Published on February 23, 2023
Many times while traveling, we’re frustrated to see horrible waste, lack of recycling, and poor choices of materials and products at hotels. This is not the case at AutoCamp. We found AutoCamp to be environmentally friendly – and also supporting small, local businesses.
AutoCamp Environmentally Friendly
What makes AutoCamp Environmentally friendly?
Let’s star with providing refillable water bottles in each camper, suite, and trailer. No plastic water bottles! Additionally, they provide a free refill for those bottles in the clubhouse. Well done! We still suggest bringing a gallon jug with you if you’re a serious coffee or tea drinker to use for your kettle.
Speaking of which, AutoCamp provides a French press and kettle in your Airstreams and X Suites. No disposable K-cup pods! We were very pleased to see this. They do, however, provide disposable creamers, but there is really no sanitary way around this. They can’t leave a pitcher of cream for each check in. We think this is a reasonable compromise.
Like most hotels, AutoCamp does not change linens or towels during your stay. Most people do not stay long enough, especially in the custom Airstreams to require fresh sheets, but you can request fresh towels if you need them.
A very special feature of AutoCamp is that they provide locally made granola and locally roasted coffee to all their guests. The coffee is available in your Airstream or X Suite along with being available in the morning, for free, along with the granola and milk and cream. By buying locally, they are not only supporting local, small businesses, but they are preventing long range shipping that produces a lot of carbon. On Cape Cod, AutoCamp is providing wonderful coffee from Snowy Owl in Brewster, MA. In the Catskills, fantastic coffee was provided from 2 Queens in Narrowsburg, NY.
Likewise, AutoCamp’s that have licenses to sell wine and beer are purchasing from local vineyards and breweries. Again, they’re supporting local businesses while also reducing carbon output by having products shipped long distance. We really love this!
AutoCamp provides bluetooth chargeable lanterns in in your Airstream or X Suite – no batteries to be disposed of. Nice touch!
AutoCamp has not only recycle and trash cans throughout the property, but they also have composting cans throughout. For the tents, they provide compostable dinnerware and utensils. I don’t believe I’ve seen any other property offer composting. A+, AutoCamp!
AutoCamp also provides special cans for dog waste to make it easier for dog owner’s to properly dispose of bags. At AutoCamp Catskills, the clubhouse sold cornstarch dog waste bags. It was the first we saw them, and we’ve since purchased them from Amazon (far cheaper) and use them for our dog. We love that AutoCamp is working to reduce use of plastics!
Firewood. This is complicated. AutoCamp claims to only permit the use of compressed firewood. This was the case on Cape Cod, but at Catskills, they are selling regular firewood. Cape Cod did say they were having trouble getting wood from Good Wood. It was super expensive at $20 a bag. We brought Bioblock.com that we purchased at our local Ace Hardware for $6.99 a bag. As much as it was expensive – and then a nuisance having to purchase and pack it (it’s heavy!) – it felt good and right to do.
Hopefully, AutoCamp is sticking to the compressed firewood requirement. They’re doing everything else right. They should bring the price down to make it more attractive for on-site purchases.
What can AutoCamp do to be even more environmentally friendly?
- keep clubhouse doors closed when air conditioning or heat is running
- be certain they are using LED lighting everywhere (they may be – impossible to verify)
- use only native plantings at campgrounds; likewise, remove non-native plantings
- review items sold at the clubhouse to be certain they have minimal packaging and no/very little plastic.
All in all, AutoCamp is environmentally friendly, and it feels good to spend time at AutoCamp!
