The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is winding down its Garden State Green Hotels Project. At the same time, the Travel Green New Jersey website is on schedule for updating with green lodging establishments that are located in New Jersey. So says Ky Asral, Manager, Small Business Environmental Assistance Program at New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection. Asral has been managing the Garden State Green Hotels Project that has provided 120 hotels in New Jersey with on-site assistance in four areas: the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, reduction of use of hazardous material, reduction of use of water and other natural resources, and the reduction of solid waste. Asral told me that 120 hotels have been visited and now are being evaluated to see what progress they have made. Even when the Garden State Green Hotels Project closes, Asral says the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will continue to provide assistance to hotels interested in reducing their environmental impact. So far, the Travel Green New Jersey website has not included a list of green lodging establishments in the Garden State.
Asral says that should change by the end of the summer. Properties with green certifications will be listed along with the certifications they have. “Somebody looking at staying at a green hotel could look at a map on the site,” Asral says. “We want the information at somebody’s fingertips.” New Jersey is one of many states that have some type of state level green lodging recognition program.
