VANCOUVER, B.C.—G-Kup, a Vancouver based start-up focused on sustainable packaging, announces the closing of its initial seed round comprised of several well-known U.S. and Canadian investors including The Charles Edison Fund (The Edison Fund invested as part of their new mandate of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship), Arlene Dickinson (CEO of Venture Communications and District Ventures, and formerly Dragons’ Den), and Lance Tracey (Co-Founder of Peer 1 and Sutton Group Realty).The initial funding will fuel G-Kup’s commercialization of its 100 percent compostable single serve coffee pod.The G-Kup, which has a rigid design similar to licensed Keurig brands, will work in...

DENVER—Showcasing more than a decade of leadership while taking on the challenge of climate change, global hospitality company Xanterra Parks & Resorts has released its 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, defining and measuring its innovative sustainability improvements. The report also announces ambitious stretch targets for the next decade.The report presents details of improvements measured against goals announced in 2004. The company tracks its environmental performance across all aspects of its operations using an ISO 14001 audited program launched in 2002.Xanterra entities include lodges, restaurants, tours and activities in national and state parks, as well as resorts, a cruise line,...

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Porous Pave, Inc. has introduced eight custom colors for Porous Pave. An eco-friendly green building product made in the United States, Porous Pave is a highly porous, flexible and durable pour-in-place surfacing material. Porous Pave XL consists of 50 percent recycled rubber chips and 50 percent stone aggregate with a urethane binder. Porous Pave XLS is 100 percent recycled rubber chips with a more elastic urethane binder. The custom colors are gray-black, tan-black, brown-black, cypress-black, red-black, brown-tan, green-brown, and blue-grey.“In the decade since we first introduced Porous Pave, landscape architects and contractors have experimented with mixing two...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Kulvase as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Kulvase utilizes a patented technology, which cools the water in the vase, thereby minimizing the deterioration of flowers and making them last two to three times longer. Roses frequently are so healthy that they start to grow new leaves and generally last about three times as long—typically about three weeks. Some robust varieties can last six weeks or longer. Kulvase technology diminishes the need to have to change the water, cut the flowers and rearrange the flowers. All...

MEMPHIS, TENN.—International Paper single-use food packaging products now include paper lids. The company announced the launch of new fiber-based lids, a first of its kind to be manufactured in North America, to fit many of the high-quality paper food containers produced by the Foodservice division. The one-piece container covers are specially designed with sustainability, ease of use, and branding possibilities in mind.“More and more customers are looking to take their environmental commitment one step further—they are looking for a total fiber package,” said Tracy Pearson, Vice President and General Manager, Foodservice. “The paper lid is a milestone for the...

NEW YORK—The de Blasio administration earlier this month announced a proposal to require large-scale commercial food establishments to separate organic waste. Food scraps and other organic material makes up one-third of all commercial waste, and diverting this material from landfills—to be used as a soil amendment through composting or as feedstock for clean, renewable energy through anaerobic digestion—will be a critical opportunity for New York City. The City laid out an ambitious plan to send zero waste to landfills and reduce waste disposal by 90 percent relative to 2005 levels, by 2030 in “One New York: The Plan for...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The world’s only large-scale recycler of hotel soap recently opened an office and recycling center in Montreal. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., Clean the World is a global social enterprise that has contributed to a 30 percent reduction in pre-adolescent deaths from hygiene-related illnesses since 2009. With the new facility coming online, soap and bottled amenities collected from hotels in Canada will benefit Canadians at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.Each month, close to 850,000 Canadians receive assistance from food banks. About 36 percent of those helped are children and youth. Through a partnership with Moisson Montreal, one of Canada’s major...

NEW YORK—To mark its centennial anniversary, the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) is unveiling a new brand and mission to better capture the dynamic innovation of the hospitality industry. HX: The Hotel Experience—Rooms to Restaurants (HX), will debut November 8 to 10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City and represents a bold new strategic direction.This multimillion-dollar investment aimed at revitalizing the largest hospitality trade event in North America is founded on the belief that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a memorable and unique experience. To achieve that, HX...

INDIANAPOLIS—An upscale amenity collection from Parisian perfumer diptyque, designed to take guests on a sensorial journey from the Mediterranean to the gates of the East, is introducing a fresh take on its packaging. The collection comes in tubes made of HDPE and they are recyclable. The cap is made from polypropylene and is recyclable as well. The new packaging is being offered in the form of 40 ml (1.35 fl oz) tubes.“We are very pleased to be partnering yet again with one of the world’s finest and most respected perfumers,” said Kathie DeVoe, CEO of Gilchrist & Soames. “We...

OTTAWA, ON.—Green Key Global and Clean The World Canada, two leaders in corporate social responsibility (CSR), announced a partnership that will promote soap recycling to hotels in Canada and beyond. The partnership will encourage Green Key Global members to collect and recycle hotel soap and bottled amenities that will help fight the spread of preventable diseases.Green Key Global is a leading environmental certification body whose suite of industry standard programs and resources has been designed specifically for the lodging and meetings industries. Their affordable programs help members leverage organizational CSR activities to support sustainable initiatives, and improve overall fiscal...