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In an effort to green its properties across the Americas, InterContinental Hotel Group is now branding 26 of its in-hotel restaurants in its nine-brand portfolio as “certified green.” Maury Zimring, the  Director of Corporate Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability at IHG, turned to the Green Restaurant Association for guidance using its holistic green certification program. GRA founder Michael Oshman embraced the partnership, and what began as a single certification at IHG’s Boston property has blossomed outward. “When people see InterContinental doing this, they say, ‘This is a highly successful brand, and if they’re doing this, maybe our brand can, too,'” Oshman says. “It’s likely that InterContinental will see the leadership of their steps having a wonderful impact on the industry as a whole.” “We realized that the restaurant space on property was a unique space, different from the rest of the hotel,” Zimring explains. “There is a lot of potential energy, water [and] waste consumption, and there is a lot of opportunity to do something about that.”