About Vermont

In fact, Matt Lauer stated on the Feb. 21 live broadcast of NBC’s Today Show from Sugarbush, VT, that “Vermont tops the list of the country’s greenest states with lower carbon dioxide emissions and more money spent per person on energy efficiency than anywhere else.” Vermont Convention Bureau members embrace this lifestyle and run their businesses with many unique green initiatives:

The Woodstock Inn & Resort’s environmental vision was first fostered by founder, Laurence Spellman Rockefeller, who was a pioneer in restoring landscapes. The Woodstock Inn & Resort is working towards certification from Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State and has a number of green practices, including utilizing green cleaning products, installing water saving shower heads and toilets, energy efficient lighting and a wide ranging recycling program. The resort’s four-diamond culinary team supports local food suppliers and farmers by procuring locally produced products. Guest room amenities and gifts are produced by local companies Thistle Hill Soap and Simon Pearce Glass. For more information: www.woodstockinn.com.

Smugglers Notch Resort, famous for their family programs in winter, summer and fall, has been recognized by SKI Magazine, Family Fun Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler, among others. The resort offers many environmental stewardship policies such as wildlife and habitat protection, energy efficiency, recycling, water quality and conservation. In addition, their unique guest programming includes a walking tour of the resort’s storm water control ponds and rain garden to illustrate how storm water runoff is controlled and used to water plants. Guests receive information they can use at home. Other guest programs offered are “Where’s the Bear?” and “Our Forest Heritage”, which address habitat issues and the Vermont environment. For more information: www.smuggs.com.

The new Courtyard Burlington Harbor by Marriott on the Burlington Waterfront has established environmental awareness and conservation as a way of life in the operation of the hotel. Waterless urinals each save 40,000 gallons of water per year and the hotel’s linen re-use option saves thousands of gallons of water each month while producing considerable energy savings. The hotel’s comprehensive recycling program reduces its contribution to the waste stream by at least 30%.

The Doubletree Burlington Hotel offers guests the opportunity to participate in their recycling program with individual recycling bins in all guest rooms as part of the hotels recycling program. For more information: www.burlington.doubletree.com.

The Inn at the Round Barn Farm, a perfect example of green living, was once a working dairy farm and is now a beautifully restored inn hosting weddings, business meetings and social events. The inn is certified as a Green Hotel in the Green Mountain State. Look for their Green Wedding Tips on their website; many of these ideas can used for green meetings as well. The Inn was featured on CBS News in a Green Wedding Special. For more information: www.theroundbarn.com.

The new University of Vermont Davis Center, featuring two ballrooms and several meeting spaces accommodating more than 900 attendees, is a Gold LEED building, built utilizing many local materials such as Vermont slate, maple and bricks cutting emissions for delivery of out-of-state materials. The Davis Center provides a living example of a state-of-the-art facility built on energy efficiency and design featuring a “Green” roof with a built-in storm water run-off management program. The UVM Conferences team partners with local food providers to connect with local suppliers such as Vermont Fresh Network, Intervale Farms, Black River Produce, Ben & Jerry’s and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters just to name a few. For more information www.uvm.edu/conferences.

ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center, an off-site venue on the Burlington waterfront, was the first Vermont building to receive LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. ECHO was built with many local materials and has state-of-the-art energy savings operations such as a solar thermal system for water heating and incorporates environmentally friendly materials and practices into daily operations. ECHO’s award-winning architecture, sparkling aquariums and lake views provide a unique backdrop for events. For more information: www.echovermont.org.

Shelburne Museum has created a “recycled” two-story gallery house, designed by Adam Kalkin, made out of shipping containers to highlight one of the 2008 featured exhibits, “Growing Green.” Leslie Wright of the Museum states “for the 2008 season which runs from May 18-October 26, bringing the outdoors inside will be the theme. Growing Green offers a new twist on enhancing our environment by incorporating plants in contemporary design.” For more information: www.shelburnemuseum.org.

TruexCullins, the Official Architect and Interior Designer of the Vermont Convention Bureau and a Vermont-based's award-winning architectural firm, specializes in green and sustainable architecture and interior design. They believe in making the most of available natural resources when developing the design for a new client. One of the projects they are currently working on is the renovation and expansion of an upscale Vermont resort utilizing the natural landscape and views of the Green Mountains as an expressive part of the design. A significant portion of the new hotel "shelves" into the hillside and with the use of a landscaped roof will appear to meld with the surrounding topography. This design feature will reduce ground water runoff and preserve views from other parts of the resort as well. TruexCullins provides architecture and interior design services around the world and the firm has a special passion for Green Design. For more information: www.truexcullins.com

The Old Tavern at Grafton, one of the country’s oldest operating inns, is greening the inn and working towards certification from Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State among other like organizations. For more information: www.oldtavern.com.

The Manchester Designer Outlets offers green retail therapy! The outlets utilize non-toxic paints, floor coatings and other elements of healthy building all designed to enhance the shopping experience at Manchester’s upscale shopping outlets. Treat yourself to a shopping experience with brands such as Giorgio Armani, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Theory, Coach, Anichini, Movada, Escada, J. Crew and Brooks Brothers to name a few. For more information: www.manchesterdesigneroutlets.com.

Vermont is truly a Green place and a great place for your next meeting. To validate how green our state is, Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, was named by Country Home Magazine as the Best Green Place to Live in America in their April 2007 issue. We hope you’ll consider holding your next meeting in Vermont. For more information, please contact the Vermont Convention Bureau at 802-860-0606, x230, dave@vermont.org, or via www.vermontmeetings.com.

Vermont…Where Meetings are Always More Green