Far View Lodge: not green enough (yet)

COLORADO – The setting of the Far View Lodge promises a lot. It’s located in the beautiful Mesa Verde (green table) area in southwestern Colorado. The same area where the ‘Ancient Puebloan’ Native American Indians lived for over a thousand years until they disappeared leaving their stunning cliff dwellings behind. Sadly, the untouched natural surroundings are one of few green aspects of the Far View Lodge.

Although the Far View Lodge promotes itself as being ‘green’, it’s easy to sum up some visible flaws: no water saving toilets or showers, no energy efficient lighting, small plastic throw-away packages for soap and shampoo, no solar panels etcetera. Of course there’s a notice in the bathroom that says: ‘Towel on the floor = please replace; Towel on the rack = leave it here’, but that’s hardly anything to shout about these days.

The Far View Lodge’s public relations officer, Judi Swain, seemed to acknowledge our obvious disappointment with the hotel’s eco standards. Ms Swain did highlight the hotel’s recycling program, the electrical carts they use on the terrain and the locally grown food they serve at the restaurant. But she also explained that: “we just started building a top of the line high tech new visitors’ center. This will include solar energy and a geo thermal heating- and cooling system, and will be platinum LEED certified. Furthermore, we’ve been waiting for eight years for a new contract that will allow us to build a whole new hotel, that will, naturally, be a sustainable.”