What is Travel Green Wisconsin?
Travel Green Wisconsin is a voluntary, affordable program that reviews, certifies, and recognizes tourism businesses that have made a commitment to continuously improve their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact. This program allows tourism businesses to evaluate their operations, set goals, and take specific actions towards environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
How does a business become certified?
To be certified as a Travel Green Wisconsin business, you can complete the application (found under Program Downloads to the upper right):
The application contains Basic Requirements and nine different categories:
A. Communication and Education (Customers, Employees, Public) 5 Points Required
B. Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling
C. Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Management
D. Water Conservation and Wastewater Management
E. Air Quality
F. Wildlife and Landscape Conservation and Management
G. Transportation
H. Purchasing
I. Local Community Benefit
To qualify for certification, each applicant must earn a minimum of 30 points from the Application. First, the applicant will fulfill the Basic Requirements and meet the minimum point requirements in Section A, Communication & Education (5 points). The remaining 25 points can be earned from any combination of categories.
To receive points, the business can check the examples listed in each category that they meet and/or describe an innovative best practice that is not listed. By checking the box, the business is either stating that they have already implemented the practice or are making a commitment to implement it. If they are committing to implement the practice, the business will want to share the Expected Date of Completion. Applicants are encouraged to go above and beyond the minimum point total in an effort to make their business more efficient and sustainable. After the application is completed, the applicant should make a copy for their own use and mail/scan and email the originals along with the certification fee to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, attn: Travel Green Wisconsin.
Applications will be reviewed and the applicant will be notified about their certification status within 4-6 weeks depending on completeness and when the Department receives the application. Certified businesses receive a Travel Green Wisconsin window cling, singage and full use of the electronic logo to use in promotional materials and web site listings. Certification is valid for a two-year period from the date of issuance.
Why apply?
- Becoming Travel Green Wisconsin certified can improve your overall bottom line through energy, water and waste savings.
- Differentiate your business from your competitors.
- Certification reaches an increasingly popular traveler demographic that includes travelers looking to stay, eat and visit places where “going green” is truly important.
- AAA Wisconsin recognizes TGW certification and includes the green symbol in its guides and online.
- There are numerous marketing benefits including: promotion in Department marketing initiatives, inclusion of the TGW symbol on directory listings and travel items at TravelWisconsin.com and promotion of the program through the Secretary’s presentations. Please see 'Benefits of Being Certified' for more information.
- Travel Green Wisconsin is designed to give the state and hospitality business participants a marketing edge, promote smart business practices, reduce costs and energy and water consumption, educate travelers, support the Wisconsin brand, and protect the beauty and vitality of Wisconsin’s landscape.
- The peace of mind and satisfaction that you are doing the right thing by protecting and preserving Wisconsin’s natural resources.
How do participants earn their Travel Green Wisconsin certification?
To earn certification, applicants must first supply a Baseline Environmental Performance Assessment. The baseline collects information about the amount of energy, fuel, water, and solid waste the business consumed during the last calendar year. Next, applicants commit to enough sustainable business practices found within the TGW application, and by sharing their innovative practices, to accumulate 30 or more points. These practices are categorized as follows:
- Communication and Education (Customers, Employees, Public)
- Waste Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling
- Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Management
- Water Conservation and Wastewater Management
- Air Quality
- Wildlife and Landscape Conservation and Management
- Transportation
- Purchasing
- Local Community Benefits
Lastly, applicants submit the fee to participate in the program. The cost is $95 for the initial application and certification. This is good for a two-year cycle. A renewal is required to remain active. Renewals consist of filling out a short report and submitting $75; this is also good for a two-year cycle.
Are there any required practices to earn certification?
To create a program comprehensive enough to be relevant across the very diverse tourism industry, we decided to allow participants to be “ecopreneurial” and adopt the practices that make the most sense for their operation. The only requirement, with regard to the TGW application, is that participants earn five or more points in the “Communication and Education” category. This ensures that participants will build upon the success of the program by communicating to their guests, employees, and the general public about the sustainable practices and efforts their operation has made a commitment to.
Are certified businesses required to renew certification?
Yes, a renewal is required every two years. To renew, you are asked to update the Application with any changes from the previous year and fill out the short TGW Renewal Form, which shows what the business has achieved over time. The Renewal Form also provides an opportunity for businesses to state future goals to demonstrate continuous improvement. Lastly, a $75 fee is required to renew; renewals are good for a two year timeframe.
Can a business be removed from the program?
Travel Green Wisconsin is a voluntary program. It is the responsibility of the business to assure all program requirements are met. In order to monitor compliance, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism will welcome feedback and customer comments. In addition, certification documents will be posted on the Travel Wisconsin website. If deficiencies are reported, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism will offer follow-up assistance to correct them. Consistent failure to correct deficiencies will result in removal from the program. If a business is unable or unwilling to meet the responsibilities and program requirements, all Travel Green Wisconsin promotional materials must be returned to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism and the business will refrain from further Identification with Travel Green Wisconsin through name or use of the Travel Green Wisconsin logo.
How can consumptive-heavy businesses like waterparks possibly get certified?
Travel in Wisconsin encompasses an amazing array of activities and destinations, literally everything from art museums to waterparks to wineries to zoos. As such, Travel Green Wisconsin is intended to be as broad in scope as possible. We are looking not only at where a business or organization is – in terms of its carbon footprint and other environmental factors – but also where it is going. In other words, are they putting systems in place to ensure continued environmental improvement? Are they educating their customers and vendors about sustainability? We also look at how they compare to other organizations in their competitive set. For example, we’re not going to compare a waterpark to a bed and breakfast; we’re going to look at a waterpark compared to another waterpark. We believe the larger hospitality businesses can truly make a positive impact on their environmental footprint by striving for continual improvement in the program. Small steps towards sustainability can make a big difference when viewed cumulatively to ensure the tourism industry is doing its part.