From each of the 193 eco-friendly rooms that provide guests with fresh, purified air�to the banquet rooms that is home to a huge live bamboo forest constantly renewing the oxygen supply�to the reception desk made of recycled soda bottles�and the floors made of recycled granite, the hotel is literally a monument to �ecosmart� high-tech achievements.

The Sheraton Rittenhouse Square will become the first in the United States to receive the prestigious Green Seal of Approval.  

Green Seal, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization, is devoted to labeling and certifying a wide variety of products (associated with significant environmental impact) that cause less harm than others in the same category.

Offering the Green Seal of Approval in the hotel/motel category is part of the organization�s nationwide initiative with the lodging industry (the country�s second largest employer) to promote environmentally friendly initiatives throughout the industry.  In order to receive the Green Seal of Approval products must meet a stringent set of standards requirements developed specifically for their industry.

�As strict and thorough as our guidelines are, the Sheraton Rittenhouse Square actually surpassed our criteria for hotel approval,� says Mark Petruzzi, Green Seal�s director of certification.  �In all areas, but especially in air quality, what they have is created a national model for what is really possible.�

And no one has taken the notion of �ecosmart� accommodations more seriously than Barry Dimson.  Dimson, co-owner of the Sheraton Rittenhouse and an environmental consultant to the real estate development industry, was determined to create the �greenest� hotel possible when he renovated the former office building two years ago�boldly venturing way beyond recycling and utilities conservation.

All non-toxic materials were used in every aspect of construction, walls in public areas are paneled with bamboo (rather than oak or other scarce hardwoods), walls in guest rooms are covered with non-dyed actual paper (vinyl traps mold and dyes contain toxins), night tables were constructed from recycled wood pallets, all linens are made of 100 percent, organically grown, un-dyed cotton that wasn�t even sprayed with pesticides while it was growing, and none of the hotel-supplied personal products in the bathrooms were tested on animals.

Additionally, the fresh air ventilation system (which operates separately from the heating/cooling system) provides twice-filtered air with all dust, pollen, mold and most bacteria removed.  The dust-mite resistant carpets were stapled down to avoid using adhesives and rooms are cleaned with all non-toxic products.

�A lot of the air in many commercial buildings can actually make you sick,� notes Dimson.  �Our guests tell us the air in the Sheraton Rittenhouse Square is invigorating.�

And you won�t find foil-covered chocolates on any of the pristine linens at this hotel.  Instead, guests discover flower seeds that they can plant and enjoy for a long time to come.

Being a good friend to the environment also means good business, notes Dimson.

�I have lowered my operating costs while significantly increasing customer loyalty and interest from those individuals and organizations concerned about the environment as well as their personal well-being,� he explains.  �We filled the hotel so fast we made all our money back in one year.  And we have received more recognition in the last year than any other Sheraton property.�

That recognition will culminate in the presentation of the Green Seal Approval certificate by Green Seal�s Chairman of the Board of Directors Bryan Thomlison to Dimson.