Green Hotels - Resources, Ecolabels and Standards
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Green hotel programs
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA)
AH&LA provides provides tips, guidelines and resources for hotels that want to go green. Visit the AH&LA Green Resource Center.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Published by the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Sustainable Initiatives, this guide offers tips and best practices. Read the Meeting Planner's Guide to Going Green, Tips and Best Management Practices and find other resources on their site.
Green Globe
The Green Globe Certification seeks to offer an assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses (including their supply chain partners). For more information visit the Green Globe Certification Standard site. Members can view the Green Globe Standard with a complete set of criteria online.
Green Hotels Association
The Green Hotels Association provides a meeting place for hotels interested in being green. GHA offers a free "Meeting Planners Questionnaire" with questions designed to reveal the greenness of event locations. Visit the Green Hotels Association for more information and resources. Contact Patty Griffin, green@greenhotels.com, for more information on the GHA.
Green Seal - Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties
Green Seal is a nonprofit organization which promotes the manufacture and sale of environmentally responsible consumer products. Among its activities Green Seal sets environmental standards and awards a "Green Seal of Approval" to preferable products. Green Seal supports the notion of ecotourism through its certification program for facilities. For more information visit Green Seal.
Hotel Association of Canada - Green Key Eco-Rating Program
The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) assists both national (Canadian) and international members to enhance their green competitiveness through the Green Leaf Eco-Rating Program. For more information on the Hotel Association of Canada Green Key Eco-Rating Program visit their web site. Read further about the Hotel Association of Canada's Green Key Meetings.
Audubon International Green Lodging Program
Audubon's Green Lodging Program seeks to ensure that member hotels have met best practice standards for green lodging through third-party verification by demonstrating a strong commitment to water and resource conservation, waste minimization and energy efficiency. Learn more about the Audubon International Green Lodging Program.
Florida Green Lodging Program
Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) voluntary initiative recognizes green hotels which commit to conserve and protect Florida's natural resources. The program is designed to assist the industry in evaluating its operations, take specific actions and continuously improve environmental performance. Read more about the Florida Green Lodging Program.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) promotes sustainable tourism through its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. They also promote other environmental initiatives internationally. Learn more about The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) fosters an understanding of sustainable tourism practices internationally. GSTC promotes the use sustainable tourism principles by its programs: international standard setting, education and training, as well as accreditation. Read more about the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
Related EPA Programs
Energy Star Program
Energy Star is a voluntary partnership between the US Department of Energy, the EPA, product manufacturers, local utilities, and retailers. Partners help promote efficient products by labeling with the Energy Star logo and educating consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency.
The program includes these initiatives:
Energy Star for Lodging
Energy Star Small Business
Energy Star Buildings and Plants
Energy Star labeling of Buildings.
Learn more about Energy Star.
Sustainable Materials Management
Sustainable materials management is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. Read about EPA's work through the Sustainable Materials Management program.
WaterSense
WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its mission is to protect the future of our nation's water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services. Saving water is easy-many products are already available for use, and it doesn't require changing the way most of us live or do business. By choosing products labeled through the WaterSense program, you know you'll be saving water for future generations.
Read more about WaterSense.