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News Blog

The News Blog gives Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, an opportunity to comment, in just a few paragraphs, on industry news and trends. A more condensed version of Publisher’s Point of View, the News Blog is updated on either Wednesday or Thursday each week. Want to step in as a guest blogger? Or, have some news to share for the News Blog? To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

News Blog

Home News Blog
The News Blog gives Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor of Green Lodging News, an opportunity to comment, in just a few paragraphs, on industry news and trends. A more condensed version of Publisher’s Point of View, the News Blog is updated on either Wednesday or Thursday each week. Want to step in as a guest blogger? Or, have some news to share for the News Blog? To contact Glenn Hasek, call (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Greystone Hotels, Atlantis Paradise Island Join in Earth Month Activities

I recently reported on what some hotels have planned for Earth Day. I have since learned about some additional Earth Day/Earth Month plans. In celebration of the 49th annual Earth Day on April 22, San Francisco-based Greystone Hotels will continue its support of environmental conservancy through donations and volunteer work. Greystone’s 11 California and Oregon-based properties will donate a portion of profits from gross rooms revenue on April 22 to 1% For The Planet, an organization committed to environmental conservancy and sustainability. Further, Greystone will host its annual “Day of Service,” an opportunity for employees at each property to spend a day in April volunteering with local...

Aluminum Bottles: Better Than Water in a Carton?

After posting my recent article on water that is available in boxed cartons, I heard from Nicole Doucet, the co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based Open Water, a bottled water company that uses aluminum packaging as a more sustainable alternative to plastic bottled water. Nicole sent me a document that explains more about the bottled water her company sells. First, according to Open Water, the upside to aluminum is that it can be recycled over and over without losing volume or quality. Aluminum gets recycled more than cartons and other recyclables. Plastic...

Water in a Carton: A Product Whose Time is Now

I spoke yesterday with the representative of a company that is developing a customizable water product that will be available in a carton to the entire lodging industry soon. Water is sold in a paper carton like cartons you purchase milk or orange juice in. Compared to plastic and glass, the carbon footprint of a carton is significantly less. It biodegrades much faster than plastic while still being recyclable. The carton I learned about has no BPAs or VOCs. I was sent some images of cartons that had been customized with photos of hotel properties on the outside and...

At the Heart of the Danger of Particulate Pollution

If you are still looking for another reason to support clean, renewable energy, you should pay attention to new research published in the European Heart Journal. According to the authors of an article entitled, “Cardiovascular disease burden from ambient air pollution in Europe reassessed using novel hazard ratio functions,” particulate air pollution’s impact via the bloodstream on heart disease and strokes is responsible for twice as many deaths as respiratory diseases. According to the study’s authors, “Our results indicate a much higher disease burden than previously assumed....Furthermore, there is still little mention of air pollution as a risk factor...

A Fairfield Inn by Marriott in the Shape of a Barn?

You may never see another one like it. The $15 million Fairfield Inn & Suites Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana is built to look like a barn. According to nwi.com, Fair Oaks Farms opened the 99-room hotel to cater to wedding guests, those attending special events, and others. Before the new Fairfield was completed, there were no hotels in the immediate vicinity for overnight visitors and wedding parties to lodge. The hotel is directly connected to the farm-to-fork Farmhouse Restaurant and a u-pick-it apple orchard is expected to open soon. a u-pick-it apple orchard that's expected to...

Wyndham, Hilton on List of World’s Most Ethical Companies

The Ethisphere Institute has just released its list of the 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies. This year marks the 13th year for the list. The 128 honorees span 21 countries and 50 industries and includes 16 first-time honorees and eight companies that have been named to the list every year since 2007. Only two hotel companies made this year’s list: Hilton and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. To determine its list, the Ethisphere Institute evaluated a company’s Ethics and Compliance Program, Culture of Ethics, Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility, Governance, and Leadership and Reputation. Each category is evaluated through a combination...

More Light Shown on Impact of Some Sunscreens on Marine, Potentially Human Life

Almost a year ago, Green Lodging News published a blog post detailing the efforts of several companies in Hawaii to urge guests to use reef-safe sunscreens. A recent study by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) strengthens the case for using these types of sunscreens. The study detected an extensive amount of sunscreen chemicals in seawater that could pose a risk to human health. The study found the chemicals can cause abnormalities in and kill the offspring of zebrafish by entering the food chain. As the genetic structure of zebrafish resembles that of humans, the results imply that these contaminants...

More Nuggets from the Just Released Green Lodging Trends Report

As reported today on Green Lodging News, Greenview has just released its Green Lodging Trends Report 2018. The Report highlights and summarizes responses to 115 survey questions in these categories: Energy Management, Waste Management, Water Conservation, Health & Wellness, Back of House, Communications, Staff Involvement, Community Involvement, and Climate Action & Certification. I highly recommend reading through the report. There is a wealth of information in it and I will be writing about it again in my upcoming Publisher’s Point of View column. The Trends Report is by far the leading global lodging report on sustainability. One of the strengths...

Earth Hour, Earth Day: Opportunities to Showcase Your Green Commitment

Two Earth holidays are coming up soon. First, Earth Hour is planned for Saturday, March 30 at 8:30 p.m. local time. Second, Earth Day will be held on Monday, April 22. What is your property or company planning for these two occasions? They are perfect opportunities to showcase your sustainability initiatives and to volunteer to help a local school or other organization. You may even want to have an Earth festival, as some properties have done in the past. Or, extend the celebration over a week’s time. Earth Hour is more conducive to a turning out the lights, lighting...

Is Your Laundry Releasing Microfibers into the Environment?

Microplastics, commonly found in our oceans, are less than 5 millimeters in length and are a hazard to marine life. Microplastics (and microbeads) have gotten a lot of publicity in recent years but did you know that microsynthetic fibers can be hazardous as well? Microsynthetic fibers are small plastic particles within the category of microplastics that are fibrous in shape. If your laundry is used to wash anything made from synthetic fibers like polyester, you are releasing microfibers down the drain—fibers that can make their way past treatment plants and into the water that animal and sea life consume. If...