The Colony Hotel
Maine'S First Environmentally Responsible Hotel
Ocean Avenue, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046-0511
(207) 967-3331 phone (207) 967-5551 Sales Office Fax
sales@thecolonyhotel.com
www.thecolonyhotel.com

Eight Steps to Greener Meetings

As Maine's first "green" hotel and a role model in the lodging and hospitality industry, The Colony Hotel has been honored by many organizations over the years for our commitment to environmental integrity in all business practices.

• As Maine's first "green" hotel and a role model in the lodging and hospitality industry, The Colony Hotel has been honored by many organizations over the years for our commitment to environmental integrity in all business practices.
• In 1996, "Green Business Award" by Florida Atlantic University.
• In 1997, the "U.S. Backyard Wildlife Habitat" certification by the National Wildlife Federation, the first hotel in the northern East Coast. The complete list of wildlife sighted on the hotel property, their habitats and the plants on the hotel grounds are posted on the Environmental Bulletin Board located near the Gift Shop.
• In 1998, Janet Byrd, Director of Sales & Environmental Programs, was awarded the "Recycling Hero Award" by the Maine Chamber and Business Alliance.
• In 1998, the "Gold Star Award" by the Maine Development Foundation, for adding sustainable tourism jobs to Maine's economy.
• In 1998, the "Guest-Friendly Environmental & Recycling Practices Award", Cornell University, American Hotel Federation, and American Express (and featured in American Lodging Excellence: The Key to Best Practices in the Lodging Industry, 1999).

The Colony Hotel recommends the following steps for meeting and convention professionals whose companies choose to participate in conserving energy and water resources, solid waste reduction, recycling, and environmental awareness:

1. Choose hotels and convention centers who are committed to practicing policies that protect our environment. Please read The Colony Hotel Environmental Responsibility Policy in your meeting planner's packet for ways we are providing world class services and gracious hospitality with a sensitivity to environmental concerns. All guest, meeting and function rooms are completely smoke-free for your enjoyment.

2. For smaller meetings, consider notifying your participants with electronic mail. Keep your mailing lists up to date and without duplicates. Reduce the amount and frequency of mail you send out.

3. Use recycled products for your meetings, exhibits, and promotional materials. White paper is more easily recycled. Print all materials on both front and back of each page to reduce the waste stream. The Colony Hotel provides copying services for 25 cents a copy per side. Faxing services are available at $1.00 each page. Please see the Front Desk for services.

4. Reduce the number of handouts to only what is absolutely necessary. Use overhead projectors whenever possible instead of flip charts. If recycled paper flip charts are used, water color markers are better for the environment than permanent ink.

5. Recycle all materials from meetings and conferences. The Colony Hotel provides each meeting room with complimentary recycling bins for paper, plastic, metal, glass, cardboard, and newspaper and a receptacle for name badges by the exit. Since 1993, The Colony Hotel Recycling Center has kept over 60,000 lbs. of these materials out of our local landfills.

6. Conserve electricity by turning off lights in unused meeting or banquet rooms during slow periods.

7. Gifts and awards recognize an outstanding performance or contribution. Some creative ways to honor your special meeting participant are by using regional products (foods, crafts, services) that will support the community you are visiting, memberships to environmental publications or organizations in the name of the person you wish to honor, or an outdoor activity or adventure trip that will truly produce long- lasting memories of your event. Try to avoid excessive packaging and gift wrapping. The Colony Hotel Sales Office can advise and arrange for activities, trips and gifts.

8. Schedule a "fresh air break" from your meeting and suggest a walk or bike ride along Ocean Avenue. Breathe in fresh salty air and stretch your limbs by exploring the beach and tidal pools, practice identifying birds on the hotel's 11 acre property and along the coastline and marshes. After your meeting, unwind with nearby golf or tennis, a whale watching or lobstering cruise, or a hike at the nearby Rachel Carson Federal Wildlife Preserve, Laudholm Farm, or on Mt. Agamenticus.

We hope you enjoy your meeting and event at The Colony Hotel! We encourage your thoughts on our progress in helping to Save Our Planet; tell us what you think in your Corporate Comment Letter. We encourage you to take some or all of these ideas with you when you leave the Colony Hotel. Please credit and recommend us as a host for other green meetings and vacations when you share these thoughts with your friends, associates, and family. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving your meeting needs in the future.

The Colony Hotel Membership: Green Hotels Association, Maine Businesses For Social Responsibility, National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Hotels of America Program, Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau, Meeting Professionals International, Maine Innkeepers Association, New England Innkeepers Association, American Hotel & Motel Association, Kennebunk-Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce, Kennebunkport Business Association, Kennebunkport Historical Society, Maine Coast Heritage Land Trust, Maine Buy Recycled Alliance, Maine Chamber and Business Alliance, National Audubon Society, York County Audubon Society, Natural Resources Council of Maine, National Wildlife Federation, National Parks and Conservation Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, Sierra Club, Ecotourism Society, American Society of Landscape Arhchitects, and the American Institute of Architects.

Sources: The Colony Hotel Environmental Responsibility Program, The Green Hotels Association, How to Plan Meetings That Don't Cost the Earth, An Environmental Handbook for Meeting, Incentive, and Convention Professionals, Susanne Sims (Eco Logic Communications: 1993)