UNITY VILLAGE, MO.—The Unity Village Hotel and Conference Center, opened January 2007, recently received LEED Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The hotel is the first lodging property in the Midwest to receive LEED certification and the sixth in the United States. LEED stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” LEED-certified buildings conserve natural resources, reduce operating costs and foster healthier and more productive occupants. “Unity sought LEED certification for the Unity Village Hotel and Conference Center to reflect our deep concern for the environment as well as the well-being and comfort of our guests,”...

OLD SAYBROOK, CONN.—Situated on the site of one of New England’s first settlements (1623), the Saybrook Point Inn & Spa here has a rich history. Located in an environmentally sensitive area on the Connecticut River, one that recently has seen eagles return to it, the property is a champion of energy conservation and environmental protection. The 82-room inn has been run by the Tagliatela family since it opened as a renovated property in 1989. Stephen Tagliatela, co-owner, says the inn is the first full-service lodging establishment in Connecticut to earn the Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and...

MIAMI—One would not expect a property’s environmental champion to come out of the security department but that is what has happened at the 221-room Four Seasons Hotel Miami. It was about four and one-half years ago that Bob O’Neill, directory of security, expressed an interest in helping the hotel with its recycling. What he did not realize at the time was that he would end up leading the charge to get the hotel certified under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging Program. “I brought my own personal interest in the environment to this hotel,” O’Neill says. “I had...

TRUCKEE, CALIF.—Located more than a mile high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, the Cedar House Sport Hotel has been very well received since it opened in mid-2006. Business is good and the owners of the 42-room property have successfully staked their claim as developers of one of the most environmentally efficient buildings around. Ironically, the owners—the husband and wife team of Jeff and Patty Baird—had never run a hotel or inn prior to opening their Truckee-based property. They have significant travel experience, however, especially in Europe, and learned a lot about how a...

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Next spring will be an exciting time here at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, located in idyllic Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Up on the roof of the 153-room property, just between the main lobby and the restaurant, a green roof will be installed. Similar to a garden, the roof will include a bed of soil and plants that will have both aesthetic and environmental benefits. The roof originally was going to be put in place this fall but it was determined that the plants that will rest in the roof modules need more time...

BOULDER, COLO.—If you would like to learn about the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites’ zero waste program, I suggest checking with the property’s Ambassador of Cool (owner Dan King)—or maybe its Green Goddess (environmental champion Diane Schevene). Believe it or not, those are the titles the two have given themselves. Both have worked hard to push the property toward zero waste. Is zero waste possible in a hotel that has a full-service restaurant, 3,800 square feet of meeting space and 162 guestrooms? It is if one considers only the waste generated by staff. Because the hotel cannot control what guests...

BOSTON—On September 1, the Jurys Boston Hotel will do what few other properties have done—offset 100 percent of its electricity consumption. The hotel will pay a premium of 6 percent for its electric power to Constellation NewEnergy, which in turn will purchase Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from renewable generation sources in the United States. According to Stephen Johnston, general manager of the 225-room hotel, the step was taken because he and the hotel’s ownership team believed it was the right thing to do. Is paying 6 percent more for electricity an acceptable cost? If one considers the amount of savings...

HALLOWELL, MAINE—The Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast, located on 130 acres not far from Maine’s capital building, has earned a reputation as an environmental leader and deservedly so. Even though the property has just eight guestrooms, it is home to Maine’s largest solar array, has its own wind turbine, and was the first property in the state to receive Green Lodging Inn Certification from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Scott Cowger and Vincent Hannan are co-owners of the property and have owned it for 15 years. The investments they have made in the bed and breakfast primarily have...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Almost 100 years old, the historic Meier & Frank department store here is being converted to a 331-room Starwood Luxury Collection hotel called The Nines. The upper nine floors will be the home for the hotel; the lower five floors are being refurbished by Macy’s, Inc. and will open as a Macy’s department store. The Nines, which is being developed by Denver-based Sage Hospitality Resources, has Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification as its goal. The hotel is slated to open in summer 2008. SERA Architects, Inc., Portland, Ore., is the architectural firm on the project...

ST. ANDREWS BY-THE-SEA, NEW BRUNSWICK—The Fairmont Algonquin, which has been recognized several times by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts for its environmental leadership, is doing its part to keep its idyllic location as unspoiled as possible. The 234-room property has initiated numerous green programs to conserve resources and minimize waste. “The hotel is in a beautiful location,” says Angela Rafuse-Tahir, director of sales and marketing at the property that was built in the 1880s. “We need to take care of what Mother Nature has given us.” The seaside hotel, which offers whale watching opportunities, sponsors a beluga whale and a right whale....