Online Services | Commonwealth Sites | Help | Governor

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's logo

  Virginia Green Lodging   

New! The Virginia Green Lodging Application is now online! To become a Virginia Green Lodging Facility, click here.

Hampton Inn Dulles Cascades
Hampton Inn Dulles Cascades
Sterling, VA

Newport News Marriott
Newport News Marriott
Newport News, VA

 The White Pig B&B
The White Pig Bed and Breakfast
Schuyler, VA


Wingate by Wyndham
Lynchburg, VA

View the listing of the more than 400 Virginia Green Lodging Participants!

Virginia Green Lodging is an initiative to promote pollution prevention practices in the hospitality and lodging sector. Virginia Green Lodging encourages hotels, resorts, bed and breakfasts and inns, cabin operations, and other lodging facilities to be aware of their impacts on the environment and to take steps to reduce these impacts. The program provides guidance and resources on pollution prevention techniques that have been used in the hospitality industry and proven to reduce impacts and, many times, to save money.   

Virginia Green Lodging is a self-certifying program where facilities must verify that they are at a minimum practicing the Virginia Green Lodging “core activities” and hopefully doing much more! The Core Activities are:
  • Optional Linen Service: sheets and towels are not automatically changed every day.
  • Recycling: guests must have the opportunity to recycle during their stay.
  • Water Conservation: a plan should be in place for minimizing water use.
  • Energy Conservation: a plan should be in place to address energy conservation & efficiency opportunities.
  • Green Events, Conferences, & Meetings: facilities should be able to accommodate groups who want “green” events. 
Guests visiting Virginia Green Lodging facilities can expect that the facility has at least these activities in place. Participants are encouraged to tell us about any and all of the other “green” activities they’ve undertaken – and these are included in the facility’s profile, which appears on our website. Consumers can then choose to stay at a facility that offers the “green” amenities that they value!

How to join

Joining is easy. Membership in the program is FREE. Simply complete the Virginia Green Lodging application online through the Virginia.org Administration Tool.  See the instructions below.  Once you are approved, you are “in.”  We will send you a certificate for display at your facility and list your facility as a member on the Virginia Green Lodging Participants webpage. Your facility also will be included on the Virginia Tourism Corporation's website as a Virginia Green facility.

The checklist is a list of common-sense, good ideas for you to consider. Please feel free to tell us about any other things you are doing to minimize your environmental impacts. The great thing is that almost every activity on the list has the potential to save your facility money.  

 National Sustainable Lodging Network

The National Sustainable Lodging Network is an online community established to increase access to resources on sustainable lodging.  The Network provides forums for sustainable hospitality practitioners to share information of practices and challenges.  Check out the sustainable lodging videos, pose a question to your peers, or help out another facility by answering a question from your experience. 

 

Virginia Green Lodging Application Process

To become a Virginia Green Lodging Facility, you must apply online through the Virginia.org Administration Tool. (Please note: at this time, only lodging facilities and restaurants can apply online)
 
You may wish to preview the Virginia Green Lodging Application or print it for your own use. We no longer accept Virginia Green Lodging Applications by fax, mail, or email, but we recommend using this preview to gather information on your green practices before applying online. 
Application Preview (pdf) or Application Preview (MS Word)
 
If your lodging facility is NOT already listed on Virginia.org
1)       Register for an account with Virginia.org here: http://admin.virginia.org
After filling in the form you will receive an email confirmation from a VTC Electronic Marketing staff member to let you know when your account is activated. This may take up to 1-2 days.
2)       Once your account has been activated, log in here: http://admin.virginia.org and add your lodging facility under the Places to Stay Category.
3)       After filling in the details of your lodging facility, go back to the Listings Page, look for the Virginia Green logo and click "Apply" to being the application process for Virginia Green.   Avoid using multiple tabs when completing the application. 
4)       Check off your green activities on the checklist; these items will also be used to create your Virginia Green profile.
5)       You will be notified by email when your Virginia Green application has been accepted. This may take 1-2 days after your Virginia Green Application has been submitted.
 
If your lodging facility is already listed on Virginia.org
1)       Log in to the Virginia.org Administration Tool here: http://admin.virginia.org
2)       From the Listings Page, see the Virginia Green logo and click "Apply" to being the application process.  Avoid using multiple tabs when completing the application. 
3)       Check off your green activities on the checklist; these items will also be used to create your Virginia Green profile.
4)       You will be notified by email when your Virginia Green application has been accepted. This may take 1-2 days after your Virginia Green Application has been submitted.