NEW YORK—More than 10 New York state organizations are currently working together as part of the New York State Governor’s Initiative: Green Hospitality Partnership to put together a program that would encourage benchmarking and certification for hospitality industry businesses in the Empire State. The effort is being led by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Other organizations participating include: Governor’s Office; Hospitality and Tourism Association; Restaurant Association; Department of Economic Development; Department of Agriculture and Markets; Department of Labor; Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Energy Research & Development Authority; and Pollution Prevention Institute.
The objectives of the working group are also to research and develop a green supply chain for hospitality-related businesses, provide marketing for participating businesses through a dedicated space on the I Love New York website, facilitate purchasing pools for environmentally preferable products, and create comprehensive “one-stop-shopping” experience packages (bundling green transportation, lodging, dining, activities and destinations for the visitor).
The Green Hospitality Partnership will offer hospitality businesses information on third party certification programs run by organizations such as Green Seal, the Green Restaurant Assn., Audubon International, and the Environmental Protection Agency (Energy Star). Many certification programs on the state, national and international level were studied to create the list of recommended programs.
Green Goals Must Be Set, Met
Participants in the state program would be given a base level of efforts to pursue—e.g., the 11 steps recently recommended by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (see article). Visitors to the new green section of the I Love New York website would be able to monitor companies’ operations-related progress and certification efforts.
According to Jeff Sama, Director of Environmental Permits and Pollution Prevention for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Partnership is currently working to identify tourism businesses in New York to help pilot the program.
“We are trying to strengthen the green tourism infrastructure in New York State,” Sama says.
“We want to design the program so that it is flexible,” adds Ashley Wilson, Environmental Analyst with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Driven by Governor’s Office
Sama says his organization originally had an interest in pursuing this type of program but it was the Governor’s Office that asked his department to build the Green Hospitality Partnership for all of New York’s tourism sector.
The goal of the working group is to have the program’s strategy finalized by March 2009. The next meeting to discuss the lodging part of the program will be held January 22. For more information, contact Jeff Sama at jjsama@gw.dec.state.ny.us, or call (518) 402-9182.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
