Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism - Industry Info

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a long-standing tradition of taking steps to preserve the environment -- for our residents and our visitors. And the tourism industry is playing its part. Many of Massachusetts’ hotels, restaurants, attractions, and retail establishments have already developed programs to reduce power, conserve water, and reduce solid waste.

For visitors, MA GREEN provides online information about travel businesses’ environmental practices. And it tells visitors how to see green programs in action, how to be a green traveler, and how to enjoy the land, lakes, rivers, and ocean and water that have been preserved for all to use. Consumer Green Pages.

For travel businesses, MA GREEN provides Massachusetts’ hotels, attractions, restaurants, and retail establishments the opportunity to share information about their environmental practices with visitors. And it provides resources to help Massachusetts’ businesses develop sound environmental programs.

Benefits to Going Green
MA Green Program
How to Participate in MA Green
Green Resources
Energy
Water
Solid Waste
Green Meetings
Lodging
Restaurants
Attractions
Retail
General Resources
Upcoming Meetings, Conferences, Webinars
Green in the News

Click here to watch an interview with MOTT's Director of Communications, Lisa Simmons, about "going green" in Massachusetts on Fox 25.

Questions about the program, contact MAGREEN@state.ma.us

BENEFITS TO GOING GREEN

Green is good business. Travel businesses that have developed strong environmental programs report that benefits include:

Reduced costs for energy, water, and solid waste disposal
A competitive edge when responding to meeting and conference planners looking for sites that are committed to sound environmental practices
A healthy environment for employees and customers
An increase in employee loyalty when green programs engage all employees
Increased loyalty from existing customers
The ability to attract new environmentally-aware customers

In September, 2010, the General Services Administration recommended that federal employees traveling on government business stay in hotels that are LEED certified, have earned Energy Star rating, or participate in the EPA'sWastWise and WaterSense programs. Employees are also encouraged to participate in hotels' guest environmental programs and use green facilities for meetings and conferences. Properties in the FedRooms program should add their green credentials to their FedRooms listing.

MA GREEN PROGRAM

The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism’s MA Green program recognizes five national green certification programs. It also provides all Massachusetts’ travel businesses the opportunity to share information about their environmental practices with visitors.

The national certification programs are:

ENERGY STAR
Managed by: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Focus: Energy efficiency of buildings, including hotels, motels, inns, extended stay properties, resorts, retail, museums, theaters, convention centers, and stadiums. ENERGY STAR's tools and resources help you design a strategic approach to energy management and to reduce costs and the environmental footprint of your building through energy efficiency. Certification requires that facilities demonstrate that their energy performance is superior compared to other businesses in the same category.
>More information
LEED
Managed by: U.S. Green Building Council
Focus: Design, construction and operation of high-performance Green buildings. Criteria: Sustainable site, water savings, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials, and design innovation.
>More information
Green Seal
Managed by: Green Seal
Focus: Hotel sustainable practices in energy efficiency, recycling, water, hazardous materials, and purchasing.
>More information
Green Key Eco-Rating(level 3 and higher)
Managed by: Green Key Global
Focus: Hotel sustainable practices in energy, water, solid and hazardous waste, air quality, environmental management. The American Hotel and Lodging Association offers its members discounts on the certification fee.
>More information
Certified Green Restaurants
Managed by: Green Restaurant Association
Focus: Energy and water conservation, recycling, nontoxic cleaning materials, sustainable food, Green power
>More information

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN MA GREEN

Click here to access your existing listing or to create a new one.

If your hotel, attraction, restaurant, or retail establishment holds a current certification from the above list, check the appropriate green certification box in the list of amenities. MOTT will verify your business’ certification status before publishing the listing.

A list of certified businesses is posted on the Consumer Green Pages.

If your web site has a page dedicated to your environmental practices, add the page’s URL to the section titled "Green page link." MOTT will verify the link before publishing. This link is available to all businesses, regardless of whether they hold a green certification.

Questions about the MA Green program? Contact MAGREEN@state.ma.us.

GREEN RESOURCES

Here are programs and resources to help you green your business:

ENERGY

EPA’s ENERGY STAR Hospitality Program You can track your hotels’ energy and water savings and CO2 reductions through Portfolio Manager, a free benchmarking tool for hotels. Benchmarking starter kit. The EPA conducts Portfolio Manager training sessions.
The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has extensive information and links to electric and gas utility efficiency programs, energy audits, energy grants, analytic tools, and renewable energy programs.
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.
National Grid conducts whole building assessments for large business customers and technical assistance and free energy audits and recommendations for small businesses.
NSTAR provides energy efficiency programs, benchmarking tools, and incentives for its electricity and gas business customers.
GasNetworks, a collaborative of New England gas companies offers a rebate program for commercial gas users.
The Renewable Energy Trust promotes clean energy technologies and provides rebate programs for solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbines.
Wind energy resource list
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Renewables program assists agricultural businesses to develop renewable energy.

WATER

Conserving water also results in significant energy savings.

EPA’s WaterSense program does not yet have a specific hospitality program. But the WaterSense program has valuable tips for businesses.
Successful Water Conservation Programs: 2009 presentation by Daniel Cook, Conservation Solutions Corporation

SOLID WASTE

Reducing solid waste is a key element of any Green program.

WasteWise is a voluntary program, sponsored by the EPA and by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. WasteWise provides free technical assistance to help businesses develop, implement, and measure their waste reduction activities, and it publicizes members' waste reduction success stories through regional and national publications and events.

If you enroll as a WasteWise partner or endorser (free), you can access EPA’s RE-TRAC, an online tool that allows WasteWise partners to collect, analyze and report all your company’s recycling data and waste information and generate program performance and trend reports. EPA WasteWise program.

Mass DEP WasteWise contact:
Morgan Harriman
Commercial Waste Reduction Planner
617-654-6580

EPA contacts:
EPA Region 1:
Janet Bowen
617-918-1795
EPA headquarters: 880-372-9473
Additional waste and recycling information resources, regulations, finding recycling services – from the Mass DEP.
Recycling Organics at the Boston Convention & Exhbition Center.

GREEN MEETINGS

Meeting planners are increasingly assessing supplier’s sustainable practices when making site selections.

EPA extensive list of resources for suppliers and planners.
Green Meetings Industry Council: membership-based organization that provides educational resources to planners, suppliers, and meeting venues. Plus you can sign up for the Green Meetings Portal.
Meeting planners’ Green Checklist: from the Green Hotels Association.
Boston Green Tourism: actively promotes green meetings.
BlueGreen Meetings: best practices, tips for suppliers and event planners.

LODGING

See LEED, ENERGY STAR, and Green Seal certifications in MA GREEN PROGRAM.

The Massachusetts Lodging Association provides its members with information about Green practices, technology, and suppliers through its educational programs.
Boston Green Tourism provides educational seminars; information about green hospitality practices, products and services; and opportunities for collaboration. BGT also promotes the city’s eco-friendly facilities and services to meeting planners and visitors.
Saving Money Through Greening Hospitality, a 2009 conference by the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance: summary and presentations;
Greening Your Hotel: presentation by Dan Ruben, Boston Green Tourism
Green Lodging News reports on all aspects and trends relating to hotel green operations.
Ceres Green Hotel Best Practices Survey is a list of criteria that helps a purchaser assess a hotel's environmental commitment and performance.
American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Green Resource Center provides tips on how to get started, best practices, certification programs, and vendors plus member discounts on Green Key certification fees.

RESTAURANTS

See Certified Green Restaurants certification in MA GREEN PROGRAM.

ENERGY STAR's Guide for Restaurants provides detailed best preactices for increasing energy efficiency and reducing water use and waste output.
The Green Restaurant Association operates a certification program, Certified Green Restaurants, and it helps restaurants become more environmentally sustainable.
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association is a strong advocate for sound environmental practices. It provides its members with information about Green practices, technology, and suppliers through seminars, speakers, and its member newsletter.

EPA region 1 (New England): EPA programs and resources; New England environmental news
Green Lodging News extensive product information, events and organizations
GreenBiz: business news and trends
Green Seal: green products and services