OLYMPIC VALLEY, CALIF.—To help achieve Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows’ goal to be powered by 100 percent clean, renewable energy sources, Liberty Utilities, the electric service provider in the Lake Tahoe region of California, is actively collaborating with resort leadership to identify and develop new renewable energy generation, storage and energy efficiency projects to benefit the Olympic Valley and surrounding areas. Subject to regulatory approval, the two companies intend to achieve the resort’s 100 percent renewable goal as early as December 2018. “Liberty Utilities is committed to furthering the renewable energy goals of the State of California and has already made...

BANGKOK—Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas announced that Jeffery Smith has been promoted to Vice President, Sustainability from his former role of Director of Sustainability. He takes over the position from Amber Marie Beard who will consult on special projects. Since joining Six Senses in 2016, Smith has been an integral part in supporting the group’s leadership position in sustainable hospitality. He spearheaded the redevelopment of the group’s Earth Lab concept with sustainability leaders from across all Six Senses properties and lead the first Six Senses Sustainability Conference. He continuously coordinates closely with both Technical Services and Operations to ensure that...

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Hotel101 Resort-Boracay will soon rise on the beachfront of Boracay Newcoast featuring 1,001 rooms and is expected to become the biggest hotel in the Philippines in terms of room count. The project will sit on a two-hectare property on the beachfront cove and support environmentally friendly operations and sustainable tourism. Hotel101 Resort-Boracay is a joint venture project of Hotel of Asia Inc., a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Properties Corp., a property company led by Mang Inasal, Founder, and DoubleDragon Chairman Edgar Injap Sia II and Jollibee Founder and DoubleDragon Co-Chairman Tony Tan Caktiong, and Newcoast South Beach, Inc. led by...

ATLANTA—The Green Spa Network (GSN) announces its 6th Annual Sustainability Awards, which recognize innovation and leadership by the spa industry in support of a vital planet and vital people. With its annual awards, GSN celebrates the collective contributions to a more sustainable future. The 2017 GSN Sustainability Award Winners Include: Sustainable Building Winner: Mohonk Mountain House Other Finalists Include: The Omega Center Spa Anjali at The Westin Riverfront Innovative Sustainability Initiative Winner: St. Julien (Waste Reduction Initiative) Other Finalists Include: Eminence Forests for the Future initiative (GSN Platinum Sponsor) Blackberry Farm’s Agricultural Program Leadership in Sustainability Winners Day Spa: Complexions Spa Other Finalists Include: Spa Habitat Hiatus...

NEW YORK—Designtex announced that it has received the REPREVE Champions of Sustainability award in the category of Circular Economy recognizing companies that demonstrated best-in-class use of the closed loop concept, which aims to eliminate waste throughout the product life cycle. As an innovator and leader in environmental sustainability, Designtex is committed to investing in research and development and continues to educate the design industry on the importance of incorporating these principles into every project. In 2013, Designtex introduced Loop to Loop, the result of an unprecedented collaboration with Steelcase, Canadian textile manufacturer Victor, and Unifi, to create the first upholstery...

NAPILI, MAUI, HAWAII—Napili Kai Beach Resort, located on one of Maui’s most beautiful reef-protected bays, has introduced an educational program to encourage visitors to use reef-safe sunscreens. In recent years, coral reefs throughout Hawaii and the world have shown damage and bleaching due to a variety of environmental factors, including poisoning from chemical sunscreen. Many common sunscreen ingredients can lower reef tolerance to bleaching and interrupt the development of marine life, including the coral itself, which is a living organism. Starting in mid-December, Napili Kai now welcomes arriving guests with a free sample packet of Raw Elements reef-safe sunscreen, along with a discount coupon to purchase more and information about the damaging effects of...

NATIONAL REPORT—Soil is a vital resource. Crops require it for production of the world’s food, yet the very people who are fed by those crops often do things that permit erosion of the soil. The buildup of silt in waterways and municipal storm sewers has caused flooding and damage to property, resulting in an ever-growing need to reduce soil erosion. In the simplest terms, prevention of soil erosion comes down to two main features: Establishment of vegetation and management of water flow. Those two techniques are utilized in several different ways, including these common solutions. Runoff Management Perhaps the most obvious culprit...

NEW YORK—HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services, announced its sponsorship of a white paper entitled “2018 Sustainable Tourism Index,” using research carried out by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Tourism accounts for approximately 10 percent of world GDP and just under 10 percent of all jobs. Driven by rising wages in emerging markets, tourism is primed to power further global growth, however the industry can only realize its full potential through sustainable practices. Key findings include: France and Germany exhibit the strongest commitments to sustainable tourism while China and India’s high-growth tourism sectors could provide a...

NEW YORK—Wabu (Wood After Being Used), wood furniture made entirely with reclaimed wood that’s hand-crafted, affordable and easy to assemble with no tools required, is now available on Indiegogo. “It is our duty to leave the planet in better shape than we found it or at least try our best to do so,” said wabu Co-founder Carl Bardawil, who launched the company with his sister, Christelle. “Every two seconds, man destroys an area the size of a football field, meaning 80,000 acres of forest disappears every day—representing 50,000 square miles a year.” With the purchase of each piece in the wabu...

The momentum toward energy efficient buildings is transcending the harsh political climate in Washington, occurring primarily at the state and city levels in the United States, at the level of nonprofit organizations, and in other countries that are the fastest-growing source of climate pollution. Locally initiated policies for improved building efficiency have always driven the bulk of activity at the national level, both in the United States and in countries such as Russia. With the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which calls for the world to pursue action to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees, we see...