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The Courtyard Orlando Lake Buena Vista has joined the growing list of hotels certified in the Florida Green Lodging program.

This Courtyard hotel, located in the Marriott Village, contains 304 rooms and eight suites. It received the designation for adopting environmentally sound practices that include water- and energy-conservation measures.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) program for lodging was started in 2004 with the intent of recognizing and rewarding environmentally conscientious lodging facilities in the state. Through this rapidly growing program DEP encourages the lodging industry to conserve and protect Florida's natural resources, and save energy costs at the same time. The Florida department's Green Lodging Program sets standards for water and energy conservation measures through

• low-flow plumbing fixtures,
  
• reusable linens and
  
• Energy Star-certified appliances

Hotels are not the only eco-friendly properties included in the Florida program. DEP recently designated 6 properties in the Florida Green Lodging Program, including the 16 cabins at Gold Head Branch State Park, the first designation in Clay County.  "With the designation of Gold Head Branch State Park, the program now boasts a total of six state park designations," said DEP Director of Sustainable Initiatives Deas Bohn.

As of December 10, 2008 there are 373 designated properties and 418 applicants for Florida's Green Lodging Program.

When a participating building reaches its goals, the state Department of Environmental Protection lists the property on its Web site.