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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.

Examining the Connection Between ESG Commitment, Financial Performance

Is there a connection between ESG commitment and financial performance? A new study by Kroll, a leading independent provider of global risk and financial advisory solutions, says yes. The ESG and Global Investor Returns Study analyzed data on over 13,000 companies across a variety of industries around the globe and found that companies with better ESG ratings outperformed their peers with lower ratings. “The future of ESG and sustainability investing will depend on investor confidence in the reliability of ESG ratings and ESG disclosures, and their relevance as an indicator of public company performance,” says Carla Nunes, Managing Director and Global Leader of the Valuation...

The Worst Places for Asthma in the U.S.—Hopefully Not Your Hotel

It is not something that is common where I live in Florida but yesterday there was an air quality alert due to a cloud of Canadian wildfire smoke that drifted down my way. The smoke originated in British Columbia and Alberta. It traveled thousands of miles to Eastern Canada by circulating winds and then was dragged southward by the remnants of Ophelia, as the storm petered out in the Atlantic Ocean. Wildfire smoke is just one of many environmental factors that impact outdoor air quality, and indoor air quality (IAQ) as well. IAQ was on my mind recently when the Asthma...

Better Than Tree Planting? A Quick Look at Bio Carbon Capture and Storage

A news item that I posted in our Vender News section caught my attention this morning. Spotnana, a Travel-as-a-Service platform modernizing the infrastructure of the travel industry, announced the release of Spotnana Carbon Removal, a new offering that enables corporations to remove carbon from the atmosphere through advanced technology that is fast, exact, and permanent. What technology? It is a system offered by Creturner Group, which uses a Bio Carbon Capture and Storage (Bio-CCS) process to convert wood-based waste products into coal that is deposited into old, end-of-life mining pits. This process ensures that a precise amount of carbon...

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Joins GSTC

I have mentioned the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) many times on Green Lodging News. For those of you not familiar with GSTC, it establishes and manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the GSTC Criteria. One need not be a certifying organization to join GSTC. In fact, the organization states, “Membership is open to all interested parties….” GSTC just welcomed Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as a member to the Council. Founded in 1960 by Isadore Sharp, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a globally renowned hospitality company specializing in luxury hotels, resorts, and residential properties, striving...

Cities Leading the Way on Bird-friendly Building Policies

A new report published by the Law, Ethics and Animals Program at the Yale Law School (LEAP) and American Bird Conservancy (ABC) reveals how local laws and policies are speeding up protections for birds, such as the Blackpoll Warbler, from deadly building collisions. The first-of-its-kind report, “Building Safer Cities for Birds: How Cities Are Leading the Way on Bird-Friendly Building Policy,” unveils critical insights and data that will help inform building design standards to significantly reduce avian mortality. “A growing number of U.S. cities and counties have emerged as leaders in advancing bird-friendly building design and practice over the past two decades, in the absence of...

PTAC Attachment Provides Extra Layer of Guestroom Air Filtration

When was the last time you stayed at a hotel with a PTAC and noticed an extra air filtration cover over the PTAC? You most likely have not experienced this but at a trade show earlier in the year I discovered a company, RZ Industries, that makes an air purifying filter that attaches to the front of the PTAC. Called the RZ AIRflow, it improves the air quality of the guestroom by removing 99.7 percent of airborne particulates from inside and outside. The system uses carbon filters and a HEPA filter. There is no added noise when using the...

Some Highlights from this Fall’s Events Schedule

With September just a couple of days away, I thought it would be timely to point out some upcoming fall events to keep in mind as possible ones to attend. The first event is The Well Summit at Union Market in Washington, D.C. If wellness is your focus, be sure to check out the itinerary for this event. One of the speakers will be physician and New York Times Best-Selling Author Dr. Mark Hyman. He is an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in the field of Functional Medicine. If you plan to attend The Lodging Conference in Phoenix,...

Fairmont Washington, D.C. Announces Annual Sustainability Fair

Over the years I have posted about the Fairmont Washington, D.C.’s Sustainability Fair. I just received word that the hotel will hold its eleventh annual Sustainability Fair on Friday, September 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I always give this event some publicity because it is so unique—formally inviting vendors and the public into a hotel space to celebrate sustainability. Each time I have been contacted by Diana Bulger, Area Director of Public Relations for the hotel. Some of this year’s participants include: Balance Gym, Compostology, DC Beekeepers Alliance (live honeybees), DC Sustainable Energy Utility, Destination DC, Department of Energy...

Hilton to Step Up Frequency of Linen, Towel Cleaning in Some Brands This Fall

One of the impacts of the pandemic was of course a reduction in housekeeping. It was for safety reasons and ultimately due to a shortage of housekeepers. According to Gary Leff of “View from the Wing,” at least one brand is going back to the old days of housekeeping—Hilton, and at least with some of its brands. According to an internal Hilton communication reviewed by View From The Wing, “Daily housekeeping will be a brand standard at all full-service hotels, and every other day at limited-service properties though in both cases either more or less housekeeping will be at the...

Karisma Hotels & Resorts Launches Autism Concierge

Green Lodging News has reported previously on company or individual efforts to accommodate travelers who happened to have autism. For example, in 2019, the SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Orlando at SeaWorld earned Certified Autism Center designations. Earlier this year, Legoland California, Legoland Florida, and Legoland New York Resorts announced that all parks would become Certified Autism Centers this past spring. In an interesting twist, last week, Karisma Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Autism Double-Checked, announced the introduction of the world’s first-ever Autism Concierge, providing a dedicated contact for all autism-related questions and serving as an extension of the Autism Double-Checked comprehensive three-part...