EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Excel Dryer, the global leader in touchless hand hygiene solutions, recently unveiled a comprehensive office expansion and renovation project. This initiative, rooted in the company’s mission to lead through innovation, aimed to merge beauty, health, wellness, and sustainability into its workplace. The project’s insights and methodologies are set to educate through a unique continuing education unit (CEU) course, offered by Architectural Record magazine in its Continuing Education Center, serving as a detailed roadmap of Excel Dryer’s innovative journey. Guided by the WELL Building Standard as a principal framework, the renovation serves as a case study showcasing Excel’s commitment to integrating the latest...

HELSINKI, FINLAND—Helsinki’s newest urban sanctuary, The Hotel Maria announced that the Green Key jury granted the hotel with the coveted Green Key certificate at its first meeting in 2024. Green Key is a leading sustainability program in the tourism sector. The Green Key certificate is recognition of commendable sustainability work, and its criteria meet the growing expectations of customers and partners regarding the sustainability of tourism services. The Hotel Maria, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection, has been committed to sustainability since its inception, and earning the Green Key certificate and meeting corresponding requirements have been longstanding goals. These requirements...

MIAMI—Underscoring its commitment to sustainability, Carnival Corporation & plc, the world’s largest cruise company, unveiled a new solar park at its Amber Cove Cruise Center in the Dominican Republic. The park’s 1,800-plus solar panels will supply 80 percent of the port’s energy demand. Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Line and Amber Cove Cruise Center celebrated with a ribbon cutting that was attended by government, industry, and community leaders, including Joel Santos, Minister of the Presidency of the Dominican Republic, and Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Line. “As we bring guests to enjoy the beauty and rich culture of the Dominican Republic, we also take our environmental stewardship here...

VERONA, PA.—The electrification and decarbonization of the commercial kitchen is becoming a hot topic throughout the hospitality industry. Green Lodging News recently addressed the topic in a Publisher’s Point of View column which highlighted the work of the William J. Worthen Foundation. The Foundation addresses all-electric kitchens in its “The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide.” Also championing a transition to all-electric and less carbon-intensive kitchens is Chef Christopher A. Galarza. A strong proponent of electric induction cooking, he is the author of Understanding the Green Industrial Revolution, An Interdisciplinary Look At the Hospitality Industry, Founder/Culinary Sustainability Consultant with Forward Dining...

AMSTERDAM—Reaffirming Booking.com’s commitment to showcase more sustainable travel options to all of its customers, and to help support accommodation partners on actions they can take to operate more sustainably, the leading digital travel platform has announced some updates to how it will display more sustainable choices to travelers around the world, focusing on third-party certifications. Booking.com will now introduce a label to acknowledge when a property has achieved a third-party sustainability certification coupled with the ability to filter searches accordingly. To date, over 16,500 properties have a third-party sustainability certification displayed on the platform. Moving forward, the Travel Sustainable name,...

BERLIN—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a pioneering readiness roadmap, aiming to simplify sustainability reporting in the Travel & Tourism sector. Launched during ITB Berlin, WTTC and Oliver Wyman announced the Sustainability Reporting Readiness Roadmap, a strategic tool to guide businesses through sustainability frameworks, compliance timelines, and readiness assessments, simplifying the journey towards sustainable compliance. This roadmap is more than just a tool; it’s a strategic compass, enabling companies to decode sustainability reporting complexities, identify relevant compliance standards, and evaluate their sustainability data and platform maturity. The call to action is clear: governments must offer sector-specific guidance and phased requirements...

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.—Restaurant Technologies broke its own sustainability record by recycling and converting more than 314 million pounds of used cooking oil (UCO) into renewable diesel or biodiesel in 2023, breaking the record set in 2022 by 25 million pounds. The company continues to help its 40,000 customers nationwide be more sustainable and reach their Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) goals to create a cleaner, more livable planet. With the support of renewable energy partners such as Chevron Renewable Energy Group, Restaurant Technologies converts 100 percent of UCO collected into renewable diesel or biodiesel. By eliminating packaging and converting UCO into renewable fuel, the company...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—Soul Community Planet (SCP) Hotels, a holistic hospitality company serving those who value wellness, social good and the environment, announced the opening of the Laguna Surf Lodge by SCP Hotels, a classic, beachfront experience in one of California’s most iconic destinations. Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, Calif., the 41-room eco surf lodge sits directly on the sand of the town’s legendary beach, an easy walking distance to the acclaimed art galleries, eateries, and boutiques of Laguna Beach village. The hotel immerses guests in the nostalgia of California’s fabled surf scene, while offering modern nature-based wellness experiences, locally...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—A groundbreaking statistical framework, developed under the leadership of UN Tourism, has been adopted by all 193 UN member states. The Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) thus becomes the internationally agreed reference framework for measuring the economic, social, and environmental aspects of tourism. The adoption by the UN Statistical Commission at its 55th session marks a historical milestone towards harnessing the full potential of the sector, providing a solution to the pressing need for a harmonized methodology to effectively assess the sustainability of tourism. “Tourism is a powerful force for positive change when managed responsibly and sustainably,” says Zurab Pololikashvili, UN...

Name: Emily McGarvey Title: Director of Sustainability Years Room & Board: Two Primary Responsibility: “To lead company in social and environmental strategy. Setting goals. Having a positive impact on people and planet. There’s no typical day. I get to work on a lot of different projects.” Company’s most significant accomplishment in social purpose and sustainability: “We have done a lot. Prioritizing American crafts people and having 90 percent of our products made in the U.S. Having that local and American supply chain.” Company’s most significant challenge moving forward in social purpose and sustainability: “One of the biggest challenges is figuring out what to...