BOSTON—The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) has added a green tourism section to its website. Called “MAGREEN,” the section includes information on traveling without a car, a list of green certified hotels and restaurants (37 listed as of April 6, 2010), information on state parks and other natural attractions, rural offerings, and places to go to see solar and wind installations. Also available are tips on how to reduce one’s environmental impact while traveling. For hoteliers, links to information on rebates, energy conservation, water conservation, waste management and green meetings are also provided.
Hotels holding LEED, Energy Star, Green Seal, or Green Key (level 3 or higher) certifications are eligible to be highlighted. From their listings, other non-certified properties throughout the state are eligible to link to their own websites where their environmental activities are summarized. Restaurants certified by the Green Restaurant Assn. are also eligible to be highlighted. A few examples of properties listed: the Back Bay Hotel, Hyatt Harborside, The Lenox Hotel, Seaport Hotel, and Boston Marriott Quincy.
According to Lisa Simmons, director of public relations and communications for MOTT, the timing was right to make green travel options available to consumers and to give owners and operators of green lodging establishments a vehicle to market themselves.
“The web page is designed to give the industry and consumers the opportunity to participate in green programs,” Simmons says.
Massachusetts has made a major commitment to expand green business throughout the state. Since 2007, employment in the solar power industry has doubled and there is a goal to power 800,000 homes in Massachusetts with wind energy by 2020.
Go to www.massvacation.com.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
