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Ten Most Sustainable Hostels

Which HI hostels are the most eco-friendly?

More and more travellers are starting to care about their footprint on the environment when they go out and travel, which is why they opt for sustainable eco-friendly hostels that care about their impact on the environment and the local community. But caution is needed because not everything that is promoted as sustainable is actually sustainable, which brings me to this article where I present the most sustainable hostels in the HI family.

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Reykjavik HI City hostel, Iceland

The hostel is located in Reykjavik, right next to a pool and a large park. It prides itself on its Nordic SWAN Ecolabel. The hostel uses multiple sustainable practices, from buying local food to educating its staff about sustainable tourism and its guests about recycling. Guests can also take part in swaps where they can exchange clothes and books. They can also leave other items, which they no longer need, and in return take the ones they do need.

Apollo Bay Eco, Australia

The hostel runs solely on solar energy that is also used for water heating. It uses low-energy lighting with many sensors. There are dual flush toilets and waterless urinals, and all organic kitchen waste is collected and composted. There are beaches, waterfalls and a rainforest nearby, all waiting for you to explore them.

YHA Wellington City, New Zealand

The hostel works with the local community in the Green Footprint project. Guests have the opportunity to buy local species of shrubs or trees and therefore help reduce the level of carbon dioxide. The hostel is run on solar energy. It uses energy-saving lightbulbs, insulated hot-water tanks and low-energy heat pumps.

HI-Point Reyes, USA

HI Point Reyes is located in a Californian valley that is home to diverse plant and animal life. It earned LEED certification, which consists of several parts that promote strategies for the reduction of our impact on ecosystems and water resources, as well as parts for encouraging smarter water consumption. The hostel is energy-efficient and was built using sustainable building materials. It tries to ensure better indoor air quality and access to daylight and scenic views.

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YHA Hostel Raglan, New Zealand

Hostel Raglan offers comfortable accommodation in little houses that were built from raw and recycled native wood and natural brick, but you can also stay in recycled rail cars. It prides itself on LED lighting, solar water heating and the use of non-toxic building materials.

Loch Ossian Youth hostel, Scotland

This wonderful eco-friendly lakeview hostel with a lakeview is located in the Scottish Highlands. It was renovated not long ago and now comes with numerous environmentally-friendly features, including wind and solar energy, dry toilet systems and eco-friendly paint.

HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse, USA

At HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostel you can enjoy tide pools, hot tubs and a gorgeous view. The hostel is housed in a lighthouse and is one of the best-rated hostels. Its green practices include composting, recycling, water and energy consumption reduction using efficient devices, as well as the use of environmentally-friendly cleaning agents.

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Shenzhen Loft Youth hostel, China

The Shenzhen Loft hostel is located in an art park, in beautiful and lush, green environment, near a modern art centre. The hostel and the neighbouring buildings have all been recently renovated. The old buildings have been transformed into new ones, all the while taking their history into account.

YHA Eden Project, England

Eden Project consists of two domes that house thousands of plant species, and each dome enclosure mimics the natural biome. At this unusual tourist attraction’s doorstep, you can find the Eden Project hostel. This is an excellent opportunity to see this exciting science project up close. The little houses are made of recycled ship containers. You can camp in round tents, which are equipped with environmentally-friendly lighting and have access to solar-powered showers.

HI Washington, USA

HI Washington is one of the few hostels with the Energy Star certificate, which ensures energy efficiency and puts a high priority in conservation efforts . The hostel is often recognised as one of the best eco-friendly hostels in the world. Here, you’ll find compact fluorescent lamps, paper made of at least 95 per cent of recycled materials, Green Seal certified cleaning agents, as well as paints and carpets that are low in hazardous compounds. To educate its guests, HI Washington organises movie nights each month, where it runs documentaries about the environment.

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