June 03, 2009 - Kettunen Center, a conference and retreat facility owned and operated by the Michigan 4-H Foundation has earned Green Lodging Michigan (GLM) Steward certification from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG), moving up from the Partner level. Kettunen Center was originally certified in November 2007, and is the first facility to move from Partner to Steward certification.
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. Crystal Mountain's commitment to preserving Michigan's environment is exemplary; becoming ‘greener' serves as a true model for the hospitality industry to follow."
Kettunen Center has implemented additional environmental initiatives that earned the conference center higher accreditation such as improving how they train staff and educate guests on their initiatives and what their roles are, installing programmable thermostats, using refillable dispensers for bathroom amenities, expanding their recycling program to include fluorescent light bulbs, adjusting purchasing standards on paper products to 30 percent or greater post-consumer recycled content, and committing to purchase Energy Star qualified products when replacing equipment.
"Kettunen Center has been involved in environmentally friendly practices for over 30 years, it is a part of our mission and a guiding principal of our organization", says John Grix the center's director. "We have recycled since the 1970s. The director's residence, which was built in 1981, is earth-sheltered with 30 inches of soil on the roof and when we expanded the conference center in the mid 1990s we decided to use geo-thermal for heating and air conditioning. It's rewarding to see that our ‘green' practices have become mainstream."
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.
Read more releases from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
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