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  About Virginia Green

 What is Virginia Green?
 How to Join
 What are the benefits of joining?

What is Virginia Green?

Clean water, clean air, and abundant wildlife are what make our mountains, streams, and beaches so appealing to our tourists. Visitors to Virginia care about the environment and so does our tourism industry! This is the main premise behind Virginia Green. It is a network of tourism-related organizations and programs that are committed to protecting the environment while promoting responsible tourism.

Virginia Green is run through a partnership among the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association (VHTA). The program seeks to reduce the environmental impacts of the tourism industry and raise environmental awareness. It started in September 2006 with outreach to hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and other lodging facilities by the DEQ Office of Pollution Prevention. Virginia Green Lodging became the first established program in the Virginia Green network, but standards are now in place or are being developed for all sectors of the hospitality industry. Currently, Virginia Green has over 300 participants including convention and conference centers, restaurants, attractions, travel organizations and even certified Virginia Green events. 

DEQ currently manages the application process and provides participant assistance, recognition, and maintenance of the Virginia Green website. As part of Virginia is for Lovers website, VTC hosts a online database that allows consumers to search for accommodations, restaurants, and conference facilities that participate in Virginia Green. Additionally, VTC and VHTA both work to market Virginia Green to the hospitality and tourism industy.

How to Join

Joining is easy and membership in the program is FREE. Simply fill out the Virginia Green application for the appropriate sector and submit it to virginiagreen@deq.virginia.gov. By filling out the application you are certifying that your facility is addressing the minimum core activities for your sector - this is all that is required to join the program. However, we encourage participants to use the checklist items on the application as suggestions for improving beyond the minimum requirements. Virginia Green profiles are developed for each facility based upon the information provided in the application, allowing environmentally-savvy guests to shop for the “green” amenities that they value!

Benefits of Joining

Facilities that join Virginia Green realize that Virginia’s tourism industry is closely linked to our beautiful natural resources. We all receive many benefits from protecting our environment, but here are some benefits that come directly from participating in Virginia Green:

  • Listed on Virginia Green website and searchable through Virginia is for Lovers (www.Virginia.org/green)
  • Virginia Green Certificate for display at your facility
  • Use of Virginia Green logo
  • Virginia Green profile of your facility
  • Increase patronage by environmental groups and environmentally-aware customers
  • Save $$$ through cost savings measures 

Virginia Green is a partnership program supported by

Virginia is for LoversDEQVHTA
 

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