About Us

What is Travel Green Wisconsin?

Travel Green Wisconsin is a voluntary program that reviews, certifies and recognizes tourism businesses and organizations that have made a commitment to reducing their environmental impact. Specifically, the program encourages participants to evaluate their operations, set goals and take specific actions towards environmental, social, and economic sustainability. 


Above all, the Travel Green Wisconsin program is designed to protect the beauty and vitality of Wisconsin’s landscape and natural resources. 
Wisconsin’s natural resources, wildlife and cultural diversity are among its most important tourism assets.  Efforts to preserve them for future generations serve the best interest of Wisconsin travelers, as well as its tourism industry and the state’s overall economy.


The program is also designed to educate travelers to Wisconsin about sustainable tourism practices.  It promotes smart business practices, giving the state’s tourism-related businesses and organizations a significant point of differentiation from their competitors, and supports the state’s overall tourism brand.


What are the goals of Travel Green Wisconsin?


  • Be entirely voluntary.
  • Be simple and affordable so that tourism businesses are motivated to participate.
  • Be adaptable and available to the full variety of business types that serve travelers.
  • Make good business sense by offering identifiable cost savings to participants.
  • Increase participant awareness of environmentally sustainable business practices.
  • Provide a marketing advantage for program participants as well as the state.
  • Lead to measurable environmental improvements.

Background and History

In the spring of 2004, the Department of Tourism created a Sustainable Tourism Ad Hoc Committee of leaders representing tourism industries, non-profit organizations and government agencies with the mission of helping tourism organizations adopt more sustainable business practices. This work group explored the development of a voluntary environmental certification program for the Wisconsin tourism industry. The Department of Tourism then formed a partnership with the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WI-EI) (www.wi-ei.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together business, government and citizen groups in a neutral forum to address environmental issues.  WI-EI administers other sustainable certification programs including Wisconsin’s Green Built Home.


WI-EI developed Travel Green Wisconsin certification program based on goals set forth by the Sustainable Tourism Ad Hoc Committee, as well as a review of existing “green” certification programs, and the Mohonk Agreement, an agreement that established the framework and principles for the certification of sustainable and ecotourism.


Travel Green Wisconsin launched as a pilot program in several key communities. Tourism businesses in these areas went through the certification process and provided feedback that was used to fine tune program elements before being introduced statewide in 2007.



Who can participate?

Travel Green Wisconsin welcomes the participation of a variety of tourism businesses and organizations.


Examples of these businesses include:

Accommodations, Attractions, Restaurants, Shops, Resorts, Convention, Centers, Golf Courses, Campgrounds, Marinas, Tour Operators/Leaders, Events/Festivals, Chambers and CVBs