Eco friendly homes and products

James250
Level 3
Cathedral City, CA

Eco friendly homes and products

I made the decission several years ago to have solar installed.

Other than the connection fee I have not paid an electric bill in several years. The utility usually pays me about $300 for my over production.

Today will be 109 F and I am not afraid to run the A/C.

Other interests

How to reduce my water usage.

Eco freindly cleaning products.

Reducing my carbpn footprint.

James

47 Replies 47

That's an amazing idea, as that would work perfectly without feeling bad about telling the guest they were wasting so much precious energy. Once you know a guests energy consumption, you can discuss their score and help them achieve a better score.

I'm finding this conversation late, but @Oomesh, that's a very timely category for airbnb  to consider adding to the list. 

 

With the sate of the planet as it is, we should all be paying attention to our usage and waste. 

 

I actually did away with the single serve Keurig coffee machine, swtiched to cloth napkins, and made signs that say "if you turn it on, please turn it off before you leave" in my unit because of this.

@Susan1028 Thank you for liking this old comment of mine! It is never too late to join in this conversation about environment friendly guests and hosts.It will soon be 2 years since i wrote this comment but it seems that Airbnb did not take my proposition into account.It would help a lot of hosts understand what to expect from their guests.

 

Last year Airbnb has increase the number options for guests to critic us as a result putting more pressure on genuine hosts but they did not give us the same amount of options to critic our guests.I believe this is very unfair.

 

Finally i would also really like to see an option one day where hosts could click to label very demanding guests so that to inform all hosts of who they are going to deal with.Happy hosting!!!

Great ideas!

@Susan1028 Thank you for liking my ideas, i really appreciate!

Ria16
Level 10
Northland, New Zealand

KiaOra I also have solar, I would certainly be swayed to go for a Eco friendly listing if it was in the area that I was visiting. 

Chris232
Level 10
Petersfield, United Kingdom

I also have Solar Electric PV and also Solar thermal which does all my hot water.

Unfortunately a lot of people still view it as witch craft, but my yearly energy bills are now welcomed 🙂

Ria16
Level 10
Northland, New Zealand

I was presently Chris when I visited friends up in the north of England last year how much solar there was. We are in winter now so are paying around $50 a month. 

Alexandra224
Level 6
Merida, Mexico

I've been thinkin about solar too!, no sure if its worth the invest tho?, here in mexico its around, 3,000 US dlls the simplest one, and lets say i pay like 30 dollars a month.. for electricity,  would it be worth it?, or nah.. like my electricity bills are not super high!.. but i want to try it for the eco friendly side!, also with the water heater!.

 

And yes.. it should be a rate for guests about how eco friendly they are, i had one guest left the AC on 2 days straight, and the second day i turned off, without him noticing..while he was gone.. i mean come on its hot but there is no necesity to leave it On.

Jim-and-Marcia0
Level 10
Vancouver, WA

Has anyone had a wind turbine installed? That's becoming more popular in some regions. Mostly on a commercial level, but I've seen some do it on a smaller scale.

 

Also, guests who are eco minded appreciate the availabity of earth friendly products. Those who aren't so conscientious about it don't seem to mind them. In any case, I feel better about offering them and promoting awareness of the environment.

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

Wind very much depends on location, PV for example is much the better way to go where I am.

 

Electricity is the only thing I am tied to, have my pwn well, septic and mainly burn wood for heat. This winter should be totally wood heat and hot water.

David
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @James250,

 

It is fantastic to see you created this post. It is such an interesting discussion point. 

 

My parents has solar panels in their garden and my Dad regualarly likes to give me little updates on how much energy he has created, especially when we get a day of sunshine here in the UK (which happens about twice a year! hehe - only kidding). It does feel there are more people are adopting more of an eco way of life, which is great to see.

 

Do you think now that you have solar energy you have become more aware of how much energy you use?

 


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To answer your question.

I do think about being more eco friendly.

Using the swap cooler rather than the A/C

Combining trips to reduce my carbon footprint.

Using eco freindly products.

Air drying my laundry and use the dryer for a short period to make the clothing soft.

 

It is not easy but I think I can make a difference to the planet, if not for me then for my son and grandchildren.

 

James

Em4
Level 10
Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

@James250  you can make your own tolietries.  there are plenty of youtube chanels for this. 

 

re laundry washing powder - i think you have to be careful to ensure that any bacteria is removed from guest linen etc between uses.  i don't make my own washing powder for my personal laundry for that reason.

 

vinegar is an excellent product as is baking soda.  you can make your own vinegar easily if you want more control over your footprint and over your product.

 

otherwise i use commercial strength cleaners to ensure my level of cleanliness matches hotel 5 star.  the cleaners i use are environmentally friendly.  you can check this out at any large hotel cleaner suppplier.  there is also a product that requires only water.  they are electro-static cloths but at this stage, although i know how they say they work, i can not work out how they could possibly work in a toilet, in the shower, in the ensuite or in a commercial kitchen, let alone when you wash them.  like a hotel, all cleaning cloths are colour coded to ensure no cross contamination although i don't know how that works when it comes to washing them.

 

re guests - they will do as they do.  i think in their minds, they've paid, so...  but because i am in the guest rooms from 10am i turn everything off and reset to pre guest arrival.

 

re ensuite linen - i provide only one bath towel and hand towel for their use, replacing their facecloth each day.  all requests for further ensuite linen is at a cost of $50 per item 100% of which is donated to the Kakapo Recovery Programme.  if they require towels for swimming in the lake i provide those from my private linen for free.  the other linen is hired and commercially collected, cleaned and delivered.

 

TripAdvisor has a certificate in Green Leadership.  I have Silver Status from opening (first opened dec 22, 2016) and i hope to be able to get to gold before reopening dec 1, 2017.  you get the website widget for your website if you have one and a lovely framed certificate for your reception or wherever and a sticker for your front door, window etc.

 

🙂

Em

Hukawi Lodge

Franz Josef, NZ

https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/15418840

Em4
Level 10
Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

i just noticed a typo.  that should be $20 not $50.

 

🙂

Em