CRW • Corporate Report • Wisconsin's Business Magazine

Companies recognize that incorporating environmental elements into a meeting or event is more than just ‘green’ business—it’s good business. In 2007, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism launched the country’s first “green” travel program. Travel Green Wisconsin (www.travelgreenwisconsin.com) was built around the core idea of recognizing businesses that were doing their part to reduce their environmental footprint and encouraging visitors to do the same. Just over a year later, more than 200 businesses, including several convention centers and dozens of hotels catering to the meetings and convention and business traveler, have made the grade.

In addition to holding your next event at a ‘green’ or environmentally friendly facility, you can also incorporate fun ‘green’ elements into various aspects of your event. “As the owner of an event planning and production company, we put everything through a ‘green filter,’ says Gloria Nelson, chief experience officer at Gloria Nelson Event Design in Winneconne. “When producing a recent event, we used eco-friendly tote bags and custom-branded recycled cameras and evaluated how much refuse we would have from our event impact. Working with suppliers, vendors and destinations who are using ‘best practices’ in greening is important to our overall vision. Whether it’s a facility, ground transportation, use of rental goods, audio/visual and even entertainment, stewardship is key to being as carbon neutral as possible.”

When choosing your ‘green’ locale some key questions you should ask include:

• How have you transitioned lighting to reduce impact on
energy consumption?
• What percentage of materials do you recycle and are containers
• isible for guests to use and sort waste?
• Do you use locally grown produce in menu planning?
• Does your AV equipment have ‘green bulbs’?
• Do you repurpose leftover food items internally or donate
externally to minimize waste?
• How do you follow the R’s? Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose and Rethink?

While the Travel Green Wisconsin web site offers a number of meeting and event sites throughout the state, here’s a solid list to get you started:

Southwest region

Madison’s long and esteemed reputation as a green destination stems from the city’s dedication to protecting and maintaining its green space. From resident preservationists John Muir, who helped found the Sierra Club in 1892, to Aldo Leopold, regarded as the father of wildlife ecology, Madison holds a deep legacy in living in a community that includes nature as an equal member.

On a grand scale the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center (www. mononaterrace.com) in Madison has earned a reputation for embracing “all things green.”

In following with the organic architecture principles of the building’s designer Frank Lloyd Wright, the facility serves as the connection between the State Capitol and Lake Monona. In September 2007, Monona Terrace became the first U.S. convention center to become certified as a “green building.”

Some of these improvements include the purchase of a new dishwashing machine that has reduced hot water usage by 1.2 million gallons a year, as well as improvements in the building’s HVAC system and in lighting. Included in the building’s sustainability program are the use of non-toxic green cleaning products, revamped recycling practices and the use of renewable resources. As a Silver level LEED certified building, Monona Terrace also donates leftover foods to local food pantries.

At 28,000 square feet, Monona Terrace features a ballroom, pre-function space, a variety of flexible meeting space, multi-media lecture hall, exhibit hall and rooftop garden. The adjacent, 240-room Hilton Madison Monona Terrace has also earned the Travel Green Wisconsin certification.

Madison’s Arbor House Environmental Inn (www.arbor-house.com) is a national award-winning inn and model for sustainable tourism with a mission to provide the art of hospitality within a model for urban ecology. The inn offers meeting space for up to 20 people and a complete business center.

The 740-room Kalahari Resort in Wis-consin Dells (www.kalahariresorts.com/wi/) has taken its impact on the environment seriously, starting with the installation of a 103-panel solar hot water system on the roof in late 2007 and continuing last year with the installation of an AquaRecycle water system, which provides clean, disinfected and pre-heated recycled water for laundry. The AquaRecycle system lets the resort re-use 70 percent of its laundry water, which helps conserve 13 million gallons of drinking water per year. Guests also contribute to the conservation efforts by using low-flow showerheads and a guest room system that regulates energy use through a combination of key card use and guest preferences.

Wisconsin Dells is also home to the Sundara Inn & Spa (www.sundaraspa.com). Built using sustainable building practices, the Spa Lifestyle Villas at Sundara offers guests a unique ‘environmental’ experience. In addition to an extensive recycling program, rainwater is collected from downspouts in rain barrels for use in watering plants on the property. Most recently, as part of the 2008 Earth Day observance, Sundara invited visitors to fill out a “green pledge form.”

Aldo Leopold purchased a small farm north of Madison in Baraboo, where he recorded his observations on land conservation, science, policy and ethics. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center (www.aldoleopold.org) not only interprets his vision, but it does so through a green building concept that incorporates natural day lighting and ventilation, recycled materials harvested directly from the site itself, photovoltaic energy generation and net zero energy use.

The Leopold Legacy Center opened in 2007 and features two rental spaces for conferences and meetings: The boardroom-style Outlook Conference Wing and the Home Range Hall, which has lecture seats for 85.

Whether it’s a board meeting, team-building weekend or strategic planning session, Justin Trails Resort (www.justin trails.com) in Sparta can host up to 20 people in their private meeting room. The resort owners are committed to honoring the land and environment while creating a healing refuge for recreation, more relaxation and rejuvenation for their guests.

Northwest region

Located around a private lake in Wisconsin’s Indianhead Region near Chetek, Canoe Bay (www.canoebay.com) offers 24 Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired accommodations and 280 acres of forestland and glacier created lakes. Since Canoe Bay opened, the owner’s philosophy has been one of environmentally responsible building, development and lifestyle practices.

In addition to recycling everything and using virtually zero synthetic products of any kind, Canoe Bay has selected the most advanced and efficient products for everyday functions. In fact, all employees drive electric cars, avoiding the use of gas-powered vehicles.

From its native prairie ecosystem to its menu of organic food (much of which is grown on the property), Canoe Bay supports sustainable agriculture directly with local farmers.

For groups, the resort has several spaces including a large, fully wired boardroom that seats 14.
Bayfield features the natural beauty of Lake Superior and is the gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The Bayfield Inn (www.bayfieldinn.com) is the area’s premier meeting facility with 1,500 square feet of formal and informal lakeside space, offering enough space to seat up to 75 people. The Pinehurst Inn’s Garden House (www.pinehurstinn.com) is the site of the Gathering room, an adaptable space that can be used by two to 14 people. Both inns are Travel Green Wisconsin certified.

Northeast region

One of the newest state venues to receive Travel Green Wisconsin certification is The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake (www.osthoff.com). The Osthoff offers guest room and suite accommodations, team building and recreational activities, and with the opening of its new convention center, can host groups with 1,000 attendees.

The property has incorporated a number of green initiatives in its operations as well as for guests. The Osthoff now has an onsite organic garden for sourcing fresh ingredients; bicycle rentals are available for guests who want to explore Elkhart Lake. The property is also a participant in the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program.

The Hotel Sierra and KI Convention Center in Green Bay (www.hotel-sierra.com) has earned the Focus on Energy Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency. The hotel will be saving $25,000 in annual energy costs by incorporating guestroom energy management controls, which reduce energy use in rooms not occupied by guests. The hotel complex also has incorporated ‘green’ kitchen exhaust ventilation systems, chiller and boiler controls, and bathroom ventilation controls.

Nearby, the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center (www.radisson.com/greenbaywi) has recently won the State of Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy Award. The hotel has purchased all new equipment with the Energy Star/Focus on Energy specifications. Fluorescent bulbs are used throughout the complex, and the property is currently working on ways to re-use the heat generated by onsite dryers for heating other rooms in the center.

For those looking for more of a naturalistic experience, Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay (www.baybeachwildlife.com) offers four meeting rooms that can accommodate between 6 and 150 people. The rooms are on the 700-acre grounds of the Sanctuary and offer the natural aspect of a “green” meeting facility.

In Lac du Flambeau, Dillman’s Bay Resort (www.dillmans.com) offers up classic Northwood’s nostalgia. This fourth generation family-owned resort combines state-of-the-art meeting rooms for corporate retreats and business meetings.

Southeast region

Teeming with environmentally sensitive meeting locales, Milwaukee is a popular urban meeting and event destination for many groups. Hailed as one of the most environmentally sensitive buildings in the nation, the Dorothy K. Vallier Environmental Learning Center at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (www.schlitzaudubon center.com) in Milwaukee has received a Gold LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The center’s Great Hall accommodates up to 300 people and is available for evening events while the Auditorium seats up to 200 people.

Downtown Milwaukee’s Hotel Metro (www.hotelmetro.com) features more than 1,800 square feet of meeting space and comfortably accommodates events up to 100 guests. The hotel’s public areas feature bamboo plank and cork flooring, and guest rooms include sensor lights and carpeting made from recycled fibers. Among its environmentally friendly practices, Hotel Metro uses eco-friendly cleaning supplies, low-flow faucets, bulk condiments and water pitchers instead of bottled water. Management donates unused food to local homeless shelters and also offers complimentary bicycles to guests as an alternative option for transportation.

The Pfister Hotel and WELL Spa (www.thepfisterhotel.com) has been Milwaukee’s premier downtown hotel for over a century and has an AAA Four-Diamond rating. With 25,000 square feet of meeting space, this historic jewel can accommodate intimate meetings of 15 to receptions for 1,500.

For more information about Wisconsin destinations visit www.travelgreenwisconsin.com.

By Maura Keller

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