Photo by Radio Rover via Flickr
Lately I’ve been copyediting hotel descriptions for a travel booking site. From tiny motels off of interstate highways in landlocked states, to swanky beachfront resorts in coastal communities, one thing that lodgings love to “boast” about is a swimming pool—indoor, outdoor, heated, coupled with a hot tub, surrounded by a sundeck, accompanied by a water slide, flanked by a bar, offering views of the ocean, mountains or skyline. (I’ve even heard of a guitar-shaped one in Nashville. And of course, there are plenty of Texas-shaped pools in Texas.)
Another type of pool I’ve come across, usually in upscale settings like resorts and spas, is the salt water pool. Using salt water chlorination, this alternative to a conventional chlorinated swimming pool is deemed more environmentally friendly because a much smaller amount of harmful chemicals needs to be pumped in and out monthly or weekly. These saline pools (which are not, by the way, salty enough to taste like the ocean) may also be more pleasant and safer to swim in than standard chlorine pools, reducing risks of hair damage, skin and eye irritation, and respiratory problems.
But salt water pools still follow the philosophy of using chemicals to completely sanitize water for swimming. The Daily Green showcases a more natural way to go: sustainably designed pools that let nature do its job to control bacteria, algae and mosquitoes, rather than eradicating them with dangerous substances. Most of these “natural” pools use plants around the edges to act as a filtration system; as a bonus, these well-landscaped oases turn out to be much more aesthetically pleasing than your typical stark, bluish pool.
Let’s hope this sustainable trend catches on in the American hotel industry, and that smelly chlorine pools will go out of style along with those scratchy bedspreads.
