EARTHDAY.ORG, together with partners worldwide, just announced the global theme for Earth Day 2026: Our Power, Our Planet. It is time to start planning your property’s activities for April 22 or for the entire Earth Week of April 19 to 25. In the past hotels, hotel companies and suppliers have organized volunteer efforts and educational opportunities for guests and staff. One example of a company activity for Earth Day 2025: Staypineapple, the national boutique hotel brand, used Earth Day to announce its progress in sustainable practices. A major milestone in Staypineapple’s sustainability journey came in 2024 with the complete elimination...

In a post last May I reported that Hawaii’s governor signed SB1396, creating the climate impact fee, or “green fee,” that will help the islands to mitigate the impacts of climate change and the roughly 10 million annual visitors it welcomes to its shores. The legislation boosts a tax imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change. Beginning January 1, the measure adds an additional 0.75 percent to the daily room rate tax—a modest extra $3 tax on a $400 hotel room rate. It also levies a...

At Boutique Design New York in November, I was introduced to Nextac, “the next evolution in PTAC and VTAC technology.” It was the Nextac PTAC unit that caught my eye primarily because of its size. It protrudes only 6 inches from the wall compared to a traditional PTAC with a 12-inch protrusion. According to Ephoca, the maker of Nextac PTACs/VTACs, its PTACs uses 75 percent less power while recovering up to 80 percent of exhaust heat. Nextac units were designed to reduce carbon emissions and meet evolving regulations. ThermaSleeve insulation prevents air leakage to boost performance and lower energy costs....

At the Clean Show in August, I had an opportunity to chat with Charity Handley, owner of Match With Nature. Based in Australia and with a warehouse in New Jersey, Match With Nature is the maker of eco-friendly detergent sheets for laundromats, hotels, and other high-demand facilities. Handley told me that back in 2023 she was setting up a laundry mat in Sydney, Australia and was exploring detergent options for vending machines. With her history of allergies and skin conditions, and her goal of impacting the environment as little as possible, she decided to make detergent sheets with the best...

A new OysterLink analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that Black or African American professionals remain significantly underrepresented in management, business, and financial operations roles within the U.S. leisure and hospitality sector. Key Takeaways Black professionals hold just 9.5 percent of hospitality leadership roles in 2024, down from 11.3 percent in 2022. Leadership roles in leisure and hospitality grew 16 percent since 2020, but Black representation has stagnated or declined. Penn State 2025 data shows Black leaders occupy only 2.1 percent of director-to-CEO positions, with one Black C-suite leader per 68 executives. White employees continue to dominate leadership at ~78 percent, while...

It is estimated that around 1.5 billion toothpaste tubes are thrown away annually worldwide. That is certainly nothing to smile about. Most tubes are made from a blend of plastics and aluminum foil, making them non-recyclable in standard facilities. These tubes can take hundreds of years to decompose, contributing to landfill and ocean waste. When a guest approaches your front desk in need of toothpaste to clean their teeth, because they have forgotten theirs, what do you give them? Last month, Green Lodging News reported that ENML, the dentist-designed and veteran-owned oral wellness brand, announced a new pilot partnership with five...

Tony Picardi just reported the release of the 2025 Representation in Hotel Leadership research report. It was produced by the Penn State School of Hospitality Management. The report indicates the representation of women in upper-level management in the hotel industry has stagnated and Black representation in upper levels of hotel company management has decreased from 2022 to 2025. Conversely, data indicates that progress is being made in diversifying corporate boards, particularly with respect to racial diversity. A team of doctoral students supervised by Phil Jolly, Associate Professor of Hospitality Management at Penn State, reviewed publicly available data spanning more than 10,000 individuals...

Hospitality food and beverage professionals, sustainability experts, general managers, and operators should plan now to attend the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s first-ever joint Responsible Stay and Food & Beverage Summit, happening March 3 to 4, 2026 at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in McLean, Va. “Cross-summit” sessions will explore strategies for reducing food waste (via programs like Hotel Kitchen) and responsible sourcing, in addition to specific programming for food and beverage and sustainability professionals. Responsible Stay programming will cover recent advances in sustainable technology, insights on decarbonization and more. Designed for hospitality food and beverage and sustainability professionals, as well as general managers...

While at Boutique Design New York (BDNY) earlier this week, I spoke with many suppliers about their sustainability initiatives. One company that really caught my attention was Poly-Wood, LLC because of its impressive trash to treasure story—all in one manufacturing facility. POLYWOOD is the name of the wood first made more than 30 years ago utilizing recycled plastic—high-density polyethylene, an extremely durable type of plastic you’ll find all around your home: milk jugs, detergent containers, shampoo bottles, lotion bottles, cleaner spray bottles, etc. The best part of high-density polyethylene (HDPE for short) is that it can be infinitely recycled. Poly-Wood’s...

As reported on Green Lodging News, for the second consecutive year, Zurn Elkay Water Solutions was included in Newsweek’s list of America’s Greenest Companies 2026, highlighting 450 U.S.-based companies that have made the most impressive efforts to minimize their negative impact on the environment. This year’s ranking evaluated companies based on more than 25 parameters in four different categories. Categories included greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, waste generation and sustainability data disclosure and commitments. I was curious to know the other companies besides Zurn on the list with some lodging connections. The list is short with just four companies identified: American...