Florida plans Green Lodging Conference

Officials of the 248-room Hilton University of Florida Conference Center today announced it will be the host hotel for the inaugural Florida Green Lodging Conference from November 10-12, 2008. Entitled “Being Green, Saving Green & Making Green,” the conference is sponsored by VisitGainesville and the University of Florida TREEO (Training, Research & Education for Environmental Occupations) Center.

“Designated as one of the first green hotels in Florida, the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center is an ideal location to host this first-of-its-kind event,” said Roland Loog, CDME, executive director of VisitGainesville. “With the passage of Governor Crist’s Executive Order 07-126, state agencies now are required to contract meeting and conference space with facilities that have the Department of Environmental Protection DEP Green Lodging Designation.

The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center is the only Green Certified hotel in Gainesville. To receive this certification, the hotel implemented a number of state-mandated procedures related to water conservation, including utilizing low-flow features on shower heads, faucets and toilets. Additionally, the hotel uses energy-efficient dimmer switches in conference rooms, compact fluorescent bulbs and window tinting to reduce air conditioning requirements. All possible materials are recycled, from office papers to shipping pallets. The hotel also incorporates “green messaging” into its employee training and communicates its environmental initiatives to its guests through placards in guest rooms.

“Since implementing these eco-friendly programs, we have been able to recycle an average of 2.7 tons per month — or a total of more than 100 tons — since 2004,” said Nanci Haley, general manager. “As we continue to review and assess additional programs, we hope to double these results in the coming years.”

The conference — coordinated and managed cooperatively with VisitGainesville, UF/TREEO, the UF Department of Conferences and FDEP — is sub-divided into two main tracts: front-of-house (sales/marketing and management) and back-of-house (the technical and engineering) issues.

Florida Green Lodging Conference

For More Information on Green Hotels go to Greenlodge.Org

EnviroCar Provides Chauffered Hybrid Transportation

EnviroCar, launched in Phoenix, Arizona, provides companies and individuals with scheduled transportation utilizing a fleet of ultra fuel efficient hybrid vehicles. The company states that they make it easy for customers to have a positive impact on the reduction of greenhouse gases and their global warming effect without sacrificing efficient, professional car service.

For now it looks like EnviroCar just covers the Phoenix metro area but its great to see new green businesses that can be complimentary to the travel industry. It would be a great opportunity for green hotels to partner with companies like EnviroCar for their airport transportation.

EnviroCar

For More Information on Green Hotels and the Green Travel Industry, go to Greenlodge.Org

Green Airline flies passengers from Portland to Seattle

Portland, Oregon-based SeaPort Airlines just launched in June and uses a fleet of three small planes to shuttle passengers between Portland International and Seattle's Boeing Field. The Start-Up has partnered with the Columbia Land Trust in the Pacific Northwest to offset all emissions generated by its flights.

Rather than buying into a offset provider, SeaPort is getting green by donating the cash that it would otherwise spend on offsets to the Columbia Land Trust's local Working Forest Initiative, which works to save large tracts of forests in the Northwest from commercial development.

The PC-12 fleet, built in Switzerland, excel in their fuel consumption, or rather their lack of fuel consumption. The average flight burns just 51 gallons, which means that even a small upstart like SeaPort can afford to pay for its emissions.

SeaPort Airlines