GREEN LODGING PROGRAM

Sustainable Hospitality Leadership

The Green Lodging Program by Audubon International supports hotels and resorts in adopting sustainable practices that minimize environmental impact.

For information about joining the
Green Lodging Program

Please contact Greg Poirier at
518-328-3945 or
greg@auduboninternational.org

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 lodging facilities. Conduct a review of your current practices and identify areas to improve. When you are ready, complete the Green Lodging Designation Application and submit it to Audubon International.

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

Stage 3: Verification
Audubon International Green Lodging 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 you 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.

*Annual program membership fees are based on the number of rooms the lodging facility has.

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 hotels, motels, inns, B&Bs, resorts, and accommodation facilities of all kinds can see a host of benefits from participating in the Green Lodging 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 hotel’ for millions of ‘green’ travelers.

  • Structure, information, tools, and advice to reduce operating costs.

  • Enhanced staff job satisfaction through their involvement.

Audubon International has joined forces with Clean the World to help Green Lodging members increase their environmental efforts and save lives in the process. Clean the World is a non-profit organization collecting used soap from hospitality partners, sanitizing and recycling it, and distributing it to homeless shelters in North America and to communities in developing countries. Every day, thousands of children around the world die from diseases that could have easily been prevented with access to soap

FAQs

  • The Green Lodging 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 Lodging Program was one of the first programs, run by a third-party environmental group, to address environmental performance in the lodging 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 lodging 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 Lodging 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. The program pricing listed is for individual property registration only. Please contact Fred Realbuto: fred@auduboninternational.org to learn about discounted rates for multiple facility enrollment.

  • The Green Lodging Survey is a questionnaire designed to give us a detailed environmental profile of all functional areas of your hotel. 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.

Green Lodging Program

Success Stories

We are proud of our certified members accomplishments and have highlighted their stories! Browse the featured Green Lodging success stories by clicking on the link below to learn about the incredibly diverse environmental stewardship projects and activities that take place at Audubon International Certified Communities.

To see your success story featured here, please send an email and an overview of your story to Greg Poirier.