Cleanlink News October 6 2009
Hotels Go Green in NY
According to The Business Review (Albany), a new program was announced by the state Department of Environmental Conservation that will certify hotels and inns as being “green” if they take steps to save energy, reduce waste and conserve other resources. Through the certification, a hotel can be assigned one to five green leaves, depending on its level of environmental performance. The credentials will be certified by Audubon International’s GreenLeaf program.
Forty-three businesses agreed to be the first to undergo certification, including several in the Albany area and the Adirondacks. One hotel, the Crowne Plaza in downtown Albany, has already been certified green with three leaves. Five leaves is the highest designation. Among the improvements at the 386-room hotel are high-efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in all guest rooms, low-flow shower heads and writing pads made from post-consumer waste. The hotel made the changes before it learned about the DEC’s green initiative, and will continue the investments to earn the next level of leaf designation.
The certification process takes a couple months, once the Audobon Society receives all the documentation. Certified hotels will pay the Audubon Society $300 to $700 in the first year to help defray administrative costs. The fees are reduced after the first year.
Other hotels in the Albany region that are participating are 74 State in Albany; Amsterdam Castle in Amsterdam; Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Springs and Hyatt Place Saratoga in Malta; Saratoga Farmstead Bed & Breakfast.
For more information on this program, click here.
