@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 donโt 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 Iโm 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 โdigestibleโ 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 doesnโt involve chlorine or bromine (neurotoxins)โฆ itโs 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 farmerโs 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 arenโt 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 โvacation-brainโ, itโs so easy to fall into the trap of being terribly wasteful, which weโre all taking steps to remedy! โค๏ธ