BOSTON—With the public comment period closing on August 23, only a few steps remain for the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) proposed commercial food waste ban set to take effect by July 1, 2014. According to Greg Cooper, division director of Business Compliance for MassDEP’s Bureau of Waste Prevention, an initial review of the public comments showed little opposition to the ban. “My hope is that we can move the package fairly quickly and stay on track with our intended schedule of implementation,” Cooper says. The commercial food waste ban initially will impact hotels in...

ORLANDO, FLA.—A partnership of Orlando’s leading rental agency, top hotels and major attractions officially launched Drive Electric Orlando (DEO). The effort is a first-of-its-kind electric car rental initiative that gives Orlando visitors another exciting experience to add to their itinerary in the Sunshine State—driving an electric car.“Orlando’s visitors now have an opportunity to try out an exciting technology while saving time, saving money and making a difference,” said Robbie Diamond, president and CEO of the Electrification Coalition, which is leading the Drive Electric Orlando effort. “We see this program as Orlando’s newest and smartest ride, a program that lets...

LAS VEGAS—The meetings complex that includes Sands Expo and the Congress Center at The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas is the first venue in the world to achieve the advanced “level two” industry certification for environmentally sustainable meetings, events, trade shows and conferences.The certification—called Level Two Certification to the ASTM Standard—is a designation of the meeting industry’s comprehensive standards for environmentally sustainable meetings, created through a partnership of the Convention Industry Council’s APEX initiative and ASTM International.“Currently, there are only four venues in the world that are even certified at Level One,” said John Caparella, president and chief...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced Operation: Opportunity, a major initiative to provide extensive support to United States military veterans and their families, including the hiring of 10,000 veterans at the company in the next five years. It will also donate millions of Hilton HHonors points that veterans can redeem for free hotel stays while seeking jobs, both within and outside the company.“Hilton Worldwide has been strongly committed to supporting military veterans and their families since our founding nearly a century ago by Conrad Hilton, a U.S. Army veteran who served in World War I,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—Launching throughout San Luis Obispo County, Calif., the country’s first Stewardship Travel program heralds California’s next step in eco-travel. Stewardship Travel embodies ecotourism’s qualities of appreciation for place and culture, adventure, enjoyment and learning, but takes it one step further by also providing clear opportunities to participate in regional conservation and preservation.Five years in development, the program provides curious, active, and caring travelers with a well-defined road map for fun and meaningful vacations in 10 destinations along Highway 1 of the Central California Coast including Ragged Point/San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, unincorporated Morro Bay, Los Osos/Baywood Park,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its inaugural LEED in Motion report, a holistic statistical snapshot of the green building movement aimed at equipping its members with the insight to make a strong case for sustainable building activity.The first of three reports in the LEED in Motion series, available exclusively to USGBC member companies, LEED in Motion: People and Progress examines the individuals and organizations that are driving and benefitting from green building, utilizing graphics, charts and other tools to demonstrate the breadth of the community intent on creating buildings that are better for the environment...

NEW YORK—This year’s 98th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) will be its greenest ever. For the first time, a section of the trade show floor—Hospitality Green—will be carved out for exhibitors offering eco-friendly products and services. Hospitality Green, presented in partnership with Green Lodging News, is one of five pavilions at this year’s IHMRS. The others include: Operations, Technology, Food & Beverage, and Tabletop. Some of the companies exhibiting in Hospitality Green this year include: Planglow, Ultra Green, Lektron, Xeros, and Verdant Technologies. In addition to Hospitality Green, five green panel discussions, also presented with the...

LOS ANGELES—L’Heure Bleue, the eco-chic resort of Nosy Be, in Madagascar, has been created as a model for sustainable tourism: Everything is designed from the outset, in a spirit of respect for the environment and sustainable development, in harmony with local people. L’Heure Bleue was recently awarded Green Globe certification.“L’Heure Bleue wants to demonstrate that another type of tourism is achievable, based on ethical values and respect,” said Yves Benouaich, general manager. “We would like to prove that responsible tourism brings together pleasure and well-being, without impacting on the quality of services and benefits. We are committed to fight...

NEWTON, MASS.—Since the official launch of TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders/GreenPartners program on Earth Day this year, the number of participants in the program has more than doubled—from 1,000 to more than 2,100. Hotels and B&Bs in the United States are currently eligible to participate. The program’s cost is certainly an attraction—it is free—and exposure of one’s green practices on a website that sees 200 million visitors a month is also a huge incentive to participate. Jenny Rushmore, director of responsible travel at TripAdvisor, told Green Lodging News that as fast as the program has been growing, it has the potential to...

PARIS—Accor’s two decades-long commitment to sustainable development has been recognized by regional travel industry players, as the Group earned a prestigious distinction at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)’s annual PATA Gold Awards. The French hospitality group has won the 2013 PATA Gold Award for Corporate Environmental Program in recognition of PLANET 21, Accor’s sustainable development program.With PLANET 21, Accor has made 21 commitments to act together for the well-being of the world. These commitments span a range of issues and have associated targets for the year 2015, including a 15 percent reduction in water consumption, a 10 percent...