For as long as I have been publishing Green Lodging News, I have been following the growth of Audubon International’s Green Lodging/Green Hospitality program. Especially in recent years, I was quite impressed with the communication around the certification program. I frequently received press releases, and an Audubon representative contributed a guest column in 2025.
This past week I reached out to the organization and learned that my contact is no longer employed there. I then reached out to an Audubon representative and was told the organization’s current plan is to no longer grow the lodging certification program, but it will continue to work with its currently certified members.
Given the growth of Green Key Global’s membership, under the ownership of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. and the Hotel Association of Canada, it is not surprising that a smaller certification organization like Audubon International would encounter growth turbulence, especially with its thin staff.
(Keep in mind that Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses is still going strong, as is its Signature Sanctuary Certification program.)
The Audubon Green Lodging Certification Standard was last revised in July 2024. My contact is still listed as the contact for the program. What I liked about the program was its mandatory site visit. That said, having a site visit inflated the cost of certification and Audubon was just not big enough to successfully make its case that its inclusion of a site visit made it a superior program. I also liked the fact that participants also received an environmental performance report after certification with suggestions on how to improve.
Truly, the reason the Audubon Green Lodging Certification Standard has been around so long has been the people passionate about its mission. Many lodging establishments will benefit from their participation and lessons learned for years to come.
