As it does every year in the lodging industry, the official beginning of autumn signals the start of the conference and trade show season. This fall there are a number of events around the United States that will feature opportunities to learn about green lodging trends, new products, and ways of doing business that can help the environment and your bottom line. Next week, from Tuesday through Friday, The Lodging Conference will be held in Phoenix at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. I will be moderating a green hotels workshop that will focus on “Initiatives That Save Money and Conserve Resources. Five panelists will share their expertise. The conference will also include a session on “Eco-friendly Design Concepts and Product Trends.”
In less than two months, the annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The event will be held November 8 to 11. For the first time, a green-themed keynote presentation will be featured. On Sunday, November 9, Christine Ervin, former president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), will present a seminar on “Sustainability.” During her five-year tenure with the U.S. Green Building Council, Ervin led the launch of the LEED green building rating system, and the Greenbuild Conference and Expo.
Also at the IH/M&RS, I will be moderating a seminar entitled, “Energy Miser All Stars: Conservation Lessons from the Best.” Panelists will include two directors of engineering and one chief engineer from hotels in Boston, New York and Chicago. This seminar will include 10 specific things you can do to reduce energy consumption to save thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars annually. The IH/M&RS is an ideal place to check out our industry’s newest and greenest products and technologies.
Greenbuild, Ecotourism Conferences
In addition to the events mentioned above, there are two other events taking place in October and November that you should not miss.
Leaders in sustainable tourism from across North America and beyond will meet in Vancouver, B.C., October 27 to 29, at the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2008. Hosted by the British Columbia Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective and the Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia, the conference will provide opportunities to gain knowledge of the latest trends in ecotourism and sustainable tourism, learn practical skills, and participate in invaluable networking and knowledge sharing.
Greenbuild, the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual conference and exhibition, will be held from November 19 to 21 in Boston. Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. This year, more than 25,000 attendees are expected to attend, eager to learn more about LEED green building certification, the nationally accepted system for green buildings, developed by USGBC as a tool to build healthy, energy-efficient, resource-friendly structures. This year, world-renowned leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the opening keynote speaker. More than 100 workshops and educational sessions will be offered throughout the show related to green building.
If you plan to attend The Lodging Conference, IH/M&RS or Greenbuild, be sure to contact me before the events. And, be sure to look for coverage of the events in Green Lodging News.
GLN Welcomes Save Your World as Founding Sponsor
Green Lodging News welcomes Save Your World as a Founding Sponsor. Save Your World offers a Hotel/Spa Amenity line of personal care products made with organic aloe vera and organic yerba maté. Save Your World was created in 2006. Through a partnership with Conservation International, it is helping to preserve one of the last remaining pristine rainforests on Earth. The 200,000 acres cover both rainforest and aquatic habitat along the Essequibo River in Guyana. For more information, call (734) 730-5649, e-mail cgood@saveyourworld.com, or click here.
GLN Welcomes Waterless Company as Directory Partner
Green Lodging News welcomes the Waterless Company as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Waterless Company manufactures Waterless No-Flush urinal systems and has been in operation since 1991. Headquartered in Vista, Calif., the company manufactures plumbing products for the institutional, commercial and industrial markets worldwide. Waterless recently introduced a line of soybean urinals. They are made from approximately 30 percent soybean resin. For additional information, call (800) 244-6364, e-mail sales@waterless.com, or go to www.waterless.com.
New Green Lodging News Blog
Be sure to bookmark the new Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. The address for the blog is http://greenlodgingnews.blogspot.com. More importantly, participate with your comments.
Plan Now for Fall, 2009 Advertising
If you are a supplier selling green products, be sure to call me at (440) 243-2055 to discuss your advertising plans for the fall and winter. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
