DOWN TO EARTH TRAVEL: Sustainable can be attainable away from home

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Leaving the lights on.

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I’ll admit it, it’s my Achilles’ heel at home in my daily life — and, perhaps more so, while traveling.

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I don’t have to think too hard to recall the last time I walked out of a hotel room with at least one light left on, knowing full well I would be gone for the entire day.

Am I proud of that? Of course not. Do I have other bad habits related to energy savings and sustainability when traveling? If leaving the air conditioning on while not in the hotel room from time to time and opting against reusing and recycling various items on occasion for no other reason than it not being front of mind counts — and it does — then the answer is yes.

As I get older (and obviously wiser), I’ve made some strides in the environmental consciousness department. A new report from digital travel platform Booking.com suggests I’m not alone; sustainable travel is trending in a positive direction, though not without some clear impediments.

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According to Booking.com’s Canada Sustainable Travel Report 2023, 65% of Canadian travellers say they want to travel more sustainably over the coming 12 months, while 75% say the global energy crisis and the rising cost of living are impacting their spending plans. Related, 52% of travellers believe more sustainable travel options are too expensive compared with 28% who are willing to pay extra for options with a sustainable certification.

The appetite for change appears strong. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Canadian travellers believe immediate action is required when it comes to making sustainable choices, while half (51%) believe there aren’t enough sustainable travel options. However, a similar number (47%) don’t know where to find more sustainable options.

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Booking.com aims to be part of that solution with its Travel Sustainable program. Started in 2022, the program helps travellers find and book greener taxi options, cross-reference flight emissions and book public transportation. Through the company’s Travel Sustainable badge, partner properties can spotlight their sustainability practices and certifications while travel-seekers can filter for properties that align with their values in this way.

“In order to bring the ethos of travelling more sustainably into the mainstream, the onus is on us in the travel industry to provide more information to travellers in a credible and trusted way,” said Booking.com CEO Glenn Fogel. “With continued industry collaboration and the dedication of our partners, we are on course for more sustainable travel to become the norm, and not the exception.”

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Take a bow, Canada. According to a recent study, four Canadian cities — including Toronto — land inside the top five among the list of top 50 cities worldwide with the most sustainable hotels.

Booking.com’s report was based on more than 33,000 respondents across 35 countries and territories.

“It is clear that Canadians want to make more sustainable travel choices, and that concerns around the rising cost of living and climate change demand both budget-friendly and planet-friendly options,” Booking.com Canada Area Manager Daniela Musse said. “Booking.com’s initiatives like the Travel Sustainable badge, the ability to select electric rental cars and airport taxis, as well as flights that are lower in CO2 emissions, help make it easier for us to travel more sustainably. It is the responsibility of travel industry leaders to provide credible, trusted information to travellers.”

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1 HOTEL TORONTO: AN URBAN OASIS THAT’S NOT ‘JUST ANOTHER HASHTAG’

To say the 1 Hotel Toronto is on board with sustainability would be like saying, in Canadian parlance, Connor McDavid is a good hockey player.

It’s a massive understatement.

1 Hotel Toronto is on a literal mission: To be a platform for change.

“That’s the point. The point is to change the market,” said 1 Hotel Toronto director of front office Melida Baxter while giving us a tour of the property. “Otherwise, it’s just greenwashing. It’s just another hashtag.”

The luxury hotel, which opened in 2021 in the former space occupied by the Thompson Hotel at 550 Wellington St. W. and is among more than a dozen 1 Hotel properties worldwide, is dedicated to zero-waste and is Canada’s first mission-driven hotel.

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As we entered the main lobby on a recent two-night stay, we were greeted by a bounty of green. There are 3,700 plants on the property, 700 of which are in guest rooms (on-site composting turns all organic wet waste into reusable soil for the plants.) We found a hand-written greeting in our room, written on dual-purpose recyclable paper and including the following information: “First life: Delivering this message. Second life: Making beautiful things grow. When you’re done, plant this paper in soil and water.”

We also found inside our room (one of 112 guest rooms and suites): Tumblers and carafes made from reclaimed wine bottles, furniture made of reclaimed wood, natural cotton bathrobes and filtered water (available throughout the property). Writing on an available shower cap suggested the item can find next life as a camera cover or bicycle seat shield while cotton rounds, it’s suggested, could next be repurposed as drink coasters or jewelry buffers.

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Just Be Woodsy, a Toronto studio specializing in turning Toronto’s felled trees into usable objects, crafted more than 1,000 unique furnishings on site, including the monolithic signpost at the hotel’s front entrance. The massive “living” wall overtop the lobby bar was made by local company Timberlost while the paper installation hanging over the reception desk, mimicking loon feathers, is by Toronto studio Moss & Lam. The local contributions are endless and with complete intention.

The hotel’s food and drink offerings are equally brimming with eco-consciousness.

Casa Madera is an “immersive” restaurant and live-music venue and Harriet’s is a rooftop bar serving small plates and cocktails but it’s 1 Kitchen – the hotel’s signature restaurant – that shines brightest with its commendable sustainable efforts balanced with deliciousness. 1 Kitchen reached a 93% landfill diversion rate in April – “the goal is for the entire hotel to be at 90% all the time,” said Baxter – and features only “100 km” food. Everything served comes from local producers within a 100-km radius, including a tasty “zero waste” carrot cake.

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Organic crops are grown in the on-site garden and fresh honey comes from the bee hotel.

An e-vehicle is available to guests wishing to travel within five kilometres of the hotel and bicycles are also offered. Various sustainability-focused workshops are also frequently offered to guests and non-guests alike. The takeaway? Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility and while the world might not be ready for that, 1 Hotel is.

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“It’s not a choice at this point – we know that,” Baxter said of the global environmental crisis. “You can really vote with your dollar.”

For more information on 1 Hotel Toronto, visit 1hotels.com/toronto.com.

IF YOU GO

Consider packing your belongings in sustainable luggage, such as Samsonite’s Magnum Eco Spinner, made of post-consumer yogurt cups and recycled bottles.

Stroll down the block to stackt market at 28 Bathurst St. The market dubs itself North America’s largest shipping container market and features a blend of independent shops and eats, including sustainability-forward businesses such as the pop-up shop from TV personality Sarah Baeumler’s lifestyle brand focused on wellness and sustainability.

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