Now that you've patiently answered our questions about your lighting and water usage, let us poke around in your cleaning supply closets, and have begun logging your recycling quantities into the Resource Tracking Tool- what happens now?
Despite the un-sexy nature of tallying how many low flush toilets you have and what kind of office paper you buy, these actions have allowed us both to gain an understanding of your operational practices and how they relate to achieving certification in the Green Concierge program. Many of you have already made conscientious choices in the name of saving money or resources, in ways that complement our certification standards. So let us help you reach for the first level, the bronze level, of certification.
Hospitality Green has begun promoting your properties as Phase 1 participants in the GC Certification. Your commitment of working towards becoming a bronze level certified Green Concierge property will continue to open doors through our marketing efforts. We've gathered helpful "green" marketing tips and called it our Green Marketing Fact Sheet, which will help you reach audiences who are interested in eco lodging. Use the Green Marketing Fact Sheet to augment your marketing campaigns. Through your existing channels promote your involvement as a Phase 1 participant in the GC certification.
One of the very useful marketing resources we found is a reputable national green travel guide called Green Lodge. Green Lodge is the guide to green hotels. The site caters to eco-savy travelers looking to find green hotel options and reduce their carbon footprint while traveling. The Green Lodge website is designed to be a one-stop shop for researching and booking a green hotel -giving the traveler the information and resources to make the best choice for their next hotel stay. Their on line guide provides detailed information on the eco-habits and practices of each hotel and clearly states the certification program associated with the individual hotel. In order for the hotel to be listed in their on line guide, Green Lodge conducts an independent audit of the certification program as well as requires annual documentation from the certification program on the property.
In March GreenLodge has audited and has recognized the Green Concierge certification to be of high quality and has rated our certification in an elite category of third party certification programs at their silver level. With the submittal of our facility report, GreenLodge will list our three tiers (bronze, silver and gold) certified properties in their online guide of eco-properties.
To help your customer's understanding of the program and your'green'practices and to uphold the integrity of the GC program, your property's "Green Page" is in development. Your "Green Page" intended to be located on your website, will display your Environmental Policy, highlight your sustainable practices, and explain the Green Concierge certification. As a participant in Phase 1 and while working towards bronze level certification in 2011, you will be able to display the GC "birdie" icon next to your name wherever it appears in any promotional materials, and online.
Please make sure to fax your choice of verbiage for your Environmental Policy. Displaying an environmental policy is a requirement for GC Bronze level certification. We also need the short marketing survey faxed back to us on or before April 15th.
If you weren't at the meeting, we regret that you weren't there. You missed a great meeting. We will be sending you a packet of material. Please make sure to fax back the information we need right away. If you have not attended a meeting, it is required that every facility attend a minimum of one meeting this year. Please plan to be there or send a representative to the May meeting. The date will be scheduled later in the month of April.
In the meantime, familiarize yourself with the 3 Tiers of GC certification standards, which can be found in print in your blue folders, or by visiting the Green Concierge website and signing in. Once you're logged in to your site, you can click on "GC Certification Standards" under Facility Documents, and then click the link" GC Green Lodging Standards" in the next page. That will show you the 3 levels of certification- Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Also, be sure to log your recycling, reuse and waste diversion information into the Resource Tracking Tool (RTT), also on your facility page on the Green Concierge website. We are here to assist you with any issues you may have with the RTT, so please let us know!
We can be reached by email at go.green@hospitalitygreen.com or by calling the office at (845).436.6173.
