I just added another hotel to the “Solar” section of the Renewable Energy All Stars portion of the Green Lodging News website—the Home2 Suites by Hilton San Francisco Airport North. The modular-built hotel is meeting about 50 percent of its electricity needs with its solar panels. The Home2 Suites by Hilton San Francisco Airport North joins a very long list of hotels in North America and beyond that have some type of solar configuration. When you check out the Solar section you will notice that many of the listings include links to not only the hotel’s website but also...

A couple of years ago I took my first cruise out of Tampa, Fla. The week-long experience was fun and relaxing and a great way not to have to worry about cooking my own food or searching around for a restaurant or place to drive to. I would much rather be on a hiking trail in a national park but overall it was a pretty good experience. The ship I chose was a Carnival Corp. ship. Every now and then I read about the good things Carnival is doing to reduce its environmental impact. I recommend visiting the Sustainability page...

I do not know how many Best Western Rewards program members there are, and I have no idea if what one of its members told me is typical, but I thought I would share an e-mail I received from a Green Lodging News reader. The reader is clearly passionate about the environment. “Hello. I am an exclusive Best Western guest and participate in the Best Western Rewards programs. I have achieved the highest elite status level of Diamond Select through actual stays instead of through a status match offered by other chains. I have stayed at 40 to 50 separate...

ADA International, in support of bees, launched a SaveTheBees! Initiative for Earth Day. Since that time the company, a maker of hotel cosmetics for hotels and resorts around the world, has done the following: sprinkled a 12,000 square meter meadow behind the headquarter building with seeds for a bee-food-paradise; distributed packages with bee-friendly flower seeds to associates, so that they can convert their gardens and balconies into a bee-friendly home; and built a hotel for the bees which the company hopes will become a home for the bees frequenting the meadow. The SaveTheBees! Initiative is just part of what ADA...

The national parks in the United States are a huge magnet for tourists—330 million visitors each year—and the lodging industry benefits greatly from them. That is one of the reasons our industry should be concerned when the national parks are not so nice to visit. The National Parks Conservation Assn. recently released its “Polluted Parks” report. The subtitle: “How America is Failing to Protect Our National Parks, People and Planet from Air Pollution.” Be sure to give the report a read. The report assesses the damage from air pollution by evaluating four categories: unhealthy air, harm to nature, hazy...

For those of you not familiar with Hersha Hospitality Trust, it is a real estate investment trust that invests in hotels (48 hotels, 7,644 rooms). The company is organized in Maryland, with its principal office in Harrisburg, Pa. Hersha created its award-winning sustainability program, EarthView, in 2010. Hersha just released its 2018 Sustainability Report. According to Hersha, since 2010 it has seen a $65 million increase in portfolio value thanks to EarthView. It has also experienced $11 million in savings. Compared to 2010, Hersha has seen a 15 percent reduction in energy per square foot, 41 percent reduction in greenhouse...

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled his city’s sustainability plan earlier this week. The plan envisions a city where, by the mid-2030s, 80 percent of the cars run on electricity or zero-emission fuel, 80 percent of the electricity comes from renewable resources and L.A. residents drive 2,000 fewer miles each year than they do now. The city’s buildings, including hotels, would also see big changes. In the mayor’s plan, all new buildings should be “net-zero carbon” by 2030, with the entire building stock converted to zero-emission technologies by 2050. (Click here to read the official press release.) Los Angeles, long...

Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet is a global organization that connects dollars and doers to accelerate smart environmental giving. Through business and individual memberships, 1% for the Planet inspires people to support environmental organizations through annual membership and everyday actions. They advise on giving strategies, certify donations, and amplify the impact of the network. 1% members have given more than $175 million to environmental nonprofits to date. 1% for the Planet is a network of more than 1,200 member businesses, a new and expanding core with hundreds of individual members, and...

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...

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...