Business travellers and tourists can now access a 'green map’ to guide them to London’s most environmentally conscious hotels, restaurants and retailers.
The first '
Green London’ map was launched today by English tourist body
VisitEngland, in conjunction with
greentraveller.co.uk, as part of the UK’s inaugural Climate Change Week.
The map lists eco-friendly hotels, restaurants, shops and places to visit while in the city, including London’s 3,000 parks, both large and small.
"Sustainable
tourism is an increasingly integral part of our industry," said James Berresford, VisitEngland chief executive. "We are delighted to be launching Green London, the first map to exclusively highlight green businesses around the capital."
Restaurants
Eleven different restaurants are located on the map, including the first Soil Association-certified organic pub in the world, The Duke of Cambridge. The guide also suggests eating local, seasonal and organic
food from restaurants and markets around the city.
Hotels
World-famous hotel The Savoy, which recently underwent a major green refurb, is highlighted on the map, as is the Zetter, which has a borehole providing spring water, and the Lancaster, which provides honey from its rooftop hive.
Under the Green Tourism Certification, the hotels are given a ranking from gold to bronze based on a set of criteria that includes water and
energy efficiency,
waste management and
biodiversity.
Transport
The map offers suggestions for ways to get around London, including instructions on how to acquire and use Oyster cards for the underground, and how to use London’s bus system, which includes five hydrogen fuel buses. It also gives details on how to hire Barclays’ bicycles that are available for rent throughout the city.
"Green London makes it easy for travellers to discover all that our amazing capital city has to offer, mixing luxury brands such as The Savoy with smaller, innovative businesses that run on ethical principles and specialise in offering locally-sourced and fair trade goods," Berresford said.
VisitEngland plans to create more green maps for other cities around England in the future.
The Green London map is available at eight tourist information centres around the city as well as for download at
www.enjoyengland.com/greenlondon.
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