Eric Whitson, Director of Sales & Marketing at The National Conference Center announced that Green Seal™ has completed the compliance monitoring evaluation for the award-winning conference center and determined that it continues to comply with the requirements of the Green Seal Standards for Hotel & Lodging Properties - Silver (GS-33, 2008).
There are 95 hotels and lodging properties in the United States that are certified Silver according to the Green Seal website and The National Conference Centers is one of only nine in Virginia.
Founded in 1989, Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to creating a more sustainable world.
Green Seal created the rigorous, science-based environmental standards for the industry, which includes nearly three dozen environmentally responsible criteria for lodging properties.
According to Whitson, “We are firmly committed to green meetings and recognize the significance of it impact. As stewards of the environment, our property Green Team continues to look for ways to create, implement and enforce policies that minimize the impact on the environment."
'This is achieved with the knowledge that pro-active measures will help save energy, reduce the depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources and protect our land, water and air.”
The goal of Green Seal's standards is to identify sustainability leadership performance levels and practices for products and services.
The Green Seal certification says that a product or service has been tested according to science-based procedures, that it works as well or better than others in its class, and that it has been evaluated without bias or conflict of interest.
The Green "Seal of Approval" has come to stand for reliability, fairness, and integrity.
The National Conference Center has also signed the Code of Sustainability established by International Association of Conference Centers, and maintains a Gold Tier rating from IACC.
The Code of Sustainability includes 55 tenets that include:
- Education, Awareness and Public Declaration
- Waste Management
- Recycling
- Reuse
- Water Conservation
- Purchasing
- Energy Management
- Air Quality
- Food & Beverage
Similar to Green Seal, IACC periodically monitors and updates the Code of Sustainability in order to ensure that it reflects state-of-the-art best practices.
When IACC members sign the Code of Sustainability, they certify that their organization supports IACC’s Environmental Policy and they join with other members around the world in striving for more sustainable, environmentally responsible industry policies and practices.
Members are required to update the status of their adherence to applicable tenets in the Code on an annual basis and IACC recognizes three tiers of participation. Members that achieve 100% of the Code qualify for the Platinum Tier; those that achieve 85% qualify for the Gold Tier; and those that achieve 75% qualify for the Silver Tier.
