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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...