Do you care about the environment?   Do you recycle at home?  Well why wouldn’t you want to support the environment while travelling or on vacation?  The Virginia Green program helps you find green tourism attractions throughout Virginia – even green certified hotels.   Here are 11 great green hotels in Virginia that will help you lower your carbon footprint! The Hotel Floyd (Floyd) was designed to mimic the Southwest Virginia region’s rustic character, artistic roots and appeal.   The hotel features the work of local artisans throughout and it boasts bamboo flooring with geothermal radiant heat and cooling.  Sustainable, no-VOC fabrics and paints throughout. BR10111801V_560 Renaissance Arlington Capital View & Residence Inn Capital View (Arlington) are both LEED-Gold certified and fully focused on minimizing wastes from their operation in every way, such as composting food wastes. The Hilton Downtown Richmond (Richmond) composts all of its food wastes, supports recycling projects in local schools, and collects used soaps for recycling in support for international mission projects. Hotel Madison & Conference Center (Harrisonburg) at James Madison University just opened in 2018 and was designed at the LEED-Silver level and is therefore incredibly energy efficient throughout.  The hotel actively recycles and food wastes from the conference center and the Montpelier Restaurant are composted. SV19021501V_163 Salamander Resort & Spa (Middleburg) is a 5-star resort that emphasizes sustainable practices as one of its 5-star amenities.  Committed to nature, organic farming and conservation, this amazing facility is LEED-registered and in the process of certification. The Inn at Virginia Tech & Skelton Conference Center (Blacksburg) focuses on the provision of green meetings and conferences, and the Inn strives every day to reduce wastes and be more energy and water efficient. BR13080101V_392 The University of Virginia Inn at Darden (Charlottesville) exudes the university’s commitment to sustainability. Located on the campus of the UVA Darden School of Business and its Conference Center, every effort is made to minimize the environmental impacts of your stay and meeting, including the composting of all food wastes. Hotel 24 South (Staunton) places great emphasis on recycling, waste reduction, and hosting green meetings and conferences.
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The Westin Richmond (Richmond) makes "green" a central focus of the entire guest and meeting experience; and it implements new projects every year to reduce its environmental footprint. Don’t worry, you will be able to recycle just like you do at home when you stay at The Doubletree by Hilton Virginia Beach.  This Virginia Green certified facility is the perfect complement to your green conference held at the LEED-Gold Certified Virginia Beach Convention Center right next door. FEEDBACK NEEED!  Please give customer feedback when you visit Virginia Green certified facilities.  Let them know that you appreciate their efforts to protect the environment, or share ideas on how they might continue to improve. What do you look for when you travel green? Please leave a comment to share your favorite green places, practices and experiences in Virginia.

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Tom Griffin, Director, Greener Results ConsultingOur guest blogger today, Tom Griffin, is the Virginia Green Program Coordinator, and has been the driving force of the Virginia Green program for Virginia's tourism and hospitality industry. Industry partners can learn more about the program at VATC.org/VirginiaGreen. Consumers can learn more about Virginia Green travel opportunities at VirginiaGreenTravel.com.