A new study by Cleantech Group found that: 1) Traveling via Airbnb results in significantly lower energy and water usage as well as fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less waste compared to hotels. Airbnb guests use 63% less energy in North America and save enough to power 19,000 homes for a year. 2) Airbnb hosts also frequently engage in sustainable practices like owning energy efficient appliances and limiting single-use toiletries. 3) Environmental experts say the findings suggest Airbnb has set a higher standard for sustainable tourism that other industries will find difficult to match.

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New Study Reveals A Greener Way to Travel: Airbnb Community Shows Environmental
Benefits of Home Sharing!
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Airbnb Hosts Promote Energy Efficient Practices, North American Guests Use Up To 63 Percent
Less Energy!
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SAN FRANCISCO—July 31, 2014—Airbnb, the world's leading community-driven hospitality
company, released a new study today quantifying the environmental benefits of home sharing
for travelers.!
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Conducted by Cleantech Group (CTG), this study finds that Airbnb promotes a more efficient
use of existing resources and is an environmentally sustainable way to travel. Traveling on
Airbnb results in significant reduction in energy and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and
waste, and encourages more sustainable practices among both hosts and guests.!
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“Resource sharing is rapidly growing across a number of sectors including hospitality, consumer
goods, and transportation,” said Michael Ellis, EVP Advisory for CTG. "Cleantech Group’s initial
analysis demonstrates some of the improvements in environmental resource efficiency that
Airbnb’s platform delivers."!
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“We have always believed that the Airbnb community supports environmental sustainability
around the world, and it's truly amazing to see that the impact is even bigger than we could
have imagined," said Joe Gebbia, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Airbnb. "In North
America alone, Airbnb guests use 63 percent less energy than hotel guests - that's enough
energy to power 19,000 homes for one year. With an impact that big, it's clear that the Airbnb
community is making a huge difference."!
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Cleantech Group analyzed over 8,000 survey responses from hosts and guests worldwide (from
February 2014 to April 2014) and conducted research on residential and hotel sustainability
levels and practices. For the values presented in this study, CTG compared residences to the
most sustainable and energy-efficient hotels. Data reflecting the top 5th percentile hotels (in
terms of energy use) from an Energy Star report was compared to residential energy data for
the 40-50th percentile of homes in North America. A similar approach was used in Europe. This
is a reflection of the wide range of residential units that participate in home sharing, as well as a
recognition of the best practices that have already been implemented in hotels.!
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North American highlights from the study include:!
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• In one year alone, Airbnb guests in North America saved the equivalent of 270 Olympic-sized
pools of water while avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 33,000 cars on North
American roads.!
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• Airbnb hosts also tend to engage in sustainable practices. Nearly 83 percent of Airbnb hosts
in North America report owning at least one energy efficient appliance at their property.!
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• Less than half of Airbnb hosts in both North America and Europe provide single-use toiletry
products for their guests, also reducing waste per stay.!
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2. • In North America, 95 percent of Airbnb hosts say they recycle at least one item type at their
property; 94 percent of guests report that they recycle when possible.!
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• When staying at an Airbnb, guests are 10-15 percent more likely to use public transportation,
walk or bicycle as their primary mode of transportation than if they had stayed at a hotel.!
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European highlights from the study include:!
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• In one year alone, Airbnb guests in Europe saved the equivalent of 1,100 Olympic-sized
pools of water while avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 200,000 cars on
European roads.!
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• Airbnb hosts also tend to engage in sustainable practices. Nearly 79 percent of Airbnb hosts
in Europe report owning at least one energy efficient appliance at their property.!
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• Less than half of Airbnb hosts in both North America and Europe provide single-use toiletry
products for their guests, also reducing waste per stay.!
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• In Europe, 89 percent of Airbnb hosts say they recycle at least one item type at their
property; 94 percent of guests report that they recycle when possible.!
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• When staying at an Airbnb, guests are 10-15 percent more likely to use public transportation,
walk or bicycle as their primary mode of transportation than if they had stayed at a hotel.!
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Many environmental experts and leaders have been encouraged by the results of the study and
the impact the Airbnb community is having around the world.!
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"These findings suggest that Airbnb, by the very nature of its business, has raised the bar in
sustainable tourism to a level that the conventional travel industry will find hard to beat,” said
Jonathan Tourtellot, Founding Director of the National Geographic Center for Sustainable
Destinations.!
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“Airbnb is demonstrating the potential of home sharing to help make destinations better places
to live and visit,” said Brian T. Mullis, Founder and CEO of global non-profit Sustainable Travel
International. “The research recently undertaken by the Cleantech Group demonstrates a
reduced environmental footprint is possible for the travel industry with an increase in home
sharing options.”!
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While Airbnb encourages more people to travel and to stay longer in the cities they visit, the
study found that the environmental benefits of home sharing far outweigh the impacts of this
induced travel. The results suggest that Airbnb's new model of sustainable tourism conserves
precious resources even as more people have memorable trips.!
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About Airbnb:!
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Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted
community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around
the world – online or from a mobile phone. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a
week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences at any price

3. point, in more than 35,000 cities and 190 countries. And with world-class customer service and
a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra
space and showcase it to an audience of millions.!
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www.airbnb.com!
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About Cleantech Group (CTG):!
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CTG helps clients accelerate sustainable innovation. The company’s i3 market intelligence
platform, which tracks over $7 billion of deal flow annually across 23,000 cleantech companies,
allows subscribers to find, vet, and connect with entrepreneurs—efficiently building an
innovation pipeline. Cleantech Forums bring the i3 platform to life by convening thought leaders
and innovators around diverse themes in innovation. CTG’s Advisory Services leverage
expertise in designing and executing corporate strategies for sustainable growth and innovation
sourcing.!
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www.cleantech.com!
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