It was a busy last week with Earth week peaking on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22. There were numerous newsworthy announcements worth mentioning. First, Hilton released its Environmental, Social and Governance Report. The ESG Report highlights the company’s environmental and social performance during a tumultuous year. Among the report’s highlights: The company took steps to increase sourcing of renewable energy at hotels around the world, in line with the company’s science-based targets. In 2020, most Hilton-managed hotels in the United Kingdom began procuring 100 percent renewable electricity. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced it is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its award-winning...

DELAVAN, WIS.—The immediate pandemic-related challenges facing businesses, schools and institutions has led to a drastic shift in the way they all address how to provide a safe, healthy, and smart process for reopening and operating their buildings. Thankfully, they now all have a sensible path to reopening and operating safely without risking any of their own capital. Onsite Utility Services Capital (OUS Capital) announces the Clean Air as a Service program: An affordable and efficient air purification system that removes odors, particulates, viruses (including Covid-19), bacteria, and volatile organic compounds from a building’s indoor air, without discharging any harmful byproducts, all without requiring any capital, debt or maintenance costs. Using patented cold plasma...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton has released its 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which highlights the company’s continued commitment to redefining sustainable travel and driving positive impact on people and the planet. Through Hilton’s Travel with Purpose program, the company continues to take important steps to integrate positive social impact and environmental stewardship throughout its operations, communities, and supply chain. “As we weathered this unpredictable year, Hilton has remained focused on our Team Members and the communities we serve around the world,” said Kristin Campbell, General Counsel and Chief ESG officer, Hilton. “We took a nimble approach during this difficult period to...

SAVANNAH, GA.—Green Badger, the premier cloud-based LEED certification software solution for the construction industry, has announced the release of the Jobsite Sustainability portal­­, a platform for builders, general contractors and owners to benchmark and track carbon emissions, jobsite wellness, and energy and water consumption throughout the construction process. The new functionality allows construction projects to incorporate sustainability goals across all jobsites, while comparing to internal or industry standards. “Incorporating sustainability into all projects is important, even when a 3rd party green certification isn't required,” said Tommy Linstroth, founder, and CEO of Green Badger. “Carbon and energy are traditionally focuses once...

CINCINNATI—Tide announced its 2030 Ambition, a set of broad-reaching sustainability and purpose-driven commitments, spanning Tide’s full United States and Canadian supply chain and community initiatives. Tide is reinventing clean on its journey to decarbonize laundry at every step—from design, manufacturing and distribution to consumer use and end of life. To make this goal a reality, the brand will focus on key areas. In 2020, Tide reduced absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in its direct manufacturing by more than 75 percent annually versus a decade ago and has set a new goal to cut GHG emissions in half at its direct...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council, the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions, released a new framework to assist governments and building industry stakeholders in meeting energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals. The Code Council Board of Directors, which consists of 18 government code officials who were elected by their peers, adopted the framework, Leading the Way to Energy Efficiency: A Path Forward on Energy and Sustainability to Confront a Changing Climate. This framework includes using the Code Council’s American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved standards process to update the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Future editions of the IECC will build on prior successes...

GLENVIEW, ILL.—For the 14th consecutive year, ITW Food Equipment Group announces that it has once again earned the nation’s highest honor for energy efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it has awarded ITW Food Equipment Group its Energy Star Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award for 2021. By maintaining a focus on energy savings and efficiency in the manufacturing of food equipment from its family of premium brands—Hobart, Traulsen, Vulcan, Wolf, Baxter and Stero—ITW Food Equipment Group has earned Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence awards since 2010, as well as Energy Star Partner of...

For the past several decades, the hotel and resort industry has made impressive shifts toward more environmentally friendly operational practices. Eliminating single-use shampoo bottles and asking guests to reuse towels and sheets are some of the basic and necessary steps hotels have taken to ensure a greener planet. While these measures have undoubtedly resulted in a smaller carbon footprint, according to the New Building Institute, they are still not enough. The institute, which tracks net-zero buildings around the country, calls the hotel and resort industry’s record on energy and water consumption “lackluster.” It says this is due to several reasons, including...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—LG Air Conditioning Technologies USA has unveiled a Connectivity Suite with new integration capabilities that offers hoteliers and building owners the flexibility to use their preferred hotel thermostat brand when installing LG Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems. This enables direct, seamless integration of data with control options that are compatible with LG’s award-winning HVAC systems. Expanding integration to the most preferred hospitality thermostats available, LG delivers a control solution that is compatible with the company’s highly efficient VRF systems. LG’s industry leading VRF technology minimizes efficiency losses, provides sustainable energy savings, and offers flexible design options, along with the...

In late March, BREEAM hosted the first ever online BREEAM Awards ceremony. The three-day virtual event celebrated this year’s shortlisted and winning projects with over 400 attendees joining online from all over the world. BREEAM has been the world-leading sustainability assessment method for planning projects, infrastructure, and buildings for over 30 years. The BREEAM Awards is an annual celebration recognizing the projects and organizations that, in the view of the independent judging panel, are leading the way with significant achievements in sustainable building design, development and management. The three-day ceremony, which was hosted by BRE’s Head of Building Performance Services Shamir...