Downtown Baltimore's Green Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott  - just blocks from the Inner Harbor - will receive a Special Accomplishment Award from the United States Green Building Council, Maryland Chapter (USGBC Maryland) at the group's 5th annual awards ceremony this week.  The award from the USGBC Maryland Chapter is the latest in a series of accolades for the hotel.  In November, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley presented the Green Fairfield Inn & Suites with a sustainable tourism award as part of his announcement of the state's Green Travel Program, noting "Baltimore's first LEED certified hotel has made green practices an integral part of its operation. It has implemented a variety of procedures that promote sustainability, especially for energy efficiency, waste and pollution minimization and environmental purchasing."  The hotel also recently received a WaveMaker Award from the Baltimore Chapter of the Urban Land Institute and was named a 2009 Innovator of the Year by the Maryland Daily Record. 

The USGBC Maryland award is being provided to building projects that focus on sustainability, particularly those that emphasize energy and water conservation, re-use, access to public transportation, and building or material re-use.   The categories include: homes, new construction, major renovations, commercial interiors, core and shell, young professionals, and schools/universities.  

Opened in July 2009, the Green Fairfield Inn & Suites, to be Baltimore's first USGBC LEED® certified hotel, is being singled out for its sleek, eco-friendly design, which features, among other innovations, a re-purposed grain silo from the Baltimore Brewing Company that once operated on the S. President Street site.  The silo has been recycled as a rain barrel; rainwater collected serves the property's landscaping irrigation needs.

 "It's gratifying that even though the Green Fairfield Inn & Suites has only been open for a little more than six months, we've already received a great deal of recognition," said Gene Singleton, co-owner and developer of the hotel.  "These awards are like the modern-day version of the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' and for travelers interested in reducing their environmental footprint, third-party endorsements from respected environmental leaders provide additional validation."

"We were so pleased by the number and quality of nominations for green building awards this year," said Rex Wright, chair of the Maryland Chapter of the USGBC.  "The use of sustainable features in buildings, from the inside out, is increasingly innovative and cost-effective.  We are very proud of this community, and all that they are doing to improve the places where we live, work, learn, play and heal."

SOURCE : USGBC Maryland