By Adrienne Brown-Reasner, West Michigan Tourist Association
Your efforts to help the planet don’t have to take a vacation just because you are traveling. Many West Michigan destinations, businesses, and organizations are making sure to do their part to promote eco-friendly and sustainable practices to conserve energy and minimize environmental impact.
Eco-friendly lodging
Crystal Mountain’s village in Thompsonville has been built iteratively, piece-by-piece, over time and the same approach has been applied to make meaningful strides toward a more sustainable future, such as:
- Designing the resort as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly village, reducing use of carbon-emitting transportation
- First resort in Michigan to invest in wind energy credits, offsetting the carbon footprint of the Crystal Clipper high-speed quad chairlift to help supply the grid with more clean, renewable energy sources—reducing CO2 emissions by 174,000 pounds annually
- Building the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) spa in the Midwest—one of only four in the nation in 2009—that uses 28% less energy than a baseline structure
- First northern Michigan resort to provide complimentary electric vehicle charging stations
- Including a closed-loop, geothermal heating and cooling system as part of a $12 million expansion to the Inn at the Mountain (2018), reducing CO2 emissions by 150,000 pounds per year
- Setting aside a 30-acre wooded preserve leased to Michigan Legacy Art Park for $1 per year
- LED lighting in accommodations and public spaces, including the resort’s 33,000 square-foot conference facility
- In-room recycling, electric golf carts, re-fillable bath amenities, efficiency sensors for irrigation and snow-making and more
Grand Traverse Resort and Spa’s Green Committee is dedicated to creating a sustainable vacation experience. Here are just a few of the ways Grand Traverse Resort, located in Williamsburg, works to improve their carbon footprint:
- Partnership with TerraCycle, to recycle partially used and empty toiletry bottles. TerraCycle provides the Resort with a penny for each bottle, saved up to donate to local green nonprofits.
- Partnership with Eminence Organics, which plants a tree for each product sold. To date, over 3,500 trees have been planted.
- A composting program with Bay Area Recycling for Charities that directs roughly 100 tons of food waste from the Resort’s dining outlets away from landfills.
- In 2016, the Resort replaced an aging boiler with a Micro CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit with an engine that runs on natural gas to generate electricity with useful heat—clean hot water—as a by-product of cooling the engine. The Micro CHP is estimated to save up to $20,000 in electric energy each year, and received an EPA certificate of approval for commercial emission standards.
- The Golf & Grounds team has won numerous awards for their eco-friendly approach; resort is certified as a Michigan Turf-grass Environmental Steward; is adding space to the no-mow natural zones on the 900-acre property.
- The Resort is eliminating single-use plastic products from the property—a work in progress.
In Mecosta County, being eco-friendly is something that hospitality businesses are familiar with—most hotels have a detailed Green program as part of hotel policy.
The Holiday Inn and Conference Center in Big Rapids has an eco-friendly initiative known as the “Green Engage”, striving to provide a sustainable environment. This particular hotel achieves these policies through the maintenance of the building as well as housekeeping—ensuring that there is energy-efficient output on all room units, light bulbs, furnaces, etc. Housekeeping offers guests opportunities to re-use personal items like towels and toiletries.
Be sure to check out CityFlats Hotel in Holland, the First LEED Gold-certified hotel in the Midwest.
Green activities and events
Your headquarters for Upper Peninsula outdoor adventures in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale National Park, the Keweenaw Adventure Company hosts Lake Superior sea kayaking and world-renowned Copper Harbor mountain biking. Environmentally conscious and community players, the Keweenaw Adventure Company celebrated their 25th Anniversary this season, and are proud to be “ultimately contributing to the region’s well-being through education, stewardship, conservation and sustainable tourism.”
For over 30 years, Inland Seas Education Association in Suttons Bay has been teaching people about protecting the Great Lakes through their programs on tall ship schooners. Participants engage in hands-on activities as they collect lake samples and analyze them to determine the health of the Great Lakes. Some of the programs also collect microplastics. Individuals also get a chance to raise the sails and steer the ship. Click through to find more information about ISEA public programs.
A hidden gem tucked behind tall dune hills, Lost Lake at Muskegon State Park is a botanical treasure with plants found in both bog and coastal plain marsh habitats. A three-mile, unpaved trail leads around Lost Lake, easily accessed from the Snug Harbor parking lot. A wheelchair-accessible trail from the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex leads to an accessible overlook and viewing scope on the wetland’s north side.
John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids is committed to conserving resources and in doing so strives to make all of their operations as green as possible. The Zoo stays green by diverting 80% of waste from landfills through compost and recycling. They offer compostable straws and other plastics at the concession stands and have a variety of sustainable gift options in the gift shop. The Zoo is also committed to conserving endangered species around the world and right here in West Michigan. Every year John Ball Zoo sends zookeepers out into the field to help native species like the Kirtland’s warbler, Massasauga rattlesnakes, piping plovers, and wood turtles.
Sustainable eating and shopping
Going Green in Ludington is made easier with a number of restaurants using compostable containers, utensils, bags, and straws, or implementing a no-straw policy. Stores use biodegradable paper bags, eco-friendly cleaning practices, and some businesses have promotions in place with donations going to local eco-minded organizations.
When visiting Mt Pleasant, grab a snack and refreshments and know you are helping local businesses with their sustainability practices. Visit the Mt. Pleasant Convention & Visitors Bureau site to learn more.
Visitors looking to minimize their impact on the planet can feel good about visiting the BarFly Ventures restaurant family, which includes HopCat locations in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, East Lansing, and Holland, as well as Stella’s Lounge in Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Brewing Co. The businesses recycle all metal, plastic, cardboard, and glass and locally compost all food scraps, napkins, straws, and any other organic materials, diverting up to 90 percent of their waste from landfills and incinerators and helping to create soil instead of trash. BarFly has helped raise more than $50,000 for local clean-water nonprofits.
Visit the Holland Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays 8am-2pm and support local agriculture. By purchasing locally grown produce, shoppers and vendors cut back on packaging and emissions that would otherwise be used to transport goods to grocery stores from across the country.
Crane’s Pie Pantry in Fennville has gone strawless. Paper straws are only available on request. If you refuse a bag in the bakery or bring your own reusable bag, you leave with a free donut.
