December 9, 2009 - Boyne Highlands Resort, located in Harbor Springs, has earned Green Lodging Michigan (GLM) Leader certification from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG), moving up from the Steward level. Boyne Highlands Resort was originally certified in June 2008.
Green Lodging Michigan (GLM) encourages hotels, resorts, motels, and bed & breakfast facilities to implement environmental initiatives and cost-saving ‘green' practices to conserve energy, reduce water consumption, protect air quality, reduce waste, and participate in environmentally preferred purchasing. There are three levels of certification: Partner, Steward, and Leader which can be earned by completing a self-assessment checklist and achieving a minimum number of requirements and points. The more environmental initiatives a facility is doing, the higher the level of certification the facility can potentially achieve.
"This accreditation is the mark of environmental responsibility of hoteliers who are committed to "green" business practices that make environmental and economic goals their top priority," said DELEG Director Stanley "Skip" Pruss. "Green Lodging Michigan is helping to ensure the viability of our lodging facilities and the thousands of related hospitality jobs that stay in Michigan.
Boyne Highlands Resort's commitment to preserving Michigan's environment is exemplary; becoming ‘greener' serves as a true model for the hospitality industry to follow." Boyne Highlands Resort has implemented additional environmental initiatives that earned higher accreditation such as switching to low VOC cleaning products, air fresheners and paints, installing programmable thermostats, organizing an employee carpool program, adjusting purchasing standards on paper products to 30 percent or greater post-consumer recycled content, and upgrading Energy Star office equipment. In addition, water conservation methods now include soaker hoses for plant beds and efficient washing machines.
"We are proud to be doing more than ever to protect and preserve our environment and in the process earn Green Lodging Michigan's stamp of approval with Leader accreditation," said Brad Keen, general manager of Boyne Highlands Resort. "Our team has worked diligently over the past year to move from being a Steward of this great program to a Leader.
Green practices remain an important responsibility we all share in order to attain a vibrant and sustainable future." Green Lodging Michigan is a joint effort between DELEG and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to encourage the lodging industry to conserve and protect the state's natural resources while increasing marketability and lowering utility costs. "Green Lodging Michigan has been an effective way of including hoteliers in the effort to help Michigan continue as the leader in environmental beauty and abundant natural resources," said Steven E. Chester, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
Green Lodging Michigan is a voluntary and non-regulatory certification program offered through the Michigan Energy Office in DELEG to hoteliers at no charge. The Bureau of Energy Systems and the DEQ provide technical assistance to those who are interested in implementing "green" strategies and earning certification. The GLM program certifies facilities based on environmental initiatives such as air quality, energy efficiency, solid waste reduction, toxic waste management, water conservation, purchasing and communication.
The Bureau of Energy Systems promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy resource development to Michigan's residents, businesses, and public institutions. For more information about the Green Lodging Michigan program and to download the GLM application packet and self-assessment checklist, visit the website at www.michigan.gov/greenlodging.
For more information about DELEG, please visit www.michigan.gov/deleg.
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