It was almost five years ago that Highgate named Marianne Balfe Vice President of Sustainability. Balfe, one of the speakers at next week’s crossover AHLA Food & Beverage Summit and AHLA Responsible Stay Summit, is also Co-Chair of the AHLA Sustainability Committee. Prior to working for Highgate, she was Director of Energy and Environmental Sustainability, the Americas, for Marriott International. I visited the Highgate website and found the following reports on their Charitable Foundation and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) efforts. Highgate Charitable Foundation “Highgate continually strives to make an impact on hospitality as well as the greater global community,” the company says....

Following the Trump administration’s attempt to end the highly popular Energy Star program last year—the $33 million program was saved with bipartisan support—it, in case you missed it, has rescinded the central scientific finding that underpins much of the nation’s climate pollution rules, its most aggressive action yet to halt initiatives that address planetary warming. According to NPR, the 2009 Environmental Protection Agency endangerment finding was a determination that pollutants from developing and burning fossil fuels, such as methane and carbon dioxide, can be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The EPA now argues that the Clean Air Act does not give...

I have long been a supporter of workplace safety in hotels, especially for housekeepers who face ergonomic challenges throughout their workday but also for kitchen employees who are one knife swipe, or one painful burn away from a trip to the emergency room. OysterLink, a career platform for the hospitality industry, has just released a new analysis of federal workplace safety data, revealing that hotel employees face significantly higher injury risks than their counterparts in the restaurant sector. The analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports shows a stark “safety divide” across the industry. While the national average for private...

It is something I come across time and time again in press releases sent to Green Lodging News by wallcovering, fabric, flooring, textile and other companies—the promotion of a new product as PVC-free. Search using “PVC-free” on the Green Lodging News website and you will find many examples. Check out the latest press release I received from The Mitchell Group. Poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) is one of the six commonly used plastics (which accounts for as much as 10 percent of global plastic production). PVC is a popular plastic due to its low price, durability, and good mechanical, chemical,...

More than 10 years ago I wrote about the problems with single-serve coffee and other beverage pods (a.k.a. K-Cups, k cups, kups). Used by the billions around the planet each year, the pods typically end up in a landfill. A number of companies have introduced recyclable or compostable capsules in recent years but not always without criticism. One of the companies touting the recyclability of its K-Cups is beverage giant Keurig Dr Pepper. Turns out Keurig Dr Pepper’s claims of recyclability have gotten it into some hot water. According to truthinadvertising.org, Keurig Dr Pepper is deceptively marketing its single-serve K-Cup...

ITB Berlin. There is no other trade show and convention quite like it. I was fortunate to attend the show twice in the past. Some facts from last year’s event: more than 170 countries represented, 100,000 attendees, more than 5,800 exhibitors, and 24,000 convention participants. Held this year from March 3 to 5 at Berlin Exhibition Grounds, organizers and attendees will celebrate the event’s 60th anniversary. ITB Berlin Convention 2026 will feature a three-day program with over 400 speakers and more than 200 sessions across 17 thematic tracks. The convention will address topics such as artificial intelligence in tourism, sustainable...

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...