A number of spas have been recognised for their efforts to make their facilities more environmentally sustainable.

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina has been recognized by the State of Hawaii with a Hawaii Green Business Award for its efforts in sustainable and environmentally conscience business practice.

The spa diverted 1m pounds (453,000kg) from the landfill by recycling and converting waste to generate electricity in 2010. The hotel also reduced electricity consumption by 2.5 million kilowatt hours over the last three years through a comprehensive energy conservation programme.

Elsewhere, the five Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in Jordan are the first hotels in the Kingdom to receive Green Globe Certificates, the premier global certification for sustainability.

The five properties were deemed to have achieved outstanding results in key indicators ranging from energy usage, water consumption and waste output management to employee training and implementation of customer satisfaction measures.

The initiatives are part of Mövenpick's strategy of having 20 per cent of its hotels, resorts and cruises to be Green Globe Certified by the end of this year and all properties stamped with Green Globe credentials within two years.

Meanwhile, Shangri-La's Villingili Resort and Spa in the Maldives has invested in a weekly programme of green activities.

Featuring eco-friendly experiences such as a family nature walk in the resort's jungle, Villingili's Green Friday programme adds to the existing environmental initiatives carried out at the resort. These include the investment of a bottling plant with reusable glass bottles allows the resort to cut the consumption of 240,000 plastic bottles a year, while solar energy provides hot water in all guests' villas.

At the Eco Centre, the focus is on marine protection with turtles and manta rays conservations programmes.

And its not just the large multi-site operators that are investing in green solutions.

Snoqualmie Salish Lodge & Spa in Seattle, US, has saved 'thousands of dollars' after a 10-month campaign which saw the resort changing to more energy-efficient lightbulbs, increasing its recycling programme and holding bimonthly meetings with its green team members.

In addition to recycling paper, plastics and bottles, the lodge began composting food scraps in March 2010, saving more space in its trash containers - and therefore spending less money. Their efforts have saved the lodge more than US$450 per month.

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