OAK BROOK, ILL.—Nine months after taking over as General Manager of the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, Stefan Mühle is just part of the way toward reaching his goal of transforming the property into a uniquely green destination with a “boutique heart and soul.” Mühle, who co-founded the Sustainability Committee for the Hotel Council of San Francisco, knows a thing or two about greening a boutique hotel. During his time as General Manager, the 104-room Orchard Hotel in San Francisco earned Green Seal and LEED certification. Transforming the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—The new Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel has checked in its first guests. Among the 200 new Haitian hotel workers who welcomed them were young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Haitian-Americans who want to share their hospitality skills to help boost Haiti’s tourism economy. The stories of these new associates include Luccardo, who was recruited to work at the hotel’s front desk from the Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs orphanage, and Hermine, who was part of the hotel’s intern program and will be an entry-level supervisor. In addition to members of a Haitian-American executive team, the Haiti Marriott is led...

NATIONAL REPORT—The Association of Green Property Owners and Managers (AGPOM), along with the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), are planning several educational webinars. The first one, “How to measure and report your carbon footprint using the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) methodology,” will take place on Tuesday, March 17.More than 21,000 hotels around the world have adopted the HCMI methodology that allows them to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings in a consistent and transparent way.During the webinar one can learn to:•    Provide the carbon footprint information your customers are requesting;•    Understand your environmental impacts...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has achieved World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers Program targets, reducing its operational CO2 emissions by 20 percent below 2006 levels. In doing so, the luxury hotel brand known for its industry leading sustainability programming becomes the first hotel brand to meet this ambitious environmental goal.WWF’s Climate Savers Program was designed to inspire companies to change their thinking about climate solutions, while also encouraging them to transform themselves into low-carbon leaders. This leaves member companies better placed to avoid carbon-related risks while realizing opportunities within their long-term business strategies. Fairmont joined Fortune...

INWOOD, N.Y.—Electrolux has for the second year running been included as a constituent in the Global Compact 100, a stock index composed of companies which have signed the United Nations Global Compact.According to the United Nations Global Compact, the Global Compact 100 is composed of a representative group of companies with “strong practices and performance in adhering to the principles of the UN Global Compact around management of human rights, labor rights, the environment and anti-corruption.” Selected companies also show “evidence of executive leadership commitment and consistent base-line profitability.”The index, which was launched in 2013 in partnership with research...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Energy Star certified clothes dryers are now available nationwide through major retailers. At least 45 models of dryers earning the Energy Star label, including Whirlpool, Maytag, Kenmore, LG, and Safemate, are at least 20 percent more efficient and now available at prices comparable to standard dryers.“Dryers are one of the most common household appliances and the biggest energy users,” said U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “EPA’s Energy Star certified clothes dryers offer Americans an opportunity to save energy and do their part to combat climate change. By working with industry,...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—T&S Brass and Bronze Works announced that EnviroPure, its organic food waste disposal system, was a finalist in Catering Insight magazine’s Catering Equipment of the Year competition. EnviroPure was one of five “Highly Commended” contenders in the Waste & FOG (Fats, Oils and Grease) Management category.“The EnviroPure technology allows operators to streamline their organic waste disposal process and helps to reduce day to day operational costs,” says Bert Dittmar, Director of European sales for T&S. “The system also reduces on-site waste storage capacities, making it a win-win situation for both investors and operators.”EnviroPure systems offers self-contained, small...

BERLIN—More than 500 hotels and B&Bs that serve exclusively vegetarian or vegan food are now listed on the VeggieHotels web portal. VeggieHotels makes it easy to find purely vegetarian hotels, guest houses and conference centers. Over 500 accommodations in 60 countries with purely vegetarian kitchens are already listed. From the simple guest house to the five star hotel, the whole range of the hotel business is represented.More and more people are choosing the health related, ecological and ethical advantages of a vegetarian or vegan life style. Millions of vegetarian and vegan tourists constitute a significant target group and VeggieHotels...

QUINCY, MASS.—Next Step Living’s EcoThermal Filter System has earned the Green Restaurant Assn. endorsement by meeting its rigorous environmental endorsement standards.The EcoThermal Filter System can earn a restaurant up to nine GreenPoints towards becoming a Certified Green Restaurant. This one step can help restaurants achieve 90 percent of their energy requirements.“Installing an EcoThermal Filter System is a big step towards helping commercial kitchens save energy, while making use of what’s already in kitchens: the cook line,” says Michael Oshman, CEO and founder of the Green Restaurant Assn. “It’s not often that such an innovative product comes to the marketplace...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Laundrylux Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner in the “Ironers” category. According to Laundrylux, using a Electrolux IC4 4832 FLF series Ironer is a more efficient and faster way to dry linen than drying with hot air from a conventional dryer. What makes the Electrolux model so appealing is that it can be mounted against a wall and accomplish the work of four people with only one operator. The Ironer comes with automatic feeding and folding with the linen always returning to the operator....