Executive Director

Dan Ruben is the executive director of Boston Green Tourism, which is a catalyst for expanding the use of environmentally-friendly practices in Greater Boston's visitor industry. Boston Green Tourism works with local hotels, convention centers and restaurants. Its mission is to make Boston a green convention and tourism destination. Boston Green Tourism was awarded an Environmental Merit Award by the EPA in April 2008.

Previously, Dan was the executive director of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions, an organization that planned, implemented and publicized environmental best practices at the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. CERC won the international Environmentally Responsible Meeting Award, two EPA Environmental Merit awards, and Mass Energy’s Advocate of the Year award. Dan advised the City of Denver about greening the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Dan served for eight years as vice president and one year as president of the Green Decade Coalition/Newton, a grassroots volunteer environmental non-profit, and currently serves as a board member. The Green Decade works with households, businesses, schools and institutions in Newton and elsewhere to implement measurable improvements in the way they use resources. Dan started a campaign in 2006 to get the City of Newton to negotiate a performance contract that would make all of its buildings more energy efficient.  The campaign succeeded, and the City signed a performance contract that is expected to be $12 to $20 million.

Dan also serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance, and was the Vice President of the Board.

Dan was the Eastern Massachusetts Coordinator for the Global Action Plan's Household EcoTeam Program, and has coached about 180 participants on more than 30 Household EcoTeams to live environmentally sustainable lifestyles. For this, he was honored as Unsung Environmental Hero for Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 1998. He has initiated Low Carbon Diet teams, too, and has conducted training sessions for team leaders on behalf of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network. That organization recognized him as an Everyday Climate Hero.

Before working in the environmental sector, Dan spent 17 years as a health care administrator with Harvard Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. For seven years, Dan was the Health Center Administrator of HCHP’s Swansea Health Center.

Dan speaks and writes on the subjects of green hospitality, global warming and environmentally sustainable lifestyles. He has advised organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Cotton Incorporated, the City of Denver, Clear Channel Communications, Pioneer Investments, the American Cancer Research Association, the Down to Earth Expo and the Energy Smackdown television show on adopting and communicating environmentally-friendly practices.