Businesses require many types of licensing to operate. There are licenses to sell certain kinds of products (liquor, controlled substances, munitions, etc.) and licenses to perform certain services (financial, medical, legal, etc.), but the so-called 'social license' to operate is a much fuzzier concept that has as much to do with marketing and branding as actual performance in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

One area where the social license is growing in importance is in the area of environmental responsibility and several certifying organizations have sprung up to fill the need.  And the hotel industry is actively competing for green CSR cred as much as any other industry is — mostly because it is hard to tell whether a hotel is truly 'green' or not. One hotel chain in particular, Marriott International, is looking to be at the front of the growing pack of hotels clamoring for attention in the world of green travel.

With more than 3,100 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) is one of the largest lodging companies in the world. Marriott has been recognized by two prominent organizations for its commitment to CSR and ethics in the first half of 2009. Marriott was recently recognized by the Ethisphere Institute and named again as a member company of the FTSE4Good Index.

Battling it out with Hilton and Wyndham over the green-ness of their headquarters, Marriott's environmental initiatives range from working with the environmental organization, Conservation International, to calculate its carbon footprint and launch an environmental strategy to address climate change, becoming the first major global hotel company to do so. As part of the plan, Marriott set out specific new steps the company can take in five key areas: water, waste and energy; supply chain; green buildings; helping protect the rainforest; and employee and guest engagement.

One of the new programs coming from the carbon accounting is the new "green your stay" program invites guests who book on the company website to offset the carbon generated during their stay for as little as $10, or $1 per day for 10 days.

Marriott is also expanding its portfolio of green hotels and buildings. Approximately 275 hotels have earned the ENERGY STAR label from the Environmental Protection Agency—the most of any hotel company—and thirty Marriott-branded hotels in design, development or under construction are expected to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Another step Marriott is taking may take many travelers by surprise in the morning when they open the door of their room in search of that free copy of The USA Today — the company is also cutting back on free newspapers.

You can follow other green CSR steps the company is taking by following @marriottgreen on twitter.

Image via pnwra