A GUIDE TO
ECO-FRIENDLY
HOTELS IN NEW YORK CITY
by Melissa Evans
New York City is where the New Year begins. More than a million people gather each year in Times Square to celebrate the dawn of January 1…and they're not alone. Almost a billion people around the world will join in to watch the famous ball dip as the clock strikes midnight. The legendary Times Square celebration brings us all together to delight in the hope that each New Year brings. While New Year's Eve is a huge draw for tourists, New York's broad spectrum of culture, shopping, dining, and entertainment keep travelers coming to “The Big Apple” year round. There is so much to do in New York City that it would take years—some say lifetimes—to see it all. Instead of attempting to cover all the highlights of New York, try these five “must see” attractions in New York:
- The World Trade Center memorial site. This one is not to be missed. It stands as a touching memorial to the thousands who lost their lives there.
- The Statue of Liberty. You can view it for free by taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
- Times Square. Visit at night (whether you're there for New Year's or not). The huge light displays provide a vibrant show when the sun goes down, and there are plenty of places to shop.
- Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center.
- Any Broadway show.
While it might be hard to imagine that anything green could possibly go on in the most densely populated city in the United States, the “city that doesn’t sleep” has some excellent environmental programs in place. In Times Square specifically, a new Ricoh billboard that will not pull one single watt 
from the energy grid will be unveiled just in time for New Year’s visitors. The entire sign and lighting for it will be powered solely by solar and wind power. This will be the first sign of its kind in Times Square and will likely set the precedent for future billboards. Of course, the famous NYC subway system is an excellent mode of green transportation. The underground network of trains will take 
you just about anywhere you want to go in New York. The NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is also on a mission to help green up the city. He launched PlaNYC in 2006, providing many goals to reduce the city’s emissions 30% by 2030. In the first year since the plan’s release, the city has made great progress including “planting 54,484 trees, moving taxis and black cars toward fuel efficiency, encouraging bicycling with 60 new lane miles, and engaging New York City in the most significant transportation discussion in a generation.”
Obviously even the most eco-conscious traveler can find at least a few things to love about New York. Whatever your personal shade of green, there are some great earth friendly hotels there that are sure to fit your style. Each of the Top 3 Green Hotels noted below have earned a Four
A Guide to Eco-Friendly Hotels in New York City
Issue 6 | December/January 2008/09
Branch Green Score on RezHub.com for incorporating environmental practices into their daily operations. These hotels definitely stand ahead of the rest when it comes to Green Hotels in New York City.
The Grand Hyatt New York City works diligently to minimize the impact it has on the environment by conserving resources, reducing waste, and by fostering a culture of environmental consciousness among its employees, guests, and business partners. The property participates in green programs in both front and back of house operations. From the basics, like a sheets and towels reuse program and a recycling program, to the programs that take a little more effort to achieve, like offering an all organic green menu and making regular weekly donations to the local community, this hotel considers the environment in everything it does.
Kimpton Hotels have made a life-long commitment to environmental
The Grand Hyatt New York City works diligently to minimize the impact it has on the environment by conserving resources, reducing waste, and by fostering a culture of environmental consciousness among its employees, guests, and business partners. The property participates in green programs in both front and back of house operations. From the basics, like a sheets and towels reuse program and a recycling program, to the programs that take a little more effort to achieve, like offering an all organic green menu and making regular weekly donations to the local community, this hotel considers the environment in everything it does.
Kimpton Hotels have made a life-long commitment to environmental
A Guide to Eco-Friendly Hotels in New York City
responsibility, and luckily there are two Kimpton properties in New York City – 70 Park Avenue Hotel and The Muse New York City. Every three months, new products and practices are introduced to Kimpton EarthCare, further reducing its impact on the
environment. As part of Kimpton EarthCare, every hotel adopts standard environmentally friendly products and practices with high-impact and benefit to our planet including offering organic food, a sheets and towels reuse program, a recycling program, and more.
If you’d like to see more pictures, get more information, or find out exactly what each hotel does to be green, visit RezHub.com’s Green Travel Hub. Remember, all you really need to do to make your vacation green is to think about your actions and the effect they would have on the planet if a billion others were doing the same thing. It really is true
If you’d like to see more pictures, get more information, or find out exactly what each hotel does to be green, visit RezHub.com’s Green Travel Hub. Remember, all you really need to do to make your vacation green is to think about your actions and the effect they would have on the planet if a billion others were doing the same thing. It really is true
that every little bit counts; if each of us took just one simple step, imagine the difference it would make. 
A Guide to Eco-Friendly Hotels in New York City
Issue 6 | December/January 2008/09
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