home automation such as the following examples:

Ask your guests to Single Click the button every time they leave the house. This can set off a series of commands such as Turn off All Lights, Turn off the TV/Stereo/Fan whatever, Set the Temperature, etc.

Guest Checkout - Guests Double Click the button when they checkout - Doors Lock, Home goes into "Eco Mode" or "Cleaning Mode" or whatever you set up. (Lights, appliances, air purifiers, robot vacuum, etc.) you can even have a text message sent to your phone letting you know that the guest has checked out.

You can also use this button to set up a "Welcome" mode - The guests use this when they check-in and it triggers a series of commands (such as turning on the lights if after XPM). You can also trigger a Welcome video to play on your iPad which can include some of these "encouragements" for Guests to be conscious about X,Y,Z during their stay.  All of this happens with one push of a button.

I have found that it's just not realistic to expect guests to follow all the small rules (such as turning off all the lights when they leave). I'd rather have control of some of that in an app on my phone and make it as simple as possible for them (a click of a button).

We all have different use cases. I love the idea of 4 Garbage Bins but that is absolutely not feasible in my small home, there is no room for all of that, but I do have recycling setup. I think we should do our best to setup a home that is Green in the best ways we can, encourage guests and make it easy for them. What I think is a bad idea is to make AirBnB the arbiter, to create a "one-size fits all" set of rules and regulations. That will end in disaster, imo.

@Sami459  I agree with all you say here,  except for your click button idea that this would simplify things for guests. Maybe it would for many who are into high tech stuff, but I can tell you that if I were a guest, that would just confuse and irritate me and be the opposite of simple.

 

I'm perfectly capable of turning off lights and heating and AC and would. Having to read up and remember how many times to push a button or watch a video just to figure out how to turn off the lights would result in frustration and a mention in the review of how annoying it was.

It's actually very simple. Press one button, 10 things happen. 


No need for your guests to be tech-savvy, although it does take some tech-know-how to setup.

The simple fact is (as illustrated by this thread), guests sometimes don't turn off the lights or turn down the heater. Why not make it as easy for them as possible.

One button to rule them all.

**

**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines

YES!!! I was just searching threads to suggest the same. I stayed at an AirBnb the other weekend and as a zero waster myself I felt very uncomfortable with their decadent single use plastics all over the place and no recycling.

 

@Katy375  It wouldn't be a bad idea to private message the host and suggest to them that they try to be more environmentally aware and maybe suggest ways in which they could easily achieve that without sacrificing guests' comfort.