A couple years ago, Phoenix, AZ (my hometown) played host to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s annual convention which was held a the The Arizona Biltmore Resort. There was an overarching emphasis on greening up the lodging industry. A few years later and Arizona is now in full swing with their own Green program with 20 properties certified.
The certification program is a joint effort between The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association (AzHLA) and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), and was developed to address the growing number of hotel members and visitors looking for a standard to measure hotels’ green efforts.
This is a great example of an association working in concert with state government to advance environmental initiatives in the lodging industry. According to an article by Michelle Parks at ABC15.com:
“Arizonans and their guests should take pride in this comprehensive commitment to environmental stewardship and energy efficiency without compromising enjoyment or convenience,” said ADEQ Director, Benjamin H. Grumbles. “We all win by saving more, wasting less, and keeping the Green Hotel State healthy and beautiful.”
AzHLA developed a model which compares hotels and scores each hotel in fifteen different categories, and must earn 150 points in order to become “certified.”
The group also awarded points to hotels that give visitors an experience exclusive to Arizona by doing things like featuring local and/or historical art, furnishings and providing tours.
“This new program, and our partnerships with AOT and ADEQ, makes Arizona’s Green lodging efforts among the best in the country,” Debbie Johnson President and CEO of AzHLA said in a prepared statement. “Our goal was to provide Arizona hotels with the tools and the incentive to be as Green as possible and to communicate to environmentally-conscientious visitors that Arizona has a surplus of lodging options for them.”
20 Arizona hotels have already received the green certification including The Phoenician, Havasu Dunes Resort, Sedona Rouge, and Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center.
To learn more about earth 4 energy and the AzHLA green certification model visit ABC15.com
