Tennessee, in the news recently for the early May flooding in the Nashville area (the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center will not reopen until November), had some good news to celebrate this past week with the launch of the state’s “Tennessee Green Hospitality” certification program for lodging properties and restaurant facilities. The program was adopted from “Chattanooga Green Lodging,” a recent winner of The Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award. I wrote about Chattanooga’s program almost a year ago. Congratulations to the Tennessee Hospitality Association for launching a certification program without government assistance. For those of you in states without a statewide green lodging certification program, what are you waiting for?
Tennessee joins the many other states, cities and even one region that have green lodging certification programs. (Click here for list.) Tennessee’s program requires participation in six Core Activities: optional linen service; recycling and reducing waste; water conservation; energy conservation; offer a “green events” package; and have a written plan for continued environmental improvement. Participating restaurants must participate in the same Core Activities (except optional linen service) plus the following: minimize the use of disposables; and recycle grease. There are approximately 150 additional activities in which a property can participate.
Those lodging establishments pursuing certification as part of Tennessee Green Hospitality are required to have an on-site audit. Audit fees range from $275 to $600, depending on the number of guestrooms. Skye Con is the company providing the audit. They also provided the audits for the Chattanooga program.
Audit Provides Credibility
“A third-party audit gives a level of credibility that self-certification cannot achieve,” said Dobbin Callahan, president of Skye Con, in a press release announcing Tennessee Green Hospitality. “Hotels and restaurants that become certified have made and will continue to make proven operational changes that are real, significant, and are having a positive impact on our communities.”
While behind many other states in the timing of their certification program launch, Tennessee has been a leader in promoting sustainable tourism to their state for quite some time (click here). Just last week, the Hilton Garden Inn in Gatlinburg was awarded the Good Earthkeeping Award in the small property category as part of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Stars of the Industry Awards. The Hilton Garden Inn is the first hotel in Tennessee to earn LEED certification.
I have spoken with Skye Con’s Dobbin Callahan several times and am confident he and the Tennessee Hospitality Association will have success in creating one of the United States’ leading state certification programs.
Green Lodging News Adds Monarch as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News welcomes Monarch Bath, Bed & Spa as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The company offers a unique collection of eco-friendly bathrobes, towels and sheets that allow one to provide a luxurious experience for guests while saving energy, reducing water use and significantly lowering laundry operational costs. Monarch Bath, Bed & Spa, a member of the Green Hotels Association, offers its products in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Embroidery services are also available. A catalog can be found on the company’s website. For more information, e-mail ichief@aol.com, call (413) 528-5150, or go to www.monarchrobe.com.
New Online Video Sections on the Way
Green Lodging News will soon add “Vendor Videos” and “More Cool Videos” sections to its website. The Vendor Videos section will give suppliers an opportunity to post videos that describe how their products work and how they can help an owner or operator save money, reduce resource consumption, and create a more sustainable enterprise. The “More Cool Videos” section will be reserved for videos created by those owning and operating green lodging establishments, for properties that have been featured on news broadcasts, and for educational videos. Be sure to contact me at (440) 243-2055, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com for more information.
There are many excellent Green Lodging News advertising opportunities available for 2010, including ad spots on the website and in the weekly e-newsletter. There are also many Green Supplier Spotlight dates available throughout the year. If your company has a product or products it would like to feature in Green Lodging News in 2010, be sure to contact me. The 2010 media kit is available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Green Lodging News Blog & Twitter
Be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also now on Twitter. To follow my postings, go to http://twitter.com/greenlodging. Be sure to add Green Lodging News to those tweets that you follow. Green Lodging News now has 442 Twitter followers.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
