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Green Globe International, Inc. (Pink Sheets:GGII), the worldwide owner of the Green Globe brand, today announced that it has recognized the Greater Chattanooga Hospitality Association's Chattanooga Green Lodgings Program, the leading certification program for tourism accommodation in the state of Tennessee.
"The Chattanooga Green Program is the first U.S. based program to be fully recognized by Green Globe," said Guido Bauer, CEO of Green Globe Certification. "All hotels certified under the Chattanooga Green Program will automatically receive Green Globe Certified status."
GCHA member Tom Cupo first proposed the green lodging program in the fall of 2008, and continued to develop the program until its recent roll-out. "Our Green Lodging Program encourages hotels, bed and breakfasts, other lodging facilities and restaurants to be aware of their impact on the environment and to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint while enhancing the overall sustainability of their operations," said Mr. Cupo.
"Our goal," said GCHA's President, Andrea Anderson, "was to provide a program to enable participants to conserve and protect our greatest natural resources for our residents and visitors. In addition, this program will attract environmentally-responsible partners, and contribute to operating our hotels more efficiently and cost effectively."
Certification to the Chattanooga Green/Green Globe program requires audited performance in five Core areas of energy, water and resource conservation, plus a written plan for further improvement. Hotels may also note sustainable practices that go beyond the Core requirements.
"Green Lodging compliance offers clear advantages to the Chattanooga community," said Jim Frierson, vice chair of the Chattanooga Green Team. "The environmental impacts of many of these actions are measurable, with individual results aggregating to a larger number and counting towards our overall goal of sustained carbon reduction. That's the kind of voluntary private sector leadership we need to make significant strides."
Skye Con Environmental provides independent third party auditing of facilities applying for certification. "Green Globe International is recognized world-wide as the premier certifying organization for hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions," said Dobbin Callahan, president of Skye Con. "Recognition of the Chattanooga program provides absolute credibility for the Chattanooga program."
"I am proud of Tom Cupo and the Chattanooga Hospitality Association for taking this bold initiative, and find it immensely satisfying that their efforts are being recognized by Green Globe," said William Mish, incoming president of the Tennessee Hospitality Association. "It is a great demonstration of what can be accomplished by working together for the benefit of all members, and the environment."
The Green Globe brand and program, which traces its roots back to the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, where 182 Heads of State endorsed the Agenda 21 principles of Sustainable Development, has primarily been used in the travel and tourism industry but is now being expanded to include a growing number of environmentally responsible businesses in a variety of market sectors. The Green Globe brand is an ideal symbol for the world's increasing awareness of environmental responsibility and response to global climate change.
Green Globe International encourages all shareholders and others interested in following the progress of the company to subscribe to receive email alerts whenever new information is made public. To subscribe, please visit http://www.greenglobeint.com/stayconnected/email/.
About the Chattanooga Green Lodging Program
Certification to the Chattanooga Green Lodging Program is provided by Skye Con, an environmental consulting firm specializing in hospitality and tourism. Certification is awarded after an onsite visit to participating hotels to ensure all minimum standards are in place. Once certified, properties are encouraged to take an active role, including working with the city's Chattanooga Green effort to increase awareness in businesses and the community, reducing waste from operations, promoting natural resource conservation and promoting efficiency measures and alternative energy deployment. For further information, please visit http://www.chattanoogagreenlodging.com/index.html
About Green Globe International, Inc.
Green Globe International, Inc. is the worldwide owner of the Green Globe brand, which includes the leading sustainability certification and benchmarking programs, carbon footprint calculation and offset programs, and a broad range of consulting services. Green Globe International has been admitted as an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the business leaders' forum for the travel and tourism industry, is a 5% common stock owner of Green Globe International. For more information on the company and its programs, please visit www.greenglobeint.com or call +1 310-984-6807.
Green Globe services in the Asia Pacific are distributed, managed and sold exclusively by Green Globe Asia Pacific (GGAP) through EC3 Global.
If you would like further information on GGAP, please visit www.greenglobe.org.
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