LOGAN, OHIO—The Hocking Hills Tourism Association, located in Southeast Ohio, has launched Hocking Hills Green, a voluntary environmental certification program for the local tourism industry. Twenty-three lodging establishments have already signed up for the program. Participants represent cabins and cottages, campgrounds and horse camps, hotels and motels, and inns and B&Bs. One of the goals of the program is to reduce the environmental footprint of the Hocking Hills travel and hospitality industry. An additional goal is to help promote the Southeast Ohio region—known for its parks, forests, hiking, canoeing, canopy tours, and attractions such as Old Man’s Cave—as a green destination.
To become Hocking Hills Green Certified, businesses must submit a completed registration and application. Businesses may qualify for Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 Certification based on the extent of their practices in each of three disciplines of environmental responsibility. The disciplines include: communication/education, resource management, and stewardship. Businesses may advance to a higher level of certification as additional practices are implemented. Each level of certification includes required practices and optional practices. A minimum score is required for each level of certification and businesses must be certified annually. Twenty-three businesses have reached Level 1 status.
In their online profile, certified properties can list the green steps they have taken in each of the three disciplines. The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls, for example, lists many of its green initiatives. Among them: food waste composting, the use of low-flow fixtures, and the use of organic fertilizers.
The Hocking Hills Tourism Association website includes a prominent link to the Hocking Hills Green Certified site.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
