If you’re looking for a venue that’s as green as you are, there are a few things you should know before you begin.

First, what should you really be looking for? What are the things that designate a venue as earth-friendly?

Of course, there are levels of greenness you should expect to encounter when searching. Some venues may have just started their initiatives and may only have a short list of the things they currently implement. Other venues may have a more impressive list of greening practices, or may have even been built with green in mind. It is good to check out all of them, but start to narrow down just how green you’d like your space to be.

If you’re looking into hotels, some of the most basic greening practices should include water conservation programs (which include urging guests to use their towels and sheets for more than one day) and energy conservation (which include high-efficiency light bulbs, motion light sensors, and air filters).

The next step for an eco-conscious venue is to offer a local and organic catering menu. Often, these menus carry a slightly higher cost, but the knowledge that you are aiding the sustainable movement and seriously reducing your carbon footprint are worth it. On the food note, you should also look for a venue that is participating in a “zero waste zone” program. A zero waste zone program has venues donating their excess food to local food banks and shelters and giving their extra food scraps to composting companies- who then turn around and sell their compost material to local and organic farmers and household gardeners.

If you’re looking for a venue that is as green as possible, look for one that is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. To become a LEED certified building, there is an extensive checklist of requirements that need to be met. You can see the 74 page list for commercial properties yourself at USGBC’s website: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=145. It should give you an appreciation for those venues that are truly doing their part to be at the forefront of the greening movement.

There are some websites that can help narrow your search for you by city. Check out some of these:

USGBC Leed Projects will list all certified buildings in your area, with the level of certification they’ve received from the Council.

Green Buildings California if you’re in California, this is a great government-maintained website of green buildings, that includes a map of the locations of all of them!

RezHub Book Green will help narrow down green hotels, and may inspire you to take a greener vacation in the future!

Audubon International Partners the Audubon Society has teamed up with organizations ranging from golf courses to universities to aid them in their quest to become more sustainable.