As the World Cup approaches, Houston’s hospitality businesses will be looking for ways to stand out and draw the attention of the thousands of soccer fans who’ll be attending one of the seven matches at Houston Stadium (aka, NRG Stadium). Towards that end, Houston’s World Cup Host Committee has announced a new initiative to promote hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses that are committed to sustainability.

Called “New Year, New Hou,” the program will reward hospitality businesses that engage in environmentally-friendly business practices with one of three awards:

• Yellow Leaf (small businesses only) (3-6 points): Organizations completed actions that build awareness of sustainability and demonstrate immediate impact.
  
• Blue Leaf (7+ points): Businesses scaled up and expanded sustainability actions for greater impact.
  
• Green Leaf (7+ points and certification): Larger organizations showcased concerted efforts and earned a sustainability certification from those listed in the toolkit (e.g. Dine Green, Green Key).

To qualify, businesses complete an online survey that asks about practices related to waste management, energy use, and managing natural resources. They include: giving customers the ability to easily opt-out of plastic silverware for to-go orders, recycling, using LED light bulbs, composting, installing EV chargers and bike racks, planting trees, and sourcing ingredients from local farms. The application is open from January 12 until February 28 and is open to all restaurants, hotels, and motels within the Houston-Galveston Area Council boundaries.

“This is about making sustainable practices accessible and impactful for our local hospitality community,” Elizabeth Carlson, sustainability committee chair of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee, said in a statement. “The FIFA World Cup is a once-a-generation opportunity, and through ‘New Year, New Hou,’ we want to help Houston businesses not only prepare for an influx of global visitors, but also strengthen their operations in ways that will benefit them and the community long after the final match is played.”

Chef Shawn Gawle has earned a Blue Leaf at Camaraderie.Photo by Carla Gomez

Camaraderie, an casual fine dining restaurant in the Heights, has already received a Blue Leaf.

“For neighborhood restaurants like ours, sustainability isn’t a trend. It’s part of being a good community partner,” chef-owner Shawn Gawle said. “Programs like the Hospitality Sustainability Toolkit make it easier for small, locally owned restaurants to take meaningful steps that reduce waste, save resources and meet the expectations of visitors coming to Houston from around the world.”

Businesses that qualify will be included in a tourism guide that’s available for World Cup visitors.