How green is your meeting?

By Sarah Reiss

It’s the biggest hot button in travel today, but with the glut of information out there, ensuring you go green is easier said than done. Here are resources to help you sort out your options for planning eco-friendly group meetings and events.

Green travel reigns as the hottest topic in the industry. Whether you attribute the trend to viral do-gooding or widespread planetary guilt, there’s no denying that eco-travel has grabbed global attention and inspired a rash of new green convention centers built with nature-friendly materials and recycling systems, as well as chic, solar-powered downtown hotels. Gone are the days when traveling green meant sleeping on the ground or enduring cold showers in the name of Mother Earth. Today’s green technologies, heartily embraced by hotels, restaurants, tour companies, and even entire cities, mean that you can have your 100-percent-organic cotton, fair trade, and solar-powered hot showers, too.

If there’s a problem, it’s that too much information—some of it dubious, in the form of “greenwashing”—can leave you spinning your wheels in your quest for the perfect, carbon-neutral choice. Just remember that while some locations do top the charts, the more important question should be: How do you carry your own green initiatives with you? Do you turn out lights when you leave the hotel room? See the sights by Segway instead of taxi? Take along snacks made by companies that support fair trade? Teaching your group to be actively green can change a moderately eco-friendly location into a green dream. If your group is already well informed on the subject, making sure you have eco-friendly options may influence their decision to attend your event. According to the International Ecotourism Society, more than two-thirds of U.S. travelers consider active protection of the environment, including support of local communities, to be part of a hotel’s responsibility, while 70 percent said they would pay a premium to stay at a hotel with a responsible environmental attitude.

The bottom line? There’s no one right way to eco-up your event. Just choose the shade of green that rings true for you, depending on your group’s level of commitment: It’s all about making conscious choices, living clean, and having a whole mess of fun along the way.

Here’s a sampling of eco-friendly hotels:

Willard InterContinental Washington (www.washington.intercontinental.com) recently made a switch to using 100 percent wind-power energy. Although the energy comes as carbon credits, it does reduce the amount of greenhouse-causing CO2.

In Madison, Wisconsin, the Arbor House (www.arbor-house.com) retrofit its 1850s structure to incorporate sustainable features like radiant in-floor heating, tile made from recycled glass, and FSC (Forest Stewardship Certified) recycled woods.

Along with spectacular views of Hawaii’s natural-blue Pacific and Diamond Head, the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (www.princess-kaiulani.com) shows its eco-commitment with low-flow toilets and heat pumps and exchangers that recover waste heat for hot water.

Phoenix’s Hotel Valley Ho (www.hotelvalleyho.com) is not only chic beyond compare, it recently installed a plate heat exchanger designed to reduce the property’s electricity consumption. In the kitchen, executive chef Charles Wiley uses local food purveyors and ingredients, thereby reducing the distance food has to travel from supplier to destination.

The Nines (www.thenines.com) is on its way to achieving LEED Silver certification. Situated on the top nine floors of a historic Meier & Frank building in downtown Portland, Oregon, the hotel boasts 331 rooms with eco-friendly artwork, paint, plumbing, and limited outdoor lighting to eliminate light pollution. The Nines also wins points for using 100 percent Renewable Choice energy, including wind power and carbon offsets, and for recycling 90 percent of its 24 million pounds of renovation waste.

The Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa (www.keywest.hyatt.com) has just become the first resort in Key West to be Green Certified by the Florida Green Lodging Program, and has received “1 Palm” status for its water conservation, energy efficiency, and clean-air programs. In addition, the hotel’s new Jala Spa was designed with all-natural products and donates $5 to the Reef Relief Organization with each Jala Blue treatment purchased.

The Tides Resorts (www.thetidesresorts.com) in South Beach, Florida, and Riviera Maya and Zihuatanejo, Mexico, have partnered with Oceana, the largest international organization focused solely on protecting the world’s oceans.

Northwoods Resort (www.northwoodsresort.com) in Big Bear Lake, California, allocates 1 percent of its resort fee to the San Bernardino National Forest Association.

Homer, Alaska’s Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge (www.sadiecove.com), located on a private beach inside Kachemak Bay State Park, was built by hand from local driftwood. The lodge welcomes small groups (parties of eight or more get the entire lodge to themselves) and was named one of Condé Nast Traveller’s top 10 green destinations, one of Forbes’ top 10 eco-stays, and one of Natural Home’s top 10 eco-resorts thanks to its use of solar panels, wind power, eco-friendly lighting, and low carbon emissions.

San Francisco’s Hotel Carlton (www.jdvhotels.com/carlton), located in hip Union Square, earned the city’s Green Business certification for its use of solar panels, eco-friendly lighting, and renewable natural furnishings. The hotel also partnered with Carbonfund.org to support reforestation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects to offset its carbon footprint.

Don’t let the address fool you; even though D.C.’s Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase Pavilion (www.embassysuitesdcmetro.com) is only five miles from the Capital Beltway, the hotel participates in Destination Earth—an internal initiative to promote green practices. And its location directly on the Metro Red Line helps guests reduce auto emissions and avoid gridlock.

In 2004, Hallowell, Maine’s Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn and Conference Center (www.maplebb.com) earned the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in part for having the largest solar array in the state, alongside a wind turbine that generates a wealth of green power and hot water. The property is adjacent to an 800-acre wildlife preserve with a pristine pond for canoeing and has access to a secluded spring-fed swimming hole.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s Hotel Terra (www.hotelterrajacksonhole.com) proves that the merger of splendor and sustainability can breed beautiful results. The not-quite-year-old condominium hotel offers boutique amenities alongside environmentally sustainable building and operating practices. With 72 guestrooms and one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites, the hotel has room for even the largest groups. Dogsledding and yoga blend seamlessly with the hotel’s solar panels and wind- and water-power facilities. The hotel is a U.S. Green Building Council LEED Certified Hotel and used reclaimed, recycled, and sustainable materials in the building, rooms, lobby, and restaurants.

The El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa (www.elmontesagrado.com) in Taos, New Mexico, combines luxury with eco-ethics by reclaiming storm water for use in the property’s ponds and waterfalls, purifying wastewater from kitchens and bathrooms (thanks to a Living Machine water-purification system), and using a ground loop heat exchange to naturally heat and cool buildings.

Green Giants
The fives cities that earn the nation’s top eco-accolades:

Portland, Oregon
As expected, Portland ranks number one with Popular Science, earning top marks in all categories. Svoboda reports that half of the city’s power comes from renewable sources, a quarter of the workforce commutes by bike, carpool, or public transportation, and 35 of the city’s buildings are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Balance out your time in the city by making plans to hike the Salmon River Trail in the Mount Hood National Forest with EcoTours of Oregon (www.ecotours-of-oregon.com), or check out our Portland itinerary in the upcoming November 2008 issue for tips on eco-friendly area hotels and restaurants.

San Francisco
Hilly wonderland San Francisco comes in a close second by scoring high marks, especially where transportation is concerned. Noteworthy as well is the city’s 60,000-square-foot honeycomb of photovoltaic cells atop the Moscone Con-vention Center. San Francisco provides fantastic group tourism opportunities. Supplement your time on land with a whale-watching and natural-history expedition to the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary with the expert naturalists of SF Bay Whale Watching Expeditions (www.sfbaywhalewatching.com). Or enjoy true wind power with an Adventure Cat (www.adventurecat.com) catamaran cruise. Adventure Cat boasts 2,500 passenger miles per gallon of fuel and runs bay cruises daily.

Boston
Beantown takes Popular
Science’s bronze with high marks in transportation, and a nearly perfect score for the city’s recycling programs. In addition, Svoboda reports that Boston has plans for a power plant that would use anaerobic bacteria to turn 50,000 tons of fall leaf waste into power and fertilizer. Visit in autumn and imagine the energy possibilities; see our suggested itinerary in the November 2008 issue for tips. Boston wears its green mission on its sleeve with 25 green-certified hotels, 20 green-certified restaurants and event centers, hybrid taxis, and preserved buildings galore. Visit www.bostongreentourism.org for specifics.

Oakland, California
Just across the bay from San Francisco, Oakland is reducing pollution by changing over to zero-emission hydrogen-powered buses. The city boasts a fleet of three—the largest in the nation—each emitting only water vapor in place of traditional exhaust. Use the bus to find your way to places like Bay Wolf restaurant (www.baywolf.com), where fresh, local, all-organic ingredients are par for the course.

Eugene, Oregon
Famous for its eco-awareness, cozy Eugene earns a perfect score from Popular Science for its electricity generation. “Much of the wet Pacific Northwest draws its energy from hydroelectric dams,” notes Svoboda, “but Eugene draws an additional 9 percent of its municipal electricity from wind farms. It also buys back excess power from residents who install solar panels.” Visitors will love Eugene’s sustainable lifestyle, including a wealth of organic farms and outdoor activities. Better yet, sign up for a Sustainable Living bicycle tour with Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com) and visit a land trust and visionary community school, and enjoy nights camping along the ocean.

Planning a trip elsewhere, or curious whether or not your favorite destination made the magazine’s list? Visit www.popsci.com for Popular Science’s complete findings.