NEW YORK—HX: The Hotel Experience and Boutique Design New York (BDNY), two adjoining trade shows held at the Javits Center November 13 to 14, wrapped up this week with numerous first-time suppliers introducing green products and services. In addition, veterans of the two shows were back to tout the green upsides to their products and services to the thousands of attendees. It would be impossible to list all the suppliers deserving of publicity, but the following are many of them, along with a brief description of what they featured at the shows. Sapphire Beverages introduced its water in easy-to-recycle aluminum...

NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has achieved its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability. A building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, green buildings, LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. This official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) makes the NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification...

STONE MOUNTAIN, GA.—In a major win for eco-conscious consumers and sports fans alike, WinCup’s phade, the world’s first marine biodegradable, home, and industrial compostable Caribbean blue drinking straw, has achieved the “triple crown” for sustainable foodservice products at professional sports venues in 2022. These unique new straws are the preferred straw of choice at SoFi Stadium in LA—host of Super Bowl LVI, TD Garden in Boston—home of the 2022 NBA Finals, and now Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia—home of Major League Baseball’s World Series. This trifecta is in addition to phade’s appearance for the last two years at the...

BETHESDA, MD.—Element Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands, unveiled an innovative collaboration with Lettuce Grow, a nationally recognized leader of hydroponic gardening. Together, they are providing travelers with direct access to free, farm-fresh produce while on the road. Element Hotels is driven by a wellness-first mindset that is deeply rooted in its commitment to sustainability and providing a balanced stay while redefining the longer stay experience. Designed for the healthy, active traveler, Element’s signature fully equipped kitchens make eating nutritiously a little bit easier while away from home. This first-of-its-kind hospitality collaboration brings all the perks of mindful eating...

LAAMU, MALDIVES—The new Sustainability Camp at Six Senses Laamu marked World Tourism Day on September 27 this year, complementing the brand-wide Climate Warriors initiative and the resort’s Junior Marine Biology program already in place. Covering the topics of “Zero Waste”, “Home Grown”, and “Nature Conservation”, it aimed to give teenage guests and their families insights into the sustainability initiatives and techniques used for the resort’s operations and provide a skillset for the daily improvements they can make at home, striving towards a more sustainable way of life. Sustainability Camp took place over three days, with two 90-minute sessions per day. Four sessions...

NHA TRANG, Vietnam—Six Senses Ninh Van Bay has introduced Ninh Van Greens, the first in-resort solar farm in Vietnam, named after the resort’s unique location and the idea of harnessing solar to power the resort while growing crops for the restaurants and spa. The Ninh Van Greens solar complex has the resources to produce electricity, organic vegetables and fruits, and hot water. One of the significant highlights of Ninh Van Greens is that the solar farm houses a 17,222 square-foot (1,600 square-meter) organic garden called Solar FreshCuts. Due to the ingenious placement of the solar panels, the land beneath them can be used...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Hotel Kitchen program, a partnership between World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), marks five years of fighting food waste this year. The program works with the hospitality industry using innovative strategies to engage staff, partners, and guests in cutting waste from hotel kitchens. By preventing food waste from occurring at their properties, donating excess food that is still safe for people to eat and diverting the rest away from landfills, hotels participating in the Hotel Kitchen program saw reductions of up to 38 percent of food waste in just 12 weeks. Food waste occurs while...

OSLO, NORWAY—Nordic Hotels & Resorts announced the grand opening of its newest luxury hotel, Sommerro, located in the heart of Frogner in Oslo’s West End. One of Europe’s most anticipated launches of 2022, the urban retreat is set within the former headquarters of Oslo Lysverker, the city’s original electrical company, and is energizing the neighborhood and its surroundings with a new sense of creative spirit that pays tribute to Norway’s cultural heritage. Providing a home away from home for both travelers and locals, the iconic 231-room Art Deco hotel is complete with 56 branded residences, seven restaurants and bars, meeting...

MILAN, ITALY—Stop wasting time, food, and money. Shelfy properly preserves fresh fruit and vegetables by extending their shelf life. Made from recycled plastics, Shelfy features Vitesy’s nanomolecular photocatalytic technology to reduce bacteria associated with food spoilage and degrade molecules that quickly ripen fresh fruits and vegetables. More than 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. every year. Food spoilage is the result of improper storage, lack of visibility in refrigerators, partially used ingredients and misjudged food needs. It’s costly, too. To the tune of $218 billion annually for Americans, or an average of $2,000 in wasted food,...

In my most recent Publisher’s Point of View column I wrote about the good things VISIT FLORIDA is doing to assist the victims of Hurricane Ian. I just learned that Clarion Events, producers of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show which will take place at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, November 1 to 3 leapt into action to find ways that they, the exhibitors and attendees could help support those impacted. During the trade show and conference, which will take place as planned, 100 percent of attendee registration fees collected, along with financial donations, food, equipment, and other items...