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Guide to LEED-Certified Hotels & Venues
The Wharf The Hoffman-Madison Waterfront mixed-use development at The Wharf in Southwest DC is the perfect example of a new environmentally-friendly development that is LEED-Neighborhood Development Gold status. The sustainability pillars contributing to the neighborhood include InterContinental Washington, DC- The Wharf, a LEED Gold-certified hotel and the dual-branded property featuring the Hyatt House and Canopy by Hilton, which achieved its LEED Gold-certification. Highlights of the development’s sustainability initiatives include more than 87 percent of material being diverted from landfill and disposal, flooring made from low volatile organic compounds and the hotel’s respective structures made from 23 percent recycled content. Farmers Restaurant Group All of the delicious farm-to-table restaurants in Farmers Restaurant Group – Founding Farmers, Farmers Fishers Bakers, and Farmers & Distillers – are LEED-certified. Founding Farmers was the first full service, upscale casual restaurant to pursue LEED certification and many more continue to follow suit. The mezzanine level of Founding Farmers has a capacity of up to 75 guests while the General’s Parlor on the lower level of Farmers & Distillers is a 16-seat private dining room. The Concordia Located between Dupont Circle and Washington Circle, The Concordia boasts a LEED Gold-certification, providing guests with an environmentally conscious experience. Among the hotel’s many features are guestroom kitchen appliances that are Energy Star-rated and a green roof and green screen that reduce rain water runoff from entering local waterways and help insulate the building from the elements. Motto by Hilton Washington DC City Center The Motto by Hilton Washington DC City Center is LEED Silver-certified with a design full of extensive green features. You will find refillable water stations throughout the hotel, a vegetated roof area for hosting events and smart LED lighting and air conditioning with infrared sensors that auto shut when you are not in the room. Hilton Washington DC National Mall Hilton Washington DC National Mall is a LEED Silver-certified hotel with 23,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a unique Solarium offering a year-round indoor/outdoor ambience and poolside event space with fire pits, cabanas and a bar that can accommodate up to 300 people. Marriott Marquis Washington DC As the only hotel adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the Marriott Marquis Washington DC is a LEED Silver-certified 15-story property with 105,000 sq. feet of meeting space, making it one of the largest LEED Silver-certified hotels in the U.S. Nationals Park Nationals Park is the nation’s first major professional stadium to become LEED Silver-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The project incorporates a variety of sustainable design elements including a brownfield redevelopment located near the Anacostia River, energy conserving light fixtures and an intricate water filtration system. Audi Field The 20,000-seat home field of the D.C. United team of Major League Soccer is a LEED Gold-certified venue. Audi Field also partners with Recycle Track Systems and New Columbia Solar on multiple sustainable initiatives throughout the stadium. Viceroy Washington DC The 178-room Viceroy Washington DC is LEED Silver-certified, featuring green key switches in each guest room, low-emitting materials such as paint, finishes and floorings and refillable bottles of showering essentials as opposed to disposable bottles. Eaton Washington DC Eaton Washington DC is LEED Gold-certified, featuring many sustainable initiatives throughout the hotel and house. Guestrooms feature the most natural and organic mattresses and bathroom amenities are 100 percent natural, while the rooftop features an herb garden and wind turbine. Once you're done reading about LEED-certified hotels and venues, check out why DC is one of the healthiest, greenest and most livable cities in the nation.
Guide to Sustainable Spaces for Your Next Event
Companies are increasingly adopting sustainable practices, energy-efficient lighting and reusable products to reduce their carbon footprints and save costs. Their efforts benefit meeting planners considering the Washington metropolitan area, which is a destination that boasts multiple key industries and shares a common vision for a sustainable planet as the world’s first LEED Platinum city according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Check out the variety of sustainable spaces the city boasts in each quadrant. Northeast DC: Right Proper Brewing Company is run completely on solar power, producing almost all of the company’s consumed electricity. As part of their leadership’s focus on the local community and their Brookland neighbors, the independent craft brewery wanted to minimize its environmental impact. For a brewery, this means returning to the roots of brewing. Right Proper proudly says “our beer starts and ends with the sun.” The company also uses LED lights in the tasting rooms and production facilities and gives spent grain away for free to local farmers. DC Harvest is a beautiful local restaurant on H Street, perfect for a business meeting or gathering for up to 60 guests. The family-owned restaurant specifically sources products from local farms and vendors, offering one of the freshest farm-to-table meals in the District. Northwest DC: Set in historic Georgetown, the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC prides itself in its green initiatives, especially when booking events. Planners and attendees can “determine their shade of green” by choosing filtered water by the pitcher over plastic bottles, organic meal breaks and recycled notepads. The Forbes five-star hotel also gives attendees the option of adding extra plants for additional oxygenation and airport pickup via a hybrid sedan. The highly anticipated Eaton DC opening summer 2018 approaches sustainability from inside the hotel to the event spaces and beyond. Guestrooms feature natural and organic mattresses and bathroom amenities, while the rooftop houses an herb garden and wind turbine. The hotel employs an aerobic food waste decomposition system that eliminates food waste on-site. Ben’s Chili Bowl, located on U Street where some of mural artist Aniekan Udofia's beautiful alleyway murals live, runs on energy-efficient HPT8, reducing energy use by up to 50 percent in comparison to its original 60-year-old lighting. The Ben’s Chili Bowl location on H Street NE, which opened in 2015, also boasts efficient lighting, HVAC and Energy Star-certified appliances. Farmers Restaurant Group, the brand that runs Farmers & Distillers, Farmers Fishers Bakers and Founding Farmers, makes sustainability their mission and was named one of the “10 Most Sustainable Restaurants in America” by HuffPost. The brand has in-house recycling and composting programs that keep 90 percent of waste out of landfills and uses Energy Star qualified appliances and monitors, low-flow faucet aerators, refurbished-recycled materials in furniture and green cleaning products. The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and making a difference through its “Know the Code” color-coded recycling and waste minimization program. The program has helped the convention center take the lead on extensive recycling initiatives, along with its PepsiCo partnership that has installed “dream machines” surrounding the convention center to encourage beverage container recycling rates. Monumental Sports, the operator of Capital One Arena in Chinatown, recently embarked on a new solar project with OneEnergy Baker Point solar. Baker Point solar produces clean renewable energy for the arena, which is now operating using 25 percent solar energy. Southwest DC: The 100 percent wind-powered Mandarin Oriental is a proud partner of the Anacostia River Keepers, who offer a series of volunteer cleanups removing thousands of pounds of trash a year from the Anacostia. Mandarin Oriental also offers Anacostia River Keepers’ services to organizations that want to add sustainability and charity elements to their events. The new Wharf along the Southwest Waterfront has multiple green options. Choose from InterContinental Washington, DC - The Wharf or the dual-branded property featuring the Hyatt House and Canopy by Hilton, all of which offer a variety of sustainable meeting spaces with breathtaking waterfront views. Highlights of the development’s sustainability initiatives include more than 87 percent of material being diverted from landfill and disposal, flooring made from low VOC and hotel buildings comprised of recycled content. Audi Field is the new green home of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United. The 20,000-seat field, which opened in July 2018, is not only LEED Gold certified, but also a partner to Recycle Track Systems and New Columbia Solar. Recycle Track Systems is implementing food waste composting and staff training. There will be a short educational pregame video that is meant to teach fans how to recycle waste. In addition, solar panels in the venue are expected to offset the stadium’s electrical usage by one third. Southeast DC: Nationals Park is the nation’s first major professional stadium to become LEED Silver-certified. The project incorporates a variety of sustainable design elements including a brownfield redevelopment that is located near the Anacostia River, energy conserving light fixtures and an intricate water filtration system. District Winery is DC’s first winery, boasting 17,000 sq. feet in Capitol Riverfront and overlooking the Anacostia River. The vibrant waterfront venue has LED lighting, energy-efficient equipment and a green roof for storm water control. Northern Virginia: The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Va. is Green Seal™ GS-33 Silver and Virginia Green™ certified. The National continues to host eco-friendly events and sustainable meetings, taking proactive measures to save energy. As a member of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) and the winner of the 2010 Loudon Country Green Business Challenge, it is no surprise that green initiatives are a priority for the National Conference Center, which boasts 250,000 square feet of meeting space and 250 meeting rooms. Lansdowne Resort and Spa is committed to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources, as a Virginia Green Lodging facility. The resort sports high-efficiency LED lighting in all guest rooms, restaurants and public areas; bee hives that support vital bee populations and a certified Monarch Butterfly way station to help bolster the population of local Monarch butterflies; and all restaurants are committed to purchasing fresh and sustainable foods grown locally. Continue your exploration of one of the healthiest, greenest and most livable cities and plan your next green meeting or event in Washington, DC.
Innovation Capital: Meetings & Conventions in a Tech Hub
Ranked as the third best tech city in the nation in Cushman & Wakefield’s Tech Cities 1.0 report, Washington, DC offers a unique opportunity to elevate your meetings and conventions to the next level. Take advantage of access to expert speakers, federal policymakers and industry sponsors for any event. Learn how to grow your delegate base, sponsorship dollars and exhibitor footprint to gain a competitive advantage for your organization. Connect with Destination DC staff, submit a meetings RFP or learn more about technology-focused meetings and conventions in our technology white paper. Access No other city has as much access to the federal government and tech policy leaders as Washington, DC. Learn how to bring tech-related projects and content to scale through partnerships between businesses and local and federal government. DC offers unique access to various industries, including social enterprises, green tech, hospitality, cybersecurity and data. Startups DC is home to a thriving startup scene of more than 1,000 tech startups. (Business Insider) DC ranks first in the nation for growth entrepreneurship. (Kauffman Foundation) DC has the third most future-ready economy among American cities. (Dell) DC is the top city for social entrepreneurs, which create solutions for social challenges. (S&R Foundation) The DC area is a top city for cybersecurity tech startups, and included 27,246 cybersecurity job postings in 2015, far more than other tech cities. (Burning Glass Technologies) The region is “becoming the Silicon Valley of cybersecurity.” Local Support The DC government has strategic pillars committed to technology and entrepreneurship through incentives and programs, like Pathways to Inclusion, an initiative meant to form a roadmap and inclusive ecosystem where the tech and innovation economy can grow. DC government goals include creating 5,000 new tech jobs for underrepresented workers, 500 new tech businesses by underrepresented entrepreneurs and fostering the most inclusive culture among tech cities on the East Coast. The DC metro area includes six Fortune 500 companies in the tech sector. Investors Washington, DC is in the top 10 global cities for venture-capital investment. (The Atlantic) Five of the top 100 investors in early startup tech and biotech companies are located in the area. This fosters continued growth in the tech sector.(entrepreneur.com) Education & Jobs DC has a skilled workforce. Fifty percent of residents have a college degree compared to 33% nationally. DC ranks #1 in the U.S. for high-tech employment concentration (Bureau of Labor Statistics) 10+ colleges in the area, many of which offer access to university labs, and support for entrepreneurs Maryland and Virginia lead the nation in concentration of bachelor’s degrees in STEM disciplines Three Top 100 STEM high schools (U.S. News & World Report) Most educated city in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau) Events Entrepreneur-focused events in DC have built a strong community for founders, investors, mentors and incubators #innoMAYtion – DC Government-led initiative throughout May encouraging local entrepreneurs to help solve challenges and create opportunities for DC residents 1776’s Challenge Cup – A worldwide competition organized by 1776, a local startup incubator, that brings attention to the globe’s most innovative, promising startups SXSW – A local participation platform at Austin’s annual conference to engage the national tech community in the latest DC startups, government initiatives and innovations Interested in learning more about Washington, DC as a tech hub for meetings and conventions? Read our technology white paper and connect with Destination DC staff for more information.