Though the land down under has a number of hotels that claim to be eco-friendly and green — there’s a new modern hotel well on its way to take on the title of Australia’s first Green Star rated hotel.
After taking on a transformation, a deserted 1970’s commercial building became a reuse project that’s now turning into a modern sustainable hotel called Abode Woden — on track to achieve a Green Star rating status from the Green Building Council of Australia, according to The Australian.
Abode Woden is an apartment hotel, redeveloped by Geocon, that’s been registered to achieve its goal of taking on a sustainable status and becoming a Green Star leader.
“The GBCA and Geocon collaborated to identify best practice benchmarks for sustainable hotel developments, with a new Green Star — Custom rating tool the result,” reports The Australian, “Geocon now has exclusive use of this Green Star rating tool, Abode Woden has been registered to achieve Green Star certification.”
Could Abode Woden set a new green standard for accommodations?
Some green travelers online have exhausted search engines in efforts to locate an environmentally friendly destination in Australia — with unsatisfying results. It seems that the adding ‘eco’ to their branding has been more about image than actual performance.
“Many hotels make claims of being green, but Abode — The Apartment Hotel is on track to be the first brand — and Abode Woden the first hotel — to achieve the third-party tick of approval for its sustainability,” Nick Georgalis, managing director of Geocon was reported saying to The Australian.
While green stars may have not officially been obtained by hotels, folks determined to find accommodations that are conscious of their carbon footprint, energy-efficiency and sustainability are available without official certification
The Greenbang put out a top 10 of Australia’s greenest hotels a while ago. They acknowledge resorts putting in the effort to minimize waste and conserving energy.
But it’s good to see that the accommodations scene is getting greener in the land of kangaroos and koalas. We praise Abode for taking the initiative to reach for those green stars.
For businesses concerned about their energy efficiency, we have an Energy Audit available.
Image credit: tim phillips photos
