How green is your spa?

Going 'green' is one of the latest buzzwords in the tourism industry and is just as often heard when visiting a spa. Keen to jump on the green band wagon, many spas claim to not only promote health and wellbeing but also to be 'sustainable' and 'natural'.

Whether you are visiting your local spa or one in a far-flung exotic destination, it is important to know whether your spa really is minimising its impact on the environment and providing benefits for the local community. But how can you decide between the genuine and the not so genuine? We have compiled 10 questions which you can ask your spa to make sure it's not just style and no substance...

10 ways to tell if your spa is really green and responsible.

Ask the spa owner if they have a written policy regarding the environment and local people. If its not written down ('yeah, yeah we do all that stuff ') then it probably means there are not taking it seriously.
Ask them how they manage their waste, whether they recycle and if they use any eco-friendly or organic products, treatments, cosmetics and soap, etc.
Ask them to describe the single contribution to environmental conservation or local people that they are most proud of.
Ask them how they minimise their impact on the environment and resources. For example, do they limit the amount of washing by reducing the use of towels?
Ask the spa owner how many local people they employ, what % this is of the total, and whether any are in management positions.
Ask them what they have specifically done to help protect the environment and support conservation, and which local charities they work with.
Ask them what % of produce and services are sourced from within 25km of the spa.
Ask them how they treat waste water (coral and other wildlife is being destroyed by Caribbean hotels pumping effluent out to sea), and how they heat their building (solar is better than firewood, which can cause deforestation)
Ask them what information and advice is provided to tourists on local cultures and customs.
Ask them for ideas on how you might get involved with local people and conservation in a worthwhile and rewarding way for you and the destination.

Have we inspired you to take your own green spa break? All the retreats, spa breaks and holistic holidays on responsibletravel.com meet our responsible tourism criteria...