Arizona Biltmore Launches Green Initiative

The Arizona Biltmore announced today, the launch of a full scale Green Initiative Program.

"Adopting environmentally friendly practices is no longer an option but a necessity, and at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa we are committed to becoming an industry leader in this growing trend," said Julia Thorn, director of corporate communications. "That's why we have developed our Green Initiative that is extraordinarily comprehensive and sustainable, covering every aspect of our operations and every department of the resort, from water-saving plans and biodegradable supplies to organic products in the spa."

The goal of the Green Initiative is to significantly reduce the Arizona Biltmore's global footprint, create a more efficient and environmentally friendly operation, and establish the Arizona Biltmore as an environmentally responsible resort. To achieve this, the resort has identified actions, initiatives and practices that have been put into affect throughout the resort; additional steps are planned this year and into 2009.

A Green Committee, composed of executives from every department of the resort, was established to oversee development and implementation of the plan, monitor and adjust as necessary the existing initiatives, and explore additional avenues of action.

A few items among the many actions currently being taken:

General

• Converted to compact fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent overhead lighting.
• Recycling resort-wide including cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastic, printing cartridges, batteries, etc.
• Using environmentally safe, certified green, cleaning products in guest rooms, public areas, etc.

Spa

• Use chemical-free, organic and vegan products that work with the body.
• Use clean-burning flameless candles in treatment rooms and throughout the spa.

Grounds

• Converting to electric lawn mowers and leaf blowers.
• Use reclaimed water from the canal for watering.
• Return plant containers that are not biodegradable to growers for recycling.

Rooms & Suites

• Offer water saving options for sheets and towels in guestrooms.
• Convert to organic cotton linens and bathrobes.
• Use low-flow toilets and shower heads

Public Areas and Front Office

• Paperless check-in & check-out for guests.
• Key cards made from recycled corn products.

Office and Operations Areas

• Distribute documents such as memos, reports and contracts by email only, unless a printed hard copy is required.
• When printing or copying is required, encourage two-sided printing/copying, using the smallest margins possible, using scrap paper, etc.
• Use water coolers rather than water bottles.
• Turn off lights, computers, etc. in offices when not in use.
• Added recycled-paper, motionless towel dispensers in 90 areas of the hotel.
• Turn off lights and air conditioning when rooms are not in use.

Dining & Banquets

• Purchase food from local and organic growers whenever feasible.
• Use reusable containers for beverages, food and condiments whenever possible.
• Recycle cooking/fryer oils into diesel fuel.
• Arranging compost pick-up for food scraps.

Trip Reduction Programs

• Carpool parking.
• Free bus passes.

Many additional actions are planned in the months ahead, from offering recycling in guest rooms and public areas to installing new weather stripping on windows and doors and thermal film on windows.

Meetings & Events

The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa also is working closely with groups to make meetings and events greener by adopting appropriate products and practices. These range from providing water coolers rather than individual water bottles, to using recyclable and biodegradable paper products for materials, signs, etc., to opting for cans rather than glass for beverages.

To learn more about the Arizona Biltmore or other Green hotels around the US, please log onto: www.greenlodge.org

California Introduces Statewide Green Building Code

California has proposed a new statewide building code aimed at improving energy efficiency and water consumption. Goals of the new code include: 50 percent landscape water conservation reduction; energy use of new structures are 15%t better than under existing standards; and, greater use of recycled materials.

Governor Schwarzenegger said this say in a press release:

"By adopting this first-in-the-nation statewide green building code, California is again leading the way to fight climate change and protect the environment. This is literally a groundbreaking move to ensure that when we break ground on all new buildings in the Golden State we are promoting green building and energy efficient new technologies. Cars and buildings are two of the leading users of energy – we’re already addressing cars, and these new building standards will ensure that California remains at the forefront of reducing our carbon footprint and conserving valuable natural resources while also protecting our economy. We have already committed to making our state-owned buildings more green and energy efficient and this statewide code will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and conserve water in all new buildings."

"With today’s action, California continues to lead the nation and I commend the hard work of the Building Standards Commission to adopt the first-in-the-nation statewide green building standards."


California Green Building Standards

First "Green" Event and Wedding Planning Company Launches

Interested in eco-friendly weddings, parties and corporate events? Now there is a company that will plan them for you. Green Envy Events, a full service event planning and coordination company that focuses on “Green” affairs, has just launched in Phoenix. Founders, Kristin Seagren and Kacee Sissener, have a combined 12 years of experience in planning an array of events including weddings, parties, concerts, and corporate events. The increasing demand for eco-friendly alternatives for weddings and corporate events was the impetus for the business and now the two experts have joined forces to launch the first green event planning company in the Valley.

Focusing on the bridal end of the business, Kristin Seagren emphasizes “Green weddings can be just as luxurious and elegant as any traditional wedding - they just have an environmentally conscious flair. We show the bride and groom how they can create their dream wedding while still being environmentally friendly.”

Green Envy Events is also providing environmentally conscious companies an outlet to host responsible gatherings. Larger events can put a huge strain on carbon emissions with guests flying into the event, renting vehicles and filling up hotel rooms and conference/meeting space. By having your event planner aware of the environment from the get-go will be a huge bonus for reducing an events carbon footprint.

Green Envy Events

Arizona State University Goes Green

Arizona State University (ASU) has made a commitment to go green by purchasing from suppliers who must pass an environment test and meet environmentally friendly standards. According to the policy, companies must use materials that are either recycled, recyclable, reusable, non-toxic or biodegradable.

The changes are said to make ASU more sustainable in the future by decreasing its carbon footprint as a University.

Arizona State University

Green Strategies at Coral Reef Conference

image credit: http://www.nova.edu/ncri/11icrs

This past week I attended the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale. I was co-chairing a session on climate change and coral calcification. Besides being a great meeting, with over 3000 attendees, it was organized as a "Green" meeting. The steps that the conference took to go green were quite commendable.

1) The conference worked with Carbonfund to calculate how much carbon would be produced and then offsetting a portion of that carbon using some of the registration fees.
2) They distributed aluminum water bottles with the registration materials to reduce the number of disposable water cups used.
3) All printed materials were on recycled paper; meeting T-shirts were made of organic cotton; and meeting badges were made from eucalyptus material.
4) The food was generally produced locally and remaining food was given to the local food pantry.
5) Attendees had the option to forgo receiving the large abstract booklet and instead were encourage to view the abstracts online. This option alone can save 100's of thousands of pages of paper.

Given the dire situation of coral reefs as a result of climate change, it is only appropriate that the conference would choose to go green. Hopefully, green meetings become the norm as corporations and organization become more environmentally conscious.

For more information about the meeting visit the International Coral Reef Symposium Website.

A New Way to Get Your Green Fix - Watch Planet Green

If you enjoy watching HGTV and Food Network, Planet Green may be the newest channel to add to your list. Planet Green, which debuted in June, showcases green home improvement, cooking and fashion shows with thousands of tips to help you green your lifestyle.

Find out which channel Planet Green is on in your area at this link:

Channel Finder

Richard Branson plans Renewable Eco Resort

Richard Branson recently announced plans for a renewable eco resort on one of his Caribbean islands. Mosquito Island, an uninhabited speck of land located off the island of Virgin Gorda and within sight of Necker Island, currently features wind-swept scrub and a few run down buildings. But Branson envisions 20 villas and a beachfront restaurant powered entirely by wind turbines and solar panels.

During a tour of Necker Island in June, he told reporters that the eco-resort's buildings would capture cool thermal airflows, eliminating the need for air conditioners. The guests' food would come from an organic orchard, and beach buggies would be powered by biofuels. These are just the start of his plans to develop eco resorts, Branson also announced a new consulting firm would be developed called Virgin Green Owls that advised governments and corporations on carbon neutral projects across the globe.