Greening the Lodging Industry Program
Chicago and Los Angeles Programs
Chicago has implemented their Green Hotels Initiative which challenges hotels to obtain Green Seal certification. As part of this initiative 25 hotels were audited and five were recently awarded Green Seal- silver certification for Lodging Properties; The Hotel Monaco, Hotel Burnham, Hotel Allegro, InterContinental Chicago, and the Talbott Hotel. Chicago now leads the country with the most Green Seal certified hotels. The twenty additional hotels that have been audited are working towards completing the requirements to become Green Seal certified.
Green Seal is excited to be working with LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, to implement a green lodging program for the Los Angeles area. Launching in late 2008, the LA green lodging program will be based on certification of area hotels to Green Seal's GS-33 environmental leadership standard for lodging properties. The program is an important element of LA's new green business initiative as envisioned in the City's ambitious "Green LA" plan. |
The impact of 'greening the lodging industry'
Since 1995, Green Seal has partnered with the lodging industry, the nation's second largest employer, to promote environmentally responsible products and practices within lodging properties. Green Seal's campaign to inform the nearly 54,000 U.S. hotels and motels focuses on how environmental efforts both improve the bottom line and benefit the environment.
The average hotel purchases more products in one week than one hundred families typically do in a year. Furthermore, both hotel guests and staff may be exposed to many environmental toxins from products ranging from cleaners to paint to floor coverings. These all represent opportunities to reduce impact and improve sustainability.
What we do
Green Seal works in a variety of ways with the lodging industry and its users, providing technical guidance, case studies, and certification of green hotels. Green Seal:
- Certifies lodging properties that meet the Green Seal environmental standard, GS-33;
- Writes articles to educate the industry through such publications as the National Hotel Executive Magazine and Lodging;
- Supports government programs to identify green hotels, including those in Illinois, California, Virginia, and Maryland.
To qualify for GS-33 certification a hotel must demonstrate sustainable practices in the following areas:
- Waste minimization, reuse & recycling
- Energy efficiency, conservation & management
- Management of fresh water resources
- Waste water management
- Hazardous substances
- Environmentally sensitive purchasing
Certification requires an initial evaluation by Green Seal, including an on-site audit of the property, and annual monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance. The GS-33 standard recognizes three levels of environmental achievement:
- Bronze — Entry level, meets essential environmental leadership elements
- Silver — Meets a more comprehensive level of required leadership operations
- Gold — Meets additional criteria demonstrating hotel is at the forefront of environmental leadership
Click here to download the GS-33 Lodging Standard Summary Snapshot
Click here to access the standard and additional information about the standard
|