News Blog
Portola Hotel and City of Gonzales Win State Awards for Sustainability
January 3, 2012
Monterey's Portola Hotel & Spa Dec. 14 became the first independent hotel to receive the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, described by CalEPA as "California’s highest environmental honor."
“Portola Hotel & Spa is a true leader,” Secretary for Environmental Protection Matt Rodriquez said in a statement. "They understand that going green can be a successful economic strategy that can also lead to sustainable growth and development.”
Portola received a separate green recognition Dec. 13, winning the state Department of Resource Recycling and Recovery's Waste Reduction Awards Program for the eighteenth consecutive year. The hotel also earned a Silver LEED award for existing buildings in 2011.
Portola staff has worked behind the scenes to make events, like the Sustainable Brands Conference, zero waste. During the four-day conference in June, Portola's kitchen crew sorted compost from trash after guests turned out not to be quite up to the task of accurately sorting it themselves.
"It is with great pride I work with these professionals and to see them recognized for their dedication to our environment and our hotel,” said General Manager Janine Chicourrat in a statement.
The City of Gonzales was also one of only 15 GEELA award recipients in December, recognized for its environmental leadership academy, a six-week environmental leadership training for 6th-8th graders.
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