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Rest easy at one of the many environmentally friendly hotels in and around Philadelphia. (Photo credits clockwise from top: courtesy Hotel Palomar, courtesy Courtyard Marriott, courtesy Sofitel)

Green is a huge Philadelphia theme, no less evident than at hotels in and around the city.

Both the coziest bed and breakfasts and the most heavyweight corporate chains work hard to provide amenities and programs that seriously reduce their environmental footprint on the planet.

From low-flow shower heads to energy-efficient lighting; from non-toxic cleaning supplies to the donation of fryer oil to farmers to use as bio-diesel fuel, here’s a look at some of the hotels going the extra mile to show the environment some of that quintessential Brotherly Love:

Center City Philadelphia

• Hotel Palomar Philadelphia: As the only LEED Gold-certified hotel in the city, this Kimpton property adheres to the strictest of requirements in the areas of energy saving, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources. Three of the quirkiest eco characteristics are the recycled wall coverings, the blankets made of 100% recycled content and the parking discounts for hybrid cars. Additionally, the restaurant Square 1682 is among the city’s only LEED-registered dining establishments. Read more about that here.

• Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown: With the help of a consultant hired to instruct the hotel on how to best go green, they’ve made vast improvements to their utilities. An energy management system controls HVAC operations; steam service has replaced emission-releasing boilers; steam condensate is captured and used to preheat guest-room hot water; and bathroom exhaust air is vented and routed through coils to pre-heat and pre-cool the hallways. Plus, all hotel paper and pen products are manufactured from recyclable materials, and certain meeting rooms designated for “Green Meetings” use no linen and are outfitted with tables and chairs made from recyclable materials.

• Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia: Since 2005, when it founded a task force to implement eco-friendly changes, the luxe Ben Franklin Parkway hotel has reduced its energy consumption by one-third! In 2006, the Four Seasons began salinating their indoor pool and hot tub with minerals instead of chlorine and have since installed a liquid cover over the pool to reduce heat loss and evaporation. In 2007, the hotel launched a program that made them the largest composter in the whole city. Some of that composted waste is sent to the roof to fertilize the garden that grows herbs and vegetables for their restaurants. Finally, the hotel generates much of its own electricity, heat and hot water with the first corporate Microturbines to be installed in Philadelphia.

• Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing: Not only does staff save energy by using discount passes to take public transportation to work, they conserve electricity by working in service areas that are equipped with light sensors and timers that automatically shut lights off when they’re not in use. Even more impressive, lights in the back of the house turn off every night at midnight, and escalators don’t run when there’s no event happening on the second floor.

• The Independent Hotel Philadelphia: A program called “Earth View,” currently in Phase One, governs eco-initiatives at this Midtown Village hotel. Guests no longer receive phone books in their rooms, nor Styrofoam cups, plates or bowls; and they use key cards, toilet and facial tissue and paper towels made from recycled content. Meanwhile, the hotel’s energy consumption is being tracked on two different websites.

• Sofitel Philadelphia: This haute Rittenhouse Square property has been awarded the highest recognition in theSofitel chain’s Green Key Eco-Rating Program. Green practices include the use of local and organic foods and the incorporation of the Natura Water filtration system, which eliminates the need for bottled water. Employees are given work time to volunteer for community environmental events and are rewarded for proposing innovative solutions to environmental problems.

Below, we’ve got information on eco-chic hotels in West Philadelphia and the region.

West Philadelphia & Philadelphia International Airport

• The Inn at Penn, A Hilton Hotel: A recent multi-million dollar renovation has allowed the hotel to replace old fabrics, wall coverings and bathroom tiles with those that contain recycled content. This upgrade also includes new uniforms for front-desk staff, manufactured from recycled plastic bottles. Staff also participates in reducing waste with the Intelity/ICE virtual concierge system delivered on Apple iPads, eliminating 90% of guest-related printing. And thanks to a $100,000 energy improvement grant, the hotel installed technology that activates in-room lighting, heating and air conditioning only upon a guest’s arrival.

• The Best Western Widener Hotel and Suites: This hotel, located near Widener University, is pursuing its LEED Silver certification by taking measures like heating its water through solar panels and using toxin-free, natural cleaning products in addition to biodegradable or recyclable products and equipment.

• Philadelphia Airport Triplex Hotels (Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport, Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia Airport and Aloft Philadelphia Airport): Many of the eco-initiatives at these sister hotels are conceived by a “Green Council,” consisting of individuals from the operations department who trade eco and humanitarian ideas. They help manage the Make a Green Choice Program at the Sheraton Suites, where guests are awarded a $5 voucher or points toward the loyalty program for sacrificing housekeeping service during their stay. They also oversee the donation of used soap and bottled hygienic supplies from the three properties to the national Clean the World organization, which distributes them to developing countries suffering from hygiene-related illness.

Regional Hotels

• HollyHedge Estate: One of Bucks County’s most romantic bed and breakfasts is also one of its greenest. Its blog chronicles the ways owners are conserving their local resources. For example, they make their own maple syrup from trees grown on-premise, they’ve reused old construction materials to build their chicken coop (which will have a garden on the roof), and they have a complex rainwater collection and irrigation system that keeps their gardens watered.

• Hotel Sierra King of Prussia: Scheduled to open in September 2011, this lifestyle suites hotel utilizes some of the most modern materials in the entire construction industry. Framing for the floor and walls are fashioned out of wood byproducts, and the drywall contains recycled material. The white roof reflects light rather than absorbing it, which lessens the heating effect, and the high-efficiency windows are coated to similarly improve their thermal performance. Outside, architects significantly reduced the square footage of impervious surfaces that conduct runoff into nearby bodies of water, and underneath the building, an underground storm water retention system also collects rainwater.

• Wyndham Garden Exton Valley Forge: Chester County’s largest hotel and conference center has just been converted to a Wyndham franchise, and with the ownership change comes a greatly expanded recycling collection program throughout guest and employee spaces, plus the retention of tree and branch cuttings for use as mulch in the hotel’s landscaping.