BIG SUR, CALIF.—Post Ranch Inn, recognized throughout the world as a leading green coastal property, has switched on a 990-panel solar installation, the largest hotel solar project in California and one of the largest in the United States. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the system is estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 611,000 pounds annually. That is equivalent to removing more than 50 vehicles from the road or serving nearly 39 U.S. households’ electricity needs. The solar array is owned and operated by Recurrent Energy, a distributed power company and leading provider of onsite solar energy. Post...

PORTLAND, ORE.—What was once a vacant bank building in downtown Portland will open in May as the Courtyard by Marriott—Portland City Center. The 256-room hotel was built to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The structure, which has been given a new shell, three new floors and brand new mechanical systems, is expected to be the first LEED Gold hotel in the Pacific Northwest. Certification is expected this fall. Green hotels are becoming the norm in Portland. The Avalon Hotel & Spa announced its LEED certification last summer, The Nines hotel is expected to be...

SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco’s Orchard Hotel joins its sister property—the Orchard Garden Hotel—in green certification, earning LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification for an existing building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). San Francisco’s only hotel to earn this honor, the Orchard Hotel is the second hotel in California and fourth hotel in the world with this certification. LEED-EB is the USGBC’s system for operating high performance buildings dedicated to whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues, recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and systems upgrades. The Orchard Hotel includes 104 guestrooms and is located just two blocks from Union Square...

HOUSTON—Hilton Americas-Houston, the city’s largest hotel, has just received the unique distinction of becoming the first hotel in the state of Texas to achieve Green Seal certification. Demonstrating environmental leadership in operations and purchasing, the downtown Houston convention hotel reduced their environmental impact and improved sustainability in accordance with stringent guidelines set out by Green Seal in order to obtain the certification. This certification confirms that Hilton Americas-Houston complies with the environmental and performance requirements of the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties—Silver level. Green Seal, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace,...

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.—On Earth Day, April 22, The Charles Hotel will introduce several new green initiatives: The Charles Hotel “Juice Bar” for electric cars, the nanoMAX small car detection system, and a Hotel Bike Program. As a recipient of the Good Earthkeeping Award by the American Hotel and Lodging Assn., The Charles Hotel has long been dedicated to being “green.” The Juice Bar, which is located in the ProPark America managed hotel garage, will allow customers to charge their hybrid and electric cars for free. Two separate parking stalls will be equipped with dual charging outlets, featuring a GFI protected outlet...

HOLLAND, MICH.—CityFlats Hotel is one of three new construction hotels in the world to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification in the Hotel/Resort Category. CityFlats, located on the corner of 7th St. and College Ave. in downtown Holland, is also the first hotel in the Midwest to be awarded this certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). According to USGBC, LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally...

ALICE SPRINGS, AUSTRALIA—The Crowne Plaza Alice Springs hotel set a new benchmark for Australia’s business sector and hotel industry when it switched on the largest building-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system in the Southern Hemisphere and began its $50,000 in-house energy efficiency program. The groundbreaking $3.3 million PV installation will reduce the hotel’s energy consumption by 40 to 80 percent dependant on the time of year, with the energy efficiency program further reducing consumption by 18 percent. Crowne Plaza Alice Springs’ owner, Investnorth Pty Ltd, hopes other Australian businesses will follow their example. “Australia’s movement towards a green economy is not just...

OGUNQUIT, MAINE—The Meadowmere Resort here on the southern coast of Maine is demonstrating that a small resort can thrive while continuously reducing its environmental impact. The 144-room property, owned by the Cavaretta family, is operated with the belief that ecological and economic sustainability go hand in hand. Open year-round, not always a given in the Pine Tree State, the resort is an active member of Maine’s Green Lodging Certification program. The program, which is run by Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, first certified the property as an Environmental Leader in 2006. It has since been recertified and has tripled...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary certification program that recognizes tourism businesses for reducing their environmental footprint through eco-friendly practices, recently announced that the historic Pfister Hotel has earned certification. Developed by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the Travel Green Wisconsin program is the nation’s first “green” travel program sponsored by a state tourism agency. Today more than 200 businesses have been certified. The Pfister Hotel received a Travel Green Wisconsin score of 63 points, which was more than double the number of points required to earn the certification. Among the highlights from The Pfister’s checklist of eco-friendly practices:...

HONOLULU—Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has recently been awarded the 2008 Energy Star seal of approval by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the fourth time in the past five years. Rated for its energy consumption on a scale from one to 100, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa scored 81 for its performance, the highest rating it has ever achieved. “We are honored to receive the distinguished Energy Star designation once again,” said Chris Tatum, general manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. “We are pleased to share...