Travel Green Wisconsin Was First, Now is the Largest, Program of Its Kind

By Hill, John

For Hugh and Alicia Mulliken, proprietors of the charming Lodgings at Pioneer Lane in Ephraim, qualifying for certification by Travel Green Wisconsin came naturally.

Hugh, who designed the building about eight years ago as a replica of a historic store in the Door County village, included extra energy-efficient, two-by-six walls, high energy-efficient windows, lowvolume showerheads and extra efficient water heaters to save money and as a reaction to the energy crisis of the 1970s.

Adding to these features, Alicia wrote educational materials encouraging guests to turn off the air-conditioning when not in the rooms and to opt out of having all towels changed daily. Two bicycles are provided for guests to pedal to the sights.

These and other steps qualified the business to be one of 160 tourist facilities and attractions allowed to display the green leaf insignia of the Travel Green Wisconsin program. Now in its third year, the program was the first “green travel” program sponsored by a state tourist department and has become the largest. Unlike some eco-tourism programs that focus primarily on lodging and restaurants, Travel Green Wisconsin certifies a wide variety of businesses and facilities such as convention centers, campgrounds, state parks, golf courses, marinas, tours, and cruise vessels.

“The tourism and hospitality industry in Wisconsin has really embraced this concept,” says Kelli Trumble, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. “Protecting our environment goes deep into our history.” She refers to Wisconsin’s heritage as the home of conservation pioneers such as John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club; Aldo Leopold, the father of modern ecology; and Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day.

Significantly, the environment is also important to travelers, she says. “In surveys done by our department in Chicago and Minneapolis more than 45% of respondents said having environmentally- friendly, green-certified attractions and lodgings was really important in their decision to travel to Wisconsin.” She adds that a national survey by the tourism industry found that more than half of all U.S. adults said they would be more likely to use travel facilities and transportation systems that use environmentally friendly processes and products.

John Imes, executive director of Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, the non-profit environmental organization that partners with the Tourism Department in operating the program, calls Travel Green Wisconsin a “fantastic success.” He attributes this, in part, to the program being simple, self-regulating, flexible and affordable.

Becoming certified involves a comparatively simple process of the applicant filling out a baseline environmental assessment. This includes measures of waste reduction, reuse and recycling; energy efficiency and management; water conservation and wastewater management; air quality; wildlife and landscape conservation; transportation; and purchasing. Another key element is efforts by the applicant to communicate and educate its customers and its employees about sustaining the environment.

Businesses are given points in each of the categories of the baseline assessment and must attain a minimum of 30 points to qualify for the program. Some participants have attained as many as 125 points. Allowing for a wide range of point totals makes the program flexible enough to accommodate attractions that might not qualify on some criteria, Imes says.

Annual fees for the program are based on the number of full-time workers and range from $75 for businesses with one or two employees to $950 for establishments with 50 or more.

The program is self-regulating, and both Imes and Trumble say that hasn’t led to problems of businesses not living up to their certifications. Participants must be recertified each year and Wisconsin Environmental Initiative conducts spot checks on facilities to ensure compliance.

But the tourists themselves may be the most important watchdogs. “Customers are the first to bring to anyone’s attention when they don’t feel that a business is living up to its marketing,” Trumble says.

For more information see the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Web site for the program, www.TravelgreenWisconsin.com.

You can contact John Hill by e-mail at jhoythill@sbcglobal.net.

Copyright Trails Media Group Aug 2008

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