Ecology Sustainability Practices

Welcome to our beloved mountain town of Durango! It is a popular destination for visitors, so we do our best to help visitors to help us conserve our natural resources, while minimizing our overall environmental impact. We encourage visitors to help us keep our community vital so future generations can continue to enjoy this beautiful landscape too. Visitors can take several steps to reduce their environmental impact while still enjoying their trip. Thank you for helping us to keep Durango beautiful!

Easy and Short Term Solutions

We’ve taken the guesswork out of minimizing your environmental impact while you’re here. If it’s important to you to keep our local, and global, community vibrant, here are a few simple ideas:

Walk or bike your way through town! If you are staying in or near the downtown area, there is an amazing River Trail that runs from the North end of town to the South, along the magnificent Animas River. The River Trail is super scenic and biker friendly.
Enjoy Durango’s Trolley: Durango’s Trolley system is within any budget and a great way to get all about town, without the larger impact driving your own vehicle.
Turn off the lights and other electronics in your hotel or rental while you’re not there.
Turn down your thermostat while you’re on the town to minimize extra energy expenditure while you’re away.
Conserve water during your stay by taking showers instead of baths, and reuse your towels and sheets for a couple of days to avoid unnecessary laundering.
Add the "Do Not Disturb" sign on your hotel room's door handle so housekeeping is not encouraged to come and replace your room's bedding and towels.

Future and Longer-Term Solutions

Looking for longer term solutions to be a more eco-savvy traveler? Here are some ideas to keep your ecological footprint smaller while you’re away:

If you’re flying here, take direct flights when possible. The more hops, the more fuel used to get you here.
Pack lightly so lighten the overall load on the plane.
Plan your trip ahead of time so you’re fully aware of local hotels, resorts, and short term housing options that are making sustainability-oriented changes to their properties. Plenty of places in town are now offering refillable water bottles to use during your stay, bikes to use to get around town for the day, and ditching the single use toiletry bottles and instead furnishing each room with larger refillable toiletry items.
Choose your restaurants and eateries carefully. There are plenty of local restaurants that source locally-grown and seasonal ingredients, or even grow their own! There are also plenty of places that offer delicious vegetarian and/or vegan options. So whether you’re a seasoned locavore or vegetarian, or are just looking to dip your toe into the world of more sustainable menu options, there’s something for everyone.
Get off the beaten path and visit Durango in the off season: Durango plays host to visitors year round, but sees huge influxes during ski season, spring break, and summer break. Why not beat the crowds and come enjoy our town during the less busy times like early spring and autumn? Our business community relies on the hospitality industry to stay vibrant, so your off-season visit would be doubly appreciated by the natural landscape AND the local business community.

Summarizing

There are so many reasons to visit this region, and we are truly happy to have you here. Sit down and stay awhile. Instead of multiple trips over the course of the year, why not slow down and plan a couple longer trips instead? You’ll save on travel expenses by taking fewer trips, and can get to know this place like a local. Instead of rushing from place to place on your packed itinerary, take the time to immerse yourself in local culture, build deeper connections with our locals–potentially even resulting in some insider tips on lesser known gems. Spending more time in a place can help you create more meaningful memories while connecting you more deeply to the community and your travel companions.