October 5, 2009 Phoenix Travel Examiner

In response to the rising public interest in supporting businesses that are good, or at least not bad, for the environment, the American Automobile Association (AAA) has launched a program to identify and highlight AAA Approved lodgings that are also eco-certified. These properties will be identified in the 2010 editions of AAA TourBook ® guides and in property listings on AAA.com. The ECO symbols will be added to AAA.com beginning in December 2009.

AAA is not involved in the evaluation of any property's environmental practices. The ECO symbol merely indicates that the property has been identified as eco-friendly by a recognized certification program. These certifications may be from government or private programs. Among the private programs recognized are: Green Globe (administered by the Australian government's Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Center), Green Key (administered by the Hotel Association of Canada), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED (developed by the U.S. Green Building Council), Sustainable Travel International and Green Seal. Energy Star, Partnership for a Sustainable Georgia, Hawaii Green Business Program, Missouri Certified Green Program, Rhode Island Hospitality Green Certification Program, Vermont's Green Hotels in the Green Mountains and Travel Green Wisconsin as well as the Green Lodging programs in Virginia, Michigan, Maine, Florida, Delaware and California are among the government certification programs recognized.

“The new ECO symbol serves as a notice to AAA members that a property has taken steps to become an environmental advocate,” explained Michael Petrone, Director, AAA Tourism Information Development. “We are pleased to publish this information as a service to members who make sustainability a factor in their lodging selection.”

Jim's comment: Here's an example of environmental concerns entering your marketing plans! Let travelers know you are certified. Maine's Green Lodging Program offers FREE marketing.