WASHINGTON, D.C.—Six of Los Angeles’ largest hotels are being recognized by Green Seal, the leading science-based eco-label, for meeting its rigorous environmental standard required for certification and for helping to make the city a national leader in hotel sustainability.
With a total of 5,242 guestrooms in L.A. now certified, the hotels recognized—the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, the Westin Los Angeles Airport, the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Airport and the Hilton Los Angeles Airport—have enabled the city to offer more Green Seal-certified rooms than any other major U.S. city.
The hotels are part of a growing movement being spurred by the Los Angeles Green Business Program to use environmentally preferable products and sustainable, cost-saving practices.
As part of the program, the Los Angeles Green Lodging Program, which is a partnership between the City of Los Angeles, the L.A. Tourism and Convention Board, and Green Seal, has been heralded by Mayor Eric Garcetti as critical to his goal of making Los Angeles “the greenest city in the world.”
According to Green Seal’s President and CEO, Arthur Weissman, Ph.D., “More than 50 percent of the hotel rooms along the L.A. airport gateway corridor are now in Green Seal-certified hotels.”
Certified Properties in 17+ States
Green Seal hotels can be found in more than 17 states and major cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta. Green Seal-certified hotels are achieving impressive results in terms of reducing their environmental impact. For example, the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles reports more than $600,000 in savings through its greening efforts, including a reduction of 12 million gallons of water per year through its laundry reuse system and installing more than 3,100 low energy LED light bulbs.
“This is the largest number of Green Seal-certified hotel rooms in any major city in the United States, an achievement that demonstrates the importance of sustainability to the area’s lodging community and to the City of Los Angeles,” said Patti MacJennett, Sr. V.P., Business Affairs for the L.A. Tourism & Convention Board. “We are very pleased that the Los Angeles Green Lodging program has been reinvigorated as part of the City of LA’s Green Business program.”
“In Los Angeles and California at large, conserving water and energy are part of the daily conversation,” said Joanne Fox-Przeworski, Ph.D., Chair of the Green Seal board of directors. “In meeting the standard and displaying their Green Seal certification, these hotels are announcing to their guests that they provide not only a healthy environment but also practice wise use of natural resources.”
To achieve Green Seal certification, the hotels take measures to protect human and environmental health, such as using environmentally preferable products; conserving water and energy by using water-efficient fixtures, landscaping measures and energy-efficient appliances and lighting; and reducing waste through recycling and minimizing disposable items. The certified hotels undergo periodic monitoring to ensure they continue to meet requirements. For more detailed information on the standard, visit greenseal.org/gs33.
