BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corp. has been recognized by USA Today as one of America’s Climate Leaders for 2023. This inaugural award recognizes U.S.-based companies with the most significant year-over-year reductions in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions relative to revenue. “We are proud to be named one of America’s top climate leaders of 2023 in recognition of our ongoing commitment to reduce our climate impact and achieve our Net Zero goals,” said Pam Klyn, Whirlpool Corporation’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations and Sustainability. “This progress has been made possible through the prioritization of energy retrofits, the use of offsite and...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—The aim to reduce food waste and offer more low carbon foods in the hospitality industry is set to be a key focus for the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s (SHA) partnership with World Resources Institute (WRI). The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and WRI have a shared commitment to helping the hospitality industry reduce its food-related emissions by 25 percent by 2030. By shifting to low carbon foods and reducing food waste the industry can maximize its action on climate change and meet its targets for addressing the climate crisis. The partnership aims to engage employees and customers by bringing the latest science...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International recently released its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. (See the recent press release.) The report highlights significant new steps that should cut utility costs, save time for franchisees, and increase the company’s ESG commitments. Among the steps highlighted in the release is the hiring of Megan Brumagim, Vice President, Sustainability for Choice Hotels. That hiring was announced in April 2022. Green Lodging News recently interviewed Brumagim about Choice’s ESG initiatives. Here are the results of that interview in Q&A format. GLN: Prior to your appointment, nobody was leading the ESG charge at Choice. (Unless...

STRATHAM, N.H.—BioGreen360, a leading innovator in distributed food waste management solutions, announced it has entered into a national partnership with Sage Hospitality Group to develop a closed-loop program to divert 100 percent of their hotels’ food waste from landfill with the residual material being integrated into an array of all-natural compost and fertilizer products. The companies have agreed to roll out the BioGreen360 circular solution to food waste in a phased approach across Sage Hospitality Group’s portfolio of hotels. The first phase of the collaboration includes program installations at five properties in key urban and resort markets across the U.S. After...

SCOTTSVILLE, KY.—Phil Meredith, Foodservice SBA Director Americas announced the expansion of Halton’s manufacturing facility dedicated to commercial air handling segment. Halton, a leading maker of commercial kitchen ventilation and air distribution systems, is investing $7.4 million to expand the company’s facility in Allen County, creating 60 full-time Kentucky jobs. Work will start immediately and is expected to be completed during the first half of 2024. The project will see the company expand its current manufacturing operation in Scottsville by 50,000 square feet, bringing its operational space to 91,000 square feet at its second facility. This expansion joins its sister facility, bringing...

AHLA last conducted The Lodging Survey with STR in 2018. It provided valuable information on numerous trends in lodging, including ones falling under Sustainability. AHLA and STR no longer conduct that survey. A very valuable replacement to that survey is the 2022 Green Lodging Trends U.S. Market Report. It is based on U.S.-specific data gathered for the 2022 edition of the global Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR). The newly available U.S. report from AHLA—representing its Responsible Stay program—is based on data from 17,000 U.S. hotels. There were two data collection methods: direct participation by responding to the GLTR survey on...

SAN FRANCISCO—Loliware, the world’s first seaweed-resin company, announced the launch of a new partnership with José Andrés Group (JAG), whose restaurants across the globe span cuisines and cultures, price points, and service styles. Loliware straws will make their Chicago debut this week at Bar Mar, Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, and Jaleo, before expanding to properties in D.C. and later at José Andrés Group restaurants across the country. “The food system is not just about what is on the plate but the plate itself, the fork in your hand, and the straw in your drink,” said Sam Bakhshandehpour, President of...

The world’s ongoing water crisis is real. One in four of the world’s largest cities are currently in water stress, and the global infrastructure for collecting, cleaning, and distributing water is critically strained. We are locked in an ongoing struggle to maintain sufficient supplies of water in the face of increasing global temperatures and continuing worsening droughts. Water waste is not only a major contributor to the decline of reservoirs, but also a significant source of carbon emissions. Water treatment and delivery in the United States account for 13 percent of the country’s total electricity consumption. In many municipalities, water is...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Millennium Hotels and Resorts recognizes the travel industry’s significant environmental impact and announced its sustainability vision at the 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market (ATM). Keeping in line with the exhibition’s theme of “Working Towards Net Zero,” the hotel group’s stand is free from paper and single-use plastics as well as features food and beverages from local suppliers. The brand is committed to contributing towards minimizing the impact of travel and will be actively addressing environmental issues related to the use and conservation of energy and water, elimination of single-use plastics, supporting local communities and working towards obtaining ISO14001...

As mentioned previously on Green Lodging News, I attended HD Expo in Las Vegas from May 2-4. Thanks to Covid-19, it had been four years since I last attended this event focused on hospitality design. What was clear immediately to me this time was that the show and conference was as strong as ever and the number of sustainability stories was at a record level. In my article this past week I listed many of the companies in attendance that jumped out at me in one way or another as having something new, unique, or showing evidence of the continuation...