Virginia Green’s voluntary certification program was announced in 2007 as a partnership between Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia DEQ, and the Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Travel Association. The program provides recognition and resources for all sectors of the industry -- hotels, B&B’s, attractions, conference centers, restaurants, breweries, wineries, festivals and events. Since its inception, more than 2,000 tourism operations have self-certified their environmental practices and been recognized as Virginia Green Travel Partners.
Each year, Virginia Green Travel Star recognition is awarded by Virginia Green to individuals and businesses in 20 categories. Nominations are open through January 29th for the 2020 – 2021 Virginia Green Travel Star awards.
Virginia Beach is an original member of the Virginia Green program and our facilities have received numerous awards in various categories over the years. In 2016, the Convention Center was awarded for LEED Recertification. In 2017, the Convention Center won an award for their Electricity Saving Demand Response programs and in 2018 for their use of the LEED Arc Green Building Performance platform. The Virginia Beach Visitors Center won a Travel Star Award in the Visitor Center category for LEED Certification in 2016.
This year’s winners will be announced in conjunction with the 8th Annual Virginia Green Travel Conference & Awards scheduled to be held virtually on April 28 & 29, 2021. To nominate a person or business, click here for more information and an application.
More about Virginia Green
The Virginia Green program is administered through a unique partnership supported by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Travel Association. The certification itself is administered by the Virginia Green Travel Alliance, a 501c3 non-profit organization created to support green tourism efforts statewide.
All Virginia Green partner facilities must certify that they have an active program in place to reduce environmental impacts. All participants have commitments in place for Recycling, Energy & Water Conservation, and many other sustainable practices.
The certification is based upon voluntary commitments to sustainability. Many Virginia Green partners have made incredible progress, while others are just getting started; but they are all taking steps to protect Virginia’s natural resources and beauty! You can learn more about the Virginia Green Certification process by clicking here.
