SEATTLE—SportsArt, a leader in socially responsible fitness equipment and solutions for over 40 years, recently launched the G778 ECO-POWR Stepper, further expanding its innovative energy-generating line of cardio equipment. The non-motorized G778 ECO-POWR Stepper provides an effective step workout while generating usable electricity in any workout setting. Using SportsArt’s innovative ECO-POWR technology, the G778 converts up to 74 percent of human energy into clean, renewable energy. The built-in technology drives a connection between individual actions and environmental impact by generating up to 220 Wh of electricity per hour workout, offsetting energy consumption. That’s enough to power a computer for more...

NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has achieved its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability. A building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, green buildings, LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. This official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) makes the NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification...

SHARM EL-SHEIKH—During this year’s COP27 in Egypt, Radisson Hotel Group reaffirmed its strong commitment to sustainability by signing the Glasgow Declaration and encouraging other hospitality groups to join the call for strong actions to halve emissions over the next decade and reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050. Radisson Hotel Group is one of the top 1,000 companies with published approved science-based targets and has taken significant steps to define a clear path to becoming Net Zero by 2050, aligned with the landmark 2015 Paris Accord. Tourism & Travel as a sector represented 1/10 jobs and over...

BETHESDA, MD.—Pebblebrook Hotel Trust announced that it published its fourth annual Environmental Sustainability and Social Responsibility Report covering the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance in 2021 and its commitment to environmentally sustainable business practices and social responsibility to its employees and other stakeholders. Pebblebrook’s 2022 ESG Report is aligned with international reporting standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), includes disclosures from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), and reflects the company’s commitment to understanding and planning for sustainability risks through the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD). The 2022 ESG Report also sets forth the...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has updated its Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and is calling on the hospitality industry, including corporate clients and booking platforms, to use common measurement metrics to ensure a transparent and globally comparable approach to carbon, water and waste reporting. To remain up to date amidst a changing landscape of climate action, HCMI has been reviewed and improved based on user feedback and research by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research. This version has been updated to align with the latest GHG Protocol guidance and to better incorporate renewable energy with the support of Greenview. Publicly available carbon emissions factors have...

NATIONAL REPORT—Annual changes in U.S. hotel utility costs and in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or inflation, have historically proven to be strongly correlated. As of August 2022, CBRE is forecasting CPI growth to be 7.7 percent in 2022, followed by another 3.6 percent in 2023. Since inflation has averaged just 2.2 percent since 2000, these inflation projections have hoteliers concerned about operating costs. Given that rising energy costs are a significant driver of the current rise in CPI, hotel managers are especially worried about utility department expenses. Over the past 50 years, utility department expenses have averaged between 3...

BETHESDA, MD.—With a full slate of 2025 environmental impact goals, keeping track of progress is a mammoth job for Marriott International given its approximately 8,000 properties. Leading the collection of that data with a team of experts to help her is Marriott’s Sarah Boll, Senior Director, Energy & Sustainability, U.S./Canada. “We are the ones to gather data. We collect data on carbon intensity, water intensity, and waste,” Boll says. “Managing that data is a global responsibility. We do our best to clean it up and use it for target setting.” As leader of the data acquisition team, Boll overseas data acquisition...

NORTON SHORES, MICH.—EarthTronics, dedicated to developing innovative energy-saving lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact, introduces its Color & Wattage Selectable LED Yard Light. With three color temperatures and three wattages, it provides optimal area lighting for barns, storage sheds, entryways, pathways, parking lots, industrial and building perimeters, as well as yards and home security. The yard light comes with a photocell for dusk-to-dawn operation. Designed to efficiently replace 100- to 250-watt H.I.D. lamps for general purpose outdoor lighting applications, the Color & Wattage Selectable LED Yard Light offers the flexibility of switching between three temperatures, including 3000K,...

With approximately 8,000 properties under its wings, Marriott International, Inc. is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to influencing the direction of our industry—at all levels, including ESG— Environmental, Social, and Governance. Marriott just released its 2022 Serve 360 Report presenting data from 2021 and demonstrating its ESG efforts toward the company’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction is the name of Marriott’s sustainability and social impact platform. It was launched in 2017. When a company oversees so many properties, it also oversees a lot of employees. At year-end 2021,...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—At the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Trade Show (Oct 16 to 18, 2022) EVBox, a global leader in electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) announced its partnership with EV Charging Solutions for the distribution of their EVBox Iqon level 2 commercial EV charging station to the North American market. “Our EVBox Iqon charging station has gone through extensive engineering and quality processes to ensure superior performance and reliability,” said JM Miller (Sales Director North America at EVBox). “We invested substantial resources both in Europe and at our North American Operations in Libertyville, Chicago to ensure the EVBox Iqon exceeds...