PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Rhode Island will soon have its own green lodging certification program. The program is being put together by the state’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM), the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Assn., Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, and several other organizations. According to Ron Gagnon, chief of the Office of Technical and Customer Assistance, Department of Environmental Management, January is the target month for the program’s launch and it will be run by his office.
The certification program will mirror Maine’s Green Lodging Certification Program. Participants will be asked to complete surveys that ask them about efforts being made in areas such as water conservation, energy management, recycling and purchasing. Points will be given for steps taken to green operations. Hotels must accumulate at least 100 of the approximately 600 points to guarantee entry into the program. Those scoring less than 100 can achieve provisional certification, meaning that they agree to accumulate the remaining points within an agreed-upon time frame. There will not be a mandatory audit but spot audits will be part of the program.
“We want to set realistic goals that can be achieved,” says Dale Venturini, president of the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Assn., who adds that the program is for any size property, from a B&B to a large, full-service hotel.
Gagnon said Rhode Island’s certification plan has been in the works for six months. Representatives of his office and the Rhode Island Hospitality and Tourism Assn. were both considering a certification program in response to all of the other ones in place throughout New England. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont already have their own programs.
Twenty Hotels Targeted at First
Representatives of the group preparing the questionnaire recently sent out a 17-page document to a test list of the state’s 20 largest hotels. These hotels will be the ones targeted first for certification. Gagnon says the initial response has been positive.
“The next step is to finalize the questionnaire for a January kickoff, with the first certifications awarded in April, on Earth Day,” Gagnon says.
Three training sessions are being planned for winter and spring to help hoteliers with the certification process. A website to market the program’s member hotels is also in the works. The state’s DEM will run that site. Certified hotels will receive an “Environmental Leader” flag and decals for public display and state assistance in pursuing environmental improvements.
“I believe it is a win-win program,” Gagnon says. “We will make progress in helping to protect the environment while also helping to attract groups and agencies that are looking for hotels with green recognition programs.”
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
