Green Hospitality

About the Green Hospitality Program

The Green Hospitality Program provides third-party verification that facilities in the tourism, hospitality and recreation sectors meet environmental best practice standards and demonstrate a strong commitment to water quality, water conservation, waste minimization, resource conservation, and energy efficiency. Through a comprehensive and credible method for assessing the extent of the environmental measures undertaken, participating facilities can reduce environment-related costs and gain a marketing advantage.

For information about joining the
Green Hospitality Program
Please contact Fredrik Realbuto at

Good for the Environment, Good for Business

Stage 1: Self-Evaluation
Familiarize yourself and your staff with the program and the key aspects of environmental management for hospitality facilities. Conduct a review of your current practices and identify areas to improve. When you are ready, complete the Green Hospitality Designation Application and submit it to Audubon International.

Stage 2: Assessment
Audubon International Green Hospitality staff will review your application and schedule a site visit to verify your practices.

Stage 3: Verification
Audubon International Green Hospitality staff will direct an independent verification of your facility to assess its environmental best practices.

Stage 4: Eco-Rating Awarded
An eco-rating is awarded based on your overall score and site visit results. We will send your certificate and prepare an environmental performance report with suggestions about how to improve. Completed applications and reports are confidential and only accessible to you and program staff.

Stage 5: Continuous Improvement
You can increase your eco-rating! Tools are available to help you implement and expand environmental practices, including online resources and fact sheets.

"Audubon International made it possible for us to make our resort as sustainable as it is. In 2005, when we began this journey, Audubon was the only eco-rating program for hotels that we could find that actually came to the facility and helped ascertain the best way to operate your business sustainability and profitability at the same time. The program has been invaluable to us"

- Jenn Holderied, Director of Marketing and Owner

Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort

Benefits of Membership

Owners and managers of sports clubs, airport lounges, spas and hospitality facilities of all kinds
can see a host of benefits from participating in the Green Hospitality Program, such as:

 

  • Third-party, credible verification by a non-profit environmental group.
  • Public recognition and marketing benefits as an environmental leader.
  • Easy identification as a ‘green facility’ for millions of ‘green’ travelers.
  • Structure, information, tools, and advice to reduce operating costs.
  • Enhanced staff job satisfaction through their involvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Green Hospitality Program was launched after stakeholders from industry, government, and the environmental community helped to identify “best practices” across the core areas of the program. These best practices are reviewed periodically to ensure that leading practices and technologies define environmental leadership in the program.

The Green Hospitality Program was one of the first programs, run by a third-party environmental group, to address environmental performance in the hospitality industry. Thanks in part to the program’s leadership, today there are numerous local, state, and regional eco-certification and ratings programs in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors. Many of these programs are focused more on compliance with environmental laws and regulations, rather than environmental excellence. While each has value in helping to spur environmental leadership, the Green Hospitality Program is unique in that it is international in scope, uses a standardized checklist for evaluating environmental performance, includes environmental education and hands-on staff assistance (as needed), and requires a site visit by a trained individual to verify eco-rated practices.

Yes. Bundle rates apply for companies enrolling multiple facilities under one billing contact. Please contact Fred Realbuto: fred@auduboninternational.org to learn about discounted rates for multiple facility enrollment.

The Green Hospitality Survey is a questionnaire designed to give us a detailed environmental profile of all functional areas of your property. It’s easy to follow and has questions requiring simple responses. By providing you with a list of well-established “best environmental practices,” developed with industry and outside stakeholder input, you can tell us where and how you have been using eco-efficiency. The Survey’s four main sections – Energy Efficiency, Resource Conservation, Pollution Prevention and Environmental Management – cover issues ranging from energy efficient equipment to indoor air quality to water conservation to environmental policies and communication. It takes about three or four hours to complete.