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The Chicago burbs may not offer as much appeal as downtown Chicago for backpackers, but there are plenty of green attractions to explore, and now there is also a new eco-friendly hotel option, as hotel chain Crowne Plaza recently re-opened the refurbished, and much greener, Crowne Plaza Glen Ellyn - around 20 miles from downtown Chicago.

The 119 room hotel features a guest recycling program (a trend which we expect to see spread across the hotel industry in 2009), low-emissivity windows to reduce energy loss, and they operate a free shuttle service for guests to local attractions such as the excellent Morton Arboretum. 

The hotel's adjacent restaurant, the Glen Prairie Restaurant, also has several eco-friendly policies. The menu, which is printed on recycled paper, mainly uses seasonal ingredients from Midwest farmers; several organic and biodynamic Californian wines are behind the bar, and bio-degradable boxes are used for takeaway.

Unfortunately there's no green roof or solar panels, but it's still greener than most suburban hotels, and as the shuttle bus picks up from the nearest Metra rail station, travelers can at least get there by public transport.