Go Big Green

Wisconsin has always been a leader in environmental protection and its people have been leaders in raising awareness for environmental causes.

Think of John Muir, who grew up on a Wisconsin farm and later founded the Sierra Club. Or Aldo Leopold, whose “Sand County Almanac,” helped spur a greater land ethic for conservation. And don’t forget former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, often called the father of Earth Day, which has helped raise the environmental consciousness of two generations.

Now Wisconsin is at the forefront of another movement.

The state Department of Tourism and the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative have teamed up to support Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary program to review, certify and recognize tourism businesses that are committed to improve their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact. The bottom-line goal: provide valuable travel experiences while moving toward environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Currently, 203 businesses have gained certification through a program that gauges the performance of the business in nine categories:

Communication and education (with customers, employees and the 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

For all the details, check out the Travel Green Wisconsin Checklist.

To gain certification, a business must earn a minimum of 30 points. A dozen businesses have earned scores of greater than 100.

There will be posts that explore the state we love by focusing on the travel green movement. We’ll help you experience the state’s natural areas and businesses that foster sustainability. We’ll offer ideas for minimizing negative impacts on the environment in your travels and help you appreciate the state’s biodiversity and natural heritage. We’ll help you learn about local culture and traditions so you can better interact with your hosts.

In many entries, we’ll introduce you to businesses participating in the Travel Green Wisconsin program. With each entry, we’ll provide an overview of the business, taken in part from the Travel Green Wisconsin web site. For each business, we’ll also list:

Green Guide Score
Highlights and innovative practices
Web site or contact info

We hope you enjoy Go Green Travel Wisconsin – and Go Green!