A little more than a week ago I posted an article about the launch of the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association’s Certified Green Lodging Program (click here to read it). The program joins a growing list of city, state and regional green lodging certification programs. Those putting together the Arizona program borrowed parts of applications used in other state programs. For the most part, Arizona’s points-based system was first used in the Maine Green Lodging Certification Program. What struck me about Arizona’s program is the addition of a unique application section called “Sense of Place.” It is something I have...

Consumer demand and demand from commercial customers have helped pressure companies like Ecolab, Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company to green up their product lines. That is certainly good news for everyone. Meanwhile, many other smaller companies have come along to offer other green cleaning options. I have posted news about many of those products over the last few years. Type in “green cleaning” on the Green Lodging News website and 11 pages of articles are generated. It is great to have so many cleaning product choices. This past week I wrote an article about cleaning products and equipment...

If you are in the hunt for some spring and summer conferences and trade shows that offer an opportunity to learn about green trends, practices, products and technologies, get out your calendar and start planning your travel. There are numerous events to consider and they are all approaching quickly. Many of the events are ones we have all come to expect from year to year; others are new. Be sure to check our Events calendar for a complete list of events. From April 14 to 18, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will be held in Chicago. Numerous educational sessions...

The Allen Matkins/CTG/Green Building Insider 4th Annual Green Building Survey results were just released. The survey was conducted by Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP, and CT Energetics, Inc. According to the two companies, their survey of green building professionals is the largest of its kind in the United States. More than 1,600 construction and design professionals participated. While the survey is not lodging-specific, it does offer an interesting glimpse at the current state of U.S. green building. Design and construction professionals continue to overwhelmingly support green construction (96.8 percent in 2007, 93.5 percent in 2008, 92.3 percent...

When I was a child, I could not watch enough cartoons. I am dating myself here but Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner, The Flintstones and Popeye were some of my favorites. My childhood obsession with The Three Stooges? That’s fodder for another column (woo woo woo). Animated characters, whether on screen or in “real life,” fascinate children and sometimes adults, too (Avatar comes to mind). In the last year I have come across three examples of properties using themed, costumed characters to teach kids about environmental issues. I think what they are doing is fantastic. The first property is the...

For a long time I have wondered how the various green lodging certification programs address the smoking/nonsmoking issue. After a bit of research over the past few weeks, I found out. (See article.) What I really wanted to know was whether or not any programs require that a facility be 100 percent nonsmoking in order to be certified (there are two, maybe three). I also wanted to know what programs ask about the makeup of a property’s room mix when it comes to smoking/nonsmoking rooms (not many ask at all). I know there are those who believe there are...

Lodging establishments around the world will participate in two global events in the next two months: Earth Hour and Earth Day. Earth Hour is a World Wildlife Fund initiative and will take place on March 27 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour to show their support for action on climate change. The event began in Sydney in 2007, when 2 million people switched off their lights. In 2008, more than 50 million people, including many hoteliers, participated. In 2009, hundreds of millions of people...

I just returned from the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. It is an annual event organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC). I had attended the conference two previous years. This year’s event was the most exciting of the three for several reasons. First of all, the turnout for this year’s event was strong for a GMIC event—approximately 250—and up significantly from last year when the event was held in Pittsburgh during the worst of the recession. Second, it is clear that GMIC has found a business plan that works—developing chapters to build membership. Over the last two...

In the current green hotel building world, the equivalent of an Academy Award (an Oscar) would have to be LEED Platinum—the top level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification offered by the U.S. Green Building Council for new and existing buildings. Until now, only one hotel in the United States had earned LEED Platinum—the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. The Proximity was awarded its honor in October 2008. Phil Sherburne, owner of the Bardessono Hotel, Restaurant and Spa in Yountville, Calif., just announced that his property is the second in the United States to have earned...

I have always kind of wondered about the seriousness of the commitment of the leading online travel agencies (OTAs) in regard to promoting green lodging establishments. In the past when I have gone to their websites in an attempt to try to find the properties, I have been unsuccessful or at least had a difficult time in locating a link for more information. (Perhaps that is why the OTAs call their green sites “microsites”—so small nobody can find them.) To some degree the green hotel sections are still difficult to find, as I describe in the article written this...