ISLAMORADA - Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) South District Director Jon Iglehart welcomed Lookout Lodge Resort in the Florida Keys to the Florida Green Lodging Program last Friday. The property is the 200th designation in the Program and the first combined Green Lodging and Clean Marina property. Both voluntary initiatives are administered through DEP to help facilities go “clean and green” by adopting cost-saving practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.

“With Florida’s hotels serving more than 35 million guests annually and more than one million registered boats on our waters, the lodging and marine industries play a tremendous role in helping to protect Florida’s natural resources and boosting our economy,” said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole. “The Lookout Lodge Resort sets the bar for other small businesses to ‘go green’ by implementing both lodging and marina practices that reduce waste, conserve energy and protect Florida’s waterways.”

The 10-room property implemented a variety of green practices to receive the Florida Green Lodging Program designation. The property installed ENERGYSTAR® rated equipment, energy efficient lighting, tinted/double-paned windows and timers on outdoor lighting reducing its greenhouse gas emissions as well as its utility costs. The hotel implemented a towel and linen reuse program as well as low-flow faucets and showerheads. In addition, Lookout Lodge Resort has nine boats slips and has been a designated member of the Florida Clean Marina Program since 2006.

“Lookout Lodge Resort is very proud to participate in both the Florida Green Lodging and Florida Clean Marina Programs. Although we are a small property, we believe we have a duty to protect our natural resources and be part of the environmental solution,” said Don Zinner, President of Islamorada Sunset Investments, LLC. “As we are now encouraging our guests to ‘think green,’ we hope to encourage other lodging properties and marinas, whether 10 rooms or 1,000 rooms, to be part of the solution with us.”

Launched in March 2004 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Green Lodging Program establishes environmental guidelines for hotels and motels to conserve natural resources and prevent pollution. In 2007, Governor Crist signed three executive orders initiating state energy-use policies, including one that requires state agencies and departments to hold meetings and conferences only at hotels with the Florida Green Lodging Program designation as of January 1, 2008, whenever possible. With the addition of the Lookout Lodge Resort, the program has 234 designated properties across the state and nearly 400 applicants. For more information about the Florida Green Lodging Program, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/greenlodging.

With more than one million registered motorized vessels in Florida, environmental education within marine industries is the first step toward safeguarding the state’s natural resources. By providing ”green" education and alternatives, the Florida Clean Marina Program helps to ensure a sustainable future for the environment and the billion-dollar marine industry. For more information about the Florida Clean Marina Program, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/cleanmarina.

DEP’s Office of Sustainable Initiatives is comprised of three voluntary, non-regulatory programs that assist Florida industry and citizens in protecting the environment. The Clean Marina Program, the Florida Green Lodging Program and the Florida Pollution Prevention Program offer a variety of services including on-site assessments, consultations, speakers and workshops, all at no cost to citizens or organizations. The goal of the Sustainable Initiatives programs is to meet the needs of the present population without compromising resources for future generations. To learn more about DEP’s Sustainable Initiatives, visit www.dep.state.fl.us/green/.

The Department welcomed the Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites in Orlando and the Hyatt Regency Miami to the Florida Green Lodging Program this week. The properties are the 218th and 194th, respectively, in the state to become designated members of the program. The voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost- saving “green” practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources.

“The Sheraton Safari Hotel and Suites is very pleased to have accomplished our One Palm designation and we are already working towards Two Palm,” said Jeff Brinda, General Manager. “We are extremely proud of how our associates embraced this challenge and how hard they worked to make this happen, especially with the leadership provided by our Green Team.”

“We are proud to welcome the Sheraton Safari to the Florida Green Lodging Program,” said DEP Central District Director Vivian Garfein. “It’s so exciting to see an ever-increasing number of lodging facilities joining this program and realizing that green practices such as water conservation, recycling and energy reduction are not only good for business, they are good for the environment. ”

To become a designated member of the Florida Green Lodging Program, hotels must implement a variety of green practices. These practices include, but are not limited to, water conservation measures through low flow plumbing fixtures, a linen reuse program, energy efficiency achieved by installing ENERGY STAR® appliances and programmable thermostats. The waste reduction criteria are met by providing the opportunity to recycle, purchasing items in bulk, purchasing recycled materials and by recycling ink and toner cartridges. All designated properties must also use green cleaners and high efficiency air filters. “As the largest meetings and conventions hotel in Miami, the benefit our conservation and ecological efforts will have on the environment is significant,” said Matt Graham with the Hyatt Regency Miami. “Travelers and meeting planners are considering ecological impact before booking conferences, events and accommodations. We are pleased and proud that Hyatt Regency Miami now provides outstanding service in an environmentally friendly setting.”

“DEP is pleased to welcome the Hyatt Regency Miami to the Florida Green Lodging Program,” said DEP Southeast District Director Jack Long. “By reducing water use, conserving energy, improving air quality and decreasing solid waste, the Hyatt Regency is showing that even downtown urban areas can do their part in helping to improve the environment.”

1. PET (PETE): Polyethylene terephthalate -- two-litre soft drink bottles, juice bottles, cooking oils and peanut butter jars;

2. HDPE: High-density polyethylene-- milk jugs, water and juice bottles, shampoo, detergent;

3. V: PVC, polyvinyl chloride -- water bottles, dressing, plastic pipes, shrink-wrap, outdoor furniture;

4. LDPE: Low-density polyethylene -- food storage bags, trash bags, produce bags;

5. PP: Polypropylene – yogurt containers, straws, bottle caps, medicine bottles;

6. PS: Polystyrene – plastic cups and tableware, take-out containers, packing peanuts; and

7. OTHER: Such as Tupperware and Nalgene products used in laboratories and by outdoor campers.

Numbers 1 and 2 are the most-often recycled plastics in the United States and most all recycling programs collect these types of plastic bottles. And did you know, recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60 watt light bulb for up to six hours; recycling one pound of PET plastic bottles saves approximately 12,000 BTUs (British thermal unit) of heat energy; or that nearly eight out of every 10 bottles will end up in a landfill. To read more interesting recycling facts and to find the nearest recycling facility for these plastics and all types of recyclables anywhere in the United States, visit www.earth911.org. Visit DEP’s Web site, http://www.floridadep.org/mainpage/programs/recycling.htm, to learn more about recycling in Florida.