Making Your Stay
a Green One
Thank you for your interest in making your stay at The Palms Hotel & Spa a green one and helping minimize your impact on the environment, both locally and globally. Below are some recommendations on how to be a green traveler before you leave home, during your stay and when you’re back home!
Before Check-In
Read and Research
- Fuel your eco wanderlust with a book on responsible travel. Have a look at this list by Kind Traveler here.
- Research the destination! Miami is a varied and colorful city, and our locals have many different traditions and values, so read up and be respectful to anyone you may encounter. A good place to start your research is at the History Miami website, read up on "What Makes Miami, Miami", or discover the Official Travel and Tourism Site of Greater Miami & Miami Beach here.
- You might know Miami for it’s beaches and skyline, but did you know that Miami-Dade County boasts two National Parks – Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park – and also seven State Parks including Oleta River State Park and Bill Baggs Cape Florida Sate Park. Hiking, biking canoeing, SUPing, kayaking and more are all available at these parks and you will be rewarded with colorful flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world!
- Find out about the delicate flora and fauna you will find in Miami Beach. Our sand dunes and sea turtles are what make our destination really special!
- Look for a sustainable accommodation, one that cares for the planet we all call home. Congratulations, you have already succeeded on this by choosing The Palms!
Before leaving home
- Turn your water heater to "vacation" or lowest setting.
- Turn off AC/heat or adjust the thermostat to not be wasteful while protecting your plants.
- Turn water off at the outside connection. When you return, turn on the water slowly and check for problems.
- Appliances, such as TVs and cable converter boxes, should be unplugged because they can draw or "leak" as much as 40 watts per hour even when they're off.
- Turn your icemaker to the "off" position by lifting the wire. This can prevent flooding should it break while you're away.
After Check-In
Help Save Water & Energy
- Participate in hotel’s towel and linen-reuse program.
- Let our housekeepers know that you want to re-use your towel by hanging it up again rather than leaving it on the floor.
- Also consider reusing your pool towel rather than changing it once or several times per day.
- Our linen-program foresees that we will only change your linens every three days, at check-out, or upon your request.
- Consider that for every towel you reuse you save at least 3 and for every sheet 4 gallons of water and not to mention the electricity you save for the drying of the towel and sheets!
- Reduce the time you spend in the shower and the temperature of the water you use.
- Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth!
- Our standard guest room temperature is 75F for unoccupied rooms and 72F for checked-in rooms. Please consider maintaining your AC at this level to save energy – especially when you leave the room.
- After 20 minutes of leaving your room the lights, TV and radio will turn off automatically. However, if you do this yourself upon exit we will start saving energy sooner!
- Consider closing the drapes when leaving the room for the day to save even more energy.
- Be sure to turn off all exercise equipment in our gym when you're through.
Refuse, reuse, reduce and recycle
Refuse, reuse, reduce and recycle
- Participate in the hotel recycling program by placing your recyclables in appropriate bins.
- Remember recyclables include clean plastic, glass and metal containers as well as paper and cardboard.
- Please do not throw food residue or Styrofoam in the recycling bin.
- Please collect all your plastic bags separately, so that our Housekeepers can recycle them appropriately. DO NOT PLACE them in the recycling bin.
- Throw any other trash into the 2nd bin in your room or the one in your bathroom. Please don’t throw away our acrylic glasses from the pool & beach.
- Don’t buy water in plastic bottles, opt for those in aluminum or cardboard containers or even bring your own reusable bottle.
- Pass your newspaper on to someone else, or leave it in the lobby for another reader.
- Check out via TV. You can view your bill, approve it, and help reduce paper.
- Drop off your key card at reception when you’re checking out so that it can be sanitized and reused.
- During your trip, refuse Styrofoam. If necessary, travel with your own cup or container for leftovers.
Minimize Your Carbon Footprint
- Choose restaurants, like The Restaurant at The Palms, that serve organic and locally grown food and produce.
- Buy locally made gifts and clothes.
- For a list of sustainable restaurants and local/sustainable shops and gifts please click here.
- Whenever possible, take public transport rather than taxis. We have a great and free trolley system in Miami Beach!
- Walk or use bikes such as CitiBikes instead of driving. The closest stand is on 31st street.
- Consider setting off your carbon emissions through your airline.
Take Care of the World We Live In
- Please don’t litter! Dispose of all trash – including cigarette butts – in trash cans. Remember that anything you litter on the street will end in the bay and the ocean where it can negatively affect wildlife.
- Participate in our Fill-A-Bucket program. We will reward you with a scoop of our delicious gelato for every bucket you fill!
- Participate at a community or hotel beach clean-up.
- Do not use toxic sunscreens or body lotions when going to the beach. Opt for something that is Reef Safe (like the sunscreens in our gift shop!).
Thank you for joining us in protecting what we love.
For comments or suggestions our Green Team can be reached via: green@thepalmshotel.com