The Ramada Plaza Beach Resort (RPBR), located on beautiful Okaloosa Island, in Fort Walton Beach, has been recognized by the Florida Green Lodging Program as a One Palm designated lodging partner. In 2008, RPBR was the first hotel in Okaloosa County and the first Ramada in the state to be included in the program. Additionally, the Ramada was acknowledged by the local chamber of commerce as a Qualified Green Business and a Bronze Level Green Leader by TripAdvisor.

The environmental committee of the chamber created a user-friendly guide to help promote local businesses to go green, and RPBR was one of the first to qualify for the program. They have implemented several procedures to reduce, reuse and recycle, and also provide weekly educational pieces to the staff, so that their efforts can extend beyond the business day and become a part of life.

Some of their green practices include water conservation measures using low-flow plumbing fixtures, a linen reuse program and energy efficiency achieved by installing ENERGY STAR appliances and programmable thermostats. The waste reduction criteria are met by providing the opportunity to recycle, purchasing items in bulk, purchasing recycled materials and by recycling ink and toner cartridges. RPBR has already applied for Two Palm status with the Florida Green Lodging Program and hopes to receive approval this year.

 The Ramada Plaza Beach Resort is located at 1500 Miracle Strip Pkwy., SE, in Fort Walton Beach. For more information, call 850-243-9161 or visit RamadaFWB.com.