Attracting business, saving money, and protecting the environment are the themes at the upcoming "Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference" which will take place at the Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia on February 4-5, 2004. The event will involve a cross section of the hospitality industry, including hotels, resorts, conference centers, meeting planners, parks, and Bed & Breakfast establishments. Participants will learn from leading proponents, practitioners, and experts in the field of Green lodging, eco-tourism, and environmentally friendly meetings.

Environmental or "Green" Lodging refers to a lodging facility that is designed, constructed, and maintained to minimize the effect upon the surrounding environment. These high performance facilities incorporate energy-efficiency, environmental management, and natural resource stewardship to reduce not only their ecological footprint, but also their operating costs. Dr. Arthur Weissman, President of Green Seal, remarked in a recent edition of National Hotel Executive Hospitality Newswire, "Environmentally responsible lodging is on the rise in the industry, and savvy owners/operators realize they can get more business, lower their costs, and create a healthier environment by following green operating procedures and buying green products."

Operators and sales managers of hotels, resorts and conference centers; meeting planners, architects, engineers, construction companies; state and federal environmental program representatives, as well as consultants or product representatives who work with the hospitality industry will attend the conference.

Nancy Wilson of Meeting Strategies Worldwide and other representatives from the newly formed United States Green Meeting Industry Council (USGMIC) will be among the speakers at this event. The USGMIC is seeking to develop standards for Green Meetings and is committed to balancing economic, environmental, and community objectives as they relate to the meeting industry.

Speakers will address the business case for "going Green," by highlighting such venues as the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which recently received a Gold LEED  rating from the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC). USGBC is an industry-based private organization that has significantly moved the Green building industry forward through creation of these standards.

Other speakers will address creating a demand for Green meetings and will inform participants about programs that certify and promote Green hotels and tourism. Case studies, ranging from the U.S. National Park Services¹ facilities; private hotels, such as the Saunders Hotel Group and the Hyatt Regency; and eco-resorts will be presented. Nationally known experts in Green design, operations, and products will provide the latest examples of environmentally friendly new construction and renovation projects for the hospitality industry.

The conference is sponsored by a public-private group, which includes ARAMARK; Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship; Businesses for the Bay; HITT Contracting, Inc; Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; OPX; Salamander Middleburg, LLC; Thermal Seal Experts; U.S. Department of Energy¹s Rebuild America Program; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3; VaHEN; Virginia Department of Environmental Quality; and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

Additional information and registration for "Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference" are available at the conference website: www.vahen.org/greening/index.htm or by calling the VaHEN office at 703-486-2966.

Virginia Housing and the Environment Network

Virginia Housing and the Environment Network

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