Are you one of the 43 million U.S. travelers who consider themselves to be “ecotourists?” Whether you answer yes or no, there are many easy things you can do while traveling to help protect the environment.

* Before you leave home, turn water heater to “vacation” or lowest setting and adjust your thermostat
* Purchase e-tickets for airlines—it creates less waste and won’t cost you money to replace if they get lost or torn
* Participate in the hotel’s linen program to conserve water
* When you leave your hotel room, turn off the AC/heat, lights and TV; close the drapes to help keep the room comfortable without using energy
* Look for the recycling bins throughout the hotel to dispose of your bottles, cans and papers
* While visiting the attractions, leave only footprints—take everything that you brought with you back out; maybe even pick up a piece of litter while you’re there to help
* Use digital cameras rather than disposable to cut down on package waste

We’re doing our part to help the environment too.

* Courtyard implements a linen and terry reuse program—you opt in for replacement on terry which helps minimize water waste
* Use compact fluorescent lights where possible
* You’ll find mixed use recycling bins throughout the hotel and meeting rooms
* Courtyard San Diego recycles 100% of our batteries and light bulbs
* Rooms and common areas have programmable thermostats to decrease needs at low need periods
* Timers and motion sensors are used to turn lights on and off automatically based on need
* Set all equipment to energy save modes and we’ve educated staff on when to power down equipment
* Courtyard was designed with water efficient landscaping and we work to avoid daytime watering as well as poorly directed sprinklers
* Partner with local agencies such as cleansd.org to do outreach and to recycle non-routine waste
* Guestroom keys are made of 50% recycled plastic
* Meetings use classroom and buffet tables that do not require tablecloths and skirts to avoid cleaning chemicals
* Use of water pitchers or water stations for meetings are used to limit individually bottled water
* The team scans all paperwork to minimize printing
* Booster heater on dishwasher saves a chemical wash cycle
* We reuse all shipping materials received and avoid use of plastic and Styrofoam packing unless recycled