You don't have to break the bank to stay in environmentally conscious lodging. These BUNKS are friendly to both the Earth and your wallet.

GRAMPIANS ECO HOSTEL Victoria, Australia
When they're not riding horses or photographing waterfalls, kayaking, hot-air-ballooning, or tasting wine in the Victoria region, guests at the Eco Hostel unwind by the fireplace in this backpacker's dream come true. One of three Youth Hostel Association-run eco-inns, the $1.3 million Grampian Eco Hostel is a gift for both travelers who care and the surrounding community. Offering an alternative to the pricey hotels of the Outback, this hostel uses solar electricity, maintains a strong water and energy conservation program, promotes the use of public transportation for travelers, and encourages guests to take advantage of the on-site recycling program. For the Victoria community, the hostel also conducts workshops for the general public on environmental awareness, preservation, and action.

What: Grampians Eco Hostel
Where: Located in Halls Gap, Australia, just outside of Melbourne
Price: $23-$33.50 per bed per night
Contact: +61-3-5356-4544; grampians@havic.org.au; yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?hostelid=93

HOSTERIA ALANDALUZ Machalilla, Ecuador
Alandaluz is where tropical paradise meets a sustainable future. Alandaluz is actually a series of thatched-roof bamboo cabins built on the beaches of Ecuador. Each cabin was built using environmentally friendly architecture and features a waterless eco-toilet that decontaminates human waste, changing it into a usable fertilizer for reforested land. The hotel promotes healthy living for both guests and the environment by using solar, energy, and waste conservation practices and through maintaining a full-scale organic garden, which produces much of what appears on the dinner menus.

What: Hosteria Alandaluz
Where: Located in Machalilla, Ecuador, just outside Quito
Price: Cabins run from $12 to $30 per person per night. Volunteers can stay on-site for $10 per person per night.
Contact: +593-2-2248-604; alandaluzhosteria.com

L'Orri de Planes Planes, France
Travelers come to this secluded retreat for the glorious mountaintop views, intense hiking, rock climbing, paragliding, berry-picking, and natural hot springs. Tucked away on the Trans-Pyrenees hiking trail near the border of France and Spain, the l'Orri de Planes inn is a romantic mountain getaway, a cultural adventure, and a small social revolution all rolled into one. Thanks to 450 square feet of solar paneling backed by a strong insulation system, the Orri produces as much energy as it consumes and uses only 100 percent natural products (many of them locally-produced) in its dining room. To top it all off, visitors do it all at a price lower than that of most hostels.

What: L'Orri de Planes Inn
Where: Located between Toulouse, France, and Barcelona, Spain Price: Anywhere from $20 per night (basic dorm room) to $50 (for a double room, breakfast, and dinner).
Contact: +33-4-68-04-29-47; orrideplanes.com

For More Info:
To find more ecologically conscious digs, check out bestgreenhotels.com or contact the Youth Hostel Association (yha.org.uk) to find out what eco-hostels are available in or around your next destination.

Photos by Kevin Revolinski