Green is more than just a color to Carlson Hotels Worldwide. That was clear at last week's International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York City. Carmen Baker, the company's vice president of responsible business, a newly created position she filled in January, was front and center on a panel titled “Eco-Friendly Meets Eco-Nomic,” as well as talking to the media about the company's latest announcements and initiatives.

Carlson introduced a green guide, “Practical Guide to Greening Your Hotel,” which outlines sustainability strategies and practical steps for environmental responsibility that can be applied across the company's five hotel brands. The guide is partly the result of another program from Carlson, an environmental audit of the company's corporate headquarters in Omaha and the Radisson Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. The audits provided information on the properties' efficiency, energy consumption and carbon footprint, while the green guide offers solutions to improve in those areas. The goal, Baker said, is to eventually audit all 975-plus international properties. The green guide is being sent to all hotels and audits will continue with corporate-owned and -managed locations first and go from there.

“Carlson Hotels is focusing on specific issues such as reducing, recycling and reusing solid waste, reducing the use of harmful chemicals, conserving energy and water and improving the indoor air quality that can have immediate impact on the environment and the communities where our hotels operate,” said Baker. “As we look at all facets of our operations, this educational tool provides the information our hotels need to enhance their efforts and employ additional actionable opportunities. These efforts serve to balance business goals with the impact the company makes on society and the natural environment.”

Also, the results of a recent carbon-offset campaign conducted earlier this year revealed the initiative generated sufficient donations from members of Carlson's goldpoints-plus frequent-guest program to offset 340,436 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Members have now converted 709,000 Gold Points into contributions for carbon-reduction projects operated by The CarbonNeutral Company. Carlson has matched all donations.