Connecticut Green Lodging
Accommodating Your Guests and the Environment
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Certification and Resources for the Lodging Industry
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Earn Connecticut Green Lodging Certification
Greening your hotel, motel or B & B is more than just good for the environment. It's good for business! As people try to live a more "green" lifestyle, they want businesses where they spend their money to be "green", too. Additional benefits of greening your business are saving money and creating a healthier place for employees.
The DEEP and the Dept. of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Connecticut Office of Tourism are promoting a program for hotels called "Connecticut Green Lodging-
Accommodating You and Our Environment." The CT Green Lodging award is a self-certification program based on accumulating points associated with environmental practices at your facility. The points are documented in the Connecticut Green Lodging Self-Certification Workbook.
The Workbook, updated September 2017, is available as a fillable Word form (preferred) or you can print the pdf version and fill it in by hand.
The workbook is a comprehensive list of environmental practices, each of which offers ways to generate points. You can "walk through" your facility and assign points associated with each environmental practice. It is not necessary to fill out every section.
To qualify for a Connecticut Green Lodging certification, you must be able to claim at least 100 points. There is a maximum number of points for most activities. If you are not doing an activity exactly as described, you still may enter a portion of the maximum points.Some items are negotiable. Enter the number of points you think you deserve for the activity. There is also space in each section for adding other activities not included in the list. Calculate your estimated score by adding up all of the points in each of the sections.
If you need assistance filling out the workbook, please contact Connie Mendolia, 860-424-3243 or Tom Metzner, 860-424-3242.
Your workbook will be reviewed and receive a final score by the DEEP’s Pollution Prevention Program Manager.
E-mail, send or fax a copy of the completed workbook to the DEEP’s Pollution Prevention Program Manager and the DECD. If you print the workbook, please make sure to double-side it.
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Connie Mendolia
CT DEEP, Office of Pollution Prevention
79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106 Phone: 860-424-3243
Fax: 860-424-4153
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DECD, CT Office of Tourism
450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 5
Hartford, CT 06103 (860) 500-2375 Fax: 860-270-8077
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If your business scores 100 points, you qualify for an automatic certification from the State for two years. In two years, you will need to increase the point total to 130 and reapply to be eligible for a free re-certification.
Upon final scoring of the workbook, you will be sent an official letter detailing your point total and possible additional low cost recommendations. You will also receive an electronic Connecticut Green Lodging logo that you can begin using for marketing and advertising purposes. Your lodging facility will also be designated as "green" on the DEEP and Connecticut Office of Tourism websites.
The Pollution Prevention Program Manager will randomly select businesses for verification appointments throughout the year. These visits will be scheduled.
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The following resources, websites, case studies and articles offer additional ideas for creating "green" lodging. Most of the following resources are pdfs. This listing is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by the State of Connecticut.
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| Topic | Resources |
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NEW! March 2020! Climate Resilience for Lodging |
CT DEEP has developed guidance for 21st century businesses on how to weather the storm that lodging facilities may find helpful. Also available on the P2 Chemical Management and Climate Risk webpage is a link to an interactive map and resources to identify the flood and sea level rise vulnerabilities of addresses.
These documents were written to help building owners and managers make their properties more resilient. Climate Resilience Template: The template provides a structure for resilience planning based on best practices and existing resources. The steps take you from creating an internal team through resilience strategy implementation. Climate Resilience Workbook: The workbook is a compendium to the template, providing an excel format to work through each stage of a resilience plan based on data specific to your property. Vendor List: As some properties do not have the resources to complete all stages of resiliency planning, a list of experienced professionals and the climate resiliency services they offer is also provided. |
| Associations and Certifications |
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| Bed Bugs |
If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Hotel!, Rob Coburn, 11/01/2010.
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| Chlorine Reduction | |
| Cleaning Products | What Hoteliers Should Know About Green Cleaning Products and Practices by Dan Ruben, Executive Director, Boston Green Tourism |
| Combined Heat and Power |
American DG Energy Now Operating CHP System at (Boston) Doubletree Guest Suites, 01/06/2011
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| Communications |
Effective Communications To Promote Your Hotel's Green Practices (EPA) |
| Composting |
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| Energy Efficiency |
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| Energy Management Systems |
Energy Management System Suppliers Build On Proven, Money-Saving Technologies, 2/3/2011
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| Food and Beverage |
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| General Resources |
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| Green Teams |
Wells Fargo 5 Best Practices for Engaging Your Green Teams, Deborah Fleischer, 01/10/2011, GreenBiz.com
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| Furniture | The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has created a new Healthier Furniture Product Guide to help purchasers find products that do not contain the “hazardous handful” chemicals: flame retardants, fluorinated stain treatments, antimicrobials, PVC and formaldehyde. |
| Indoor Air Quality | |
| Integrated Pest Management | |
| Kitchens | Energy Efficient Kitchen Ventilation, Olaf Zwickau |
| Laundry | |
| Lighting |
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| Mattress Recycling |
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Publications
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Green Lodging News - The lodging industry's leading environmental news source, including "more cool videos" that educate the hospitality industry about new research, products, and technologies.
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| Pollution Prevention | |
| Renovations |
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| Sustainability |
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| Transportation |
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| Waste Reduction |
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| Weddings and Meetings |
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Several trainings were held in partnership with Boston Green Tourism and EPA.
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September 26, 2019 at Manchester Community College
How Businesses Can Target Cost Minimization and Environmental Responsibility: The Case of Saybrook Point Inn and Spa
Connecticut Green Lodging : Saving $$ by Adding Green Practices, Kim Trella - CT DEEP
September 12, 2017 at 11am
“Managing Food Waste for Commercial Facilities and Helping Your Bottom Line” Managing Food Waste at Large Facilities, Kim Trella, CT DEEP Pollution Prevention Organics Recycling in CT, Caren Harder, CT DEEP Recycling
Boston Green Tourism, October 2014
September 2014 Webinar Presentations
Spring 2014 Webinar Presentations - organized by Dan Ruben of Boston Green Tourism and Peter Cooke of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and funded by US EPA.
Fall 2013 Webinar
Presentation by Dan Ruben with many easy and practical tips to save money while adding green features to your hotel.
Fall 2013 Webinar
Presentation by Rauni Kew
Fall 2011 Workshop
This workshop was held at the Hartford Downtown Marriott on September 29. Topics covered were: how to earn CT Green Lodging Certification, energy efficiency, kitchen ventilations systems, LED lighting, green renovations, waste management and marketing sustainable initiatives.
Presentations (all pdfs)
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Spring 2010 Workshops
Workshops were held on March 18 at The Study at Yale in New Haven; April 1 at the Saybrook Point Inn and Spa in Old Saybrook; and May 6 at the The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk.
Presentations (all pdfs)
The topics covered at the spring 2010 workshops included energy efficiency, water use reduction, waste management and how to earn CT Green Lodging Certification.
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Fall 2010 Workshops
Workshops were held at the Holiday Inn, Waterbury on Oct. 14 and the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on Oct. 28. Presentations (all pdfs)
The fall workshops focused on how to earn CT Green Lodging Certification , lighting, energy management, green cleaning and serving local food.
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Content last updated March 2020