ATLANTA—Registration is open for ASHRAE’s 2015 Winter Conference in Chicago where attendees have the chance to discuss and examine the latest topics in the building industry, network, participate in technical tours, attend ASHRAE Learning Institute courses, earn professional credits, and obtain ASHRAE certifications.The ASHRAE Conference will take place January 24 to 28 at the Palmer House Hilton, while the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo will be held January 26 to 28 at McCormick Place. Complete conference information and registration can be found at www.ashrae.org/chicago and Expo information at www.ahrexpo.com.In keeping with ASHRAE’s goal of continuing education, the conference offers over...

BANGKOK—Green tourism has become an important trend in recent years, with travelers and hospitality operators alike all doing their best to minimize the impact that tourism can have on the environment.Centara Grand Beach Resort &Villas Krabi, which is set directly on the beach in a small bay that can only be reached by boat or along a pathway through the national park that surrounds the resort is especially aware of its environmental responsibilities. Last year it was awarded EarthCheck Silver Certification for its environmental management programs.As part of the resort’s ongoing commitment towards environmental responsibilities, Centara Grand Krabi has...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—Toilets may not be a sexy subject, but now that the Oakland Marriott has upgraded its toilets, that upgrade will result in 2.1 million gallons in water savings per year. The water savings can supply the indoor water needs for 29 efficient East Bay households (made up of a family of four) for one year.On average, a hotel uses 100 to 200 gallons per day, per room. The Oakland Marriott is quite extraordinary in that it uses on average about 156 gallons per room, accounting for both the hotel and convention center which receives tens of thousands of...

NEW YORK—The Waldorf Astoria, New York Hilton Midtown, and Carlton hotels have been honored for their environmentally friendly initiatives as recipients of the first ever Sustainability Awards, presented yesterday by the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show held at the Javits Center.The Hotel Association of NYC’s Sustainability Committee offered awards in three categories: Environmental Protection, awarded to the New York Hilton Midtown for its comprehensive green building efficiency program; Social Responsibility, awarded to the Carlton for its engagement with the community; and Holistic Strategy for Sustainable Hospitality, awarded to the...

NEW YORK—Five exhibitors received Editors’ Choice Awards during the Opening Ceremonies of the 99th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS), Sunday, November 9, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The awards recognize best new products within the categories of kitchen design, green, operations, tabletop and technology. From the five winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award also was selected.The 2014 Editors’ Choice Award winners are:Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show”—EcoWalls: Chef’s EcoWall Garden.Green: EcoWalls’ Chef’s EcoWall Garden. This sophisticated design successfully blends form with function with its specifically designed system that controls...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Those looking for assurance that a laundry wastewater recycling system does indeed reduce utility costs can find proof in study results recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) Building Technologies Office. The D.O.E., with the assistance of outside consultants, conducted a demonstration project to evaluate laundry wastewater recycling technology in the hospitality sector. The D.O.E. report, entitled, “Demonstration of Advanced Technologies for Multi-Load Washers in Hospitality and Healthcare—Wastewater Recycling Technology,” documents the demonstration of a wastewater recycling system installed at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.The Grand Hyatt, a four diamond hotel located in downtown Seattle, has 425...

NEW YORK—Christopher L. Thompson, President and CEO of Brand USA, will open the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) with a keynote address on Sunday, November 9 at 11:45 a.m., helping kick off the industry’s 99th annual event at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.The keynote presentation, The Brand USA Effect: The Power of Partnerships, will provide an update on the work of Brand USA since its inception, as well as Thompson’s vision for helping to lead the United States to become the world’s premier travel destination—and how travel brands and destinations can fully leverage the...

OTTAWA, ON.—The New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSHTA) has announced that it will adopt the Green Key Eco-Rating Program as its official sustainable certification program for the state’s lodging industry. The selection of Green Key Global as its certification partner complements a drive by the association to instill a culture of sustainability amongst its lodging members.  This partnership will see Green Key Global working with NYSHTA to educate its members on the variety of benefits that third-party verification brings to the table. In addition to valuable resources such as toolkits, templates, and detailed performance reports, Green Key...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) recently announced a new initiative designed to ensure the use of sustainable and environmentally protective products in buildings by applying technical and science-based approaches to the LEED green building program. This new initiative acknowledges USGBC’s success in leading the transformation of the built environment and sets up a pathway to take advantage of the materials science expertise of ACC and its members.“USGBC and ACC share the goal of advancing sustainability in the built environment, and we will work together to take advantage of our collective strength...

LONDON—The vast majority of travel companies consider sustainability to be important to their business, according to the World Travel Market 2014 Industry Report. Released by World Travel Market—the leading global event for the travel industry—the report surveyed 1,229 respondents from the travel trade and found that green issues are high on their agenda.A total of 86 percent said they consider sustainability to be important to their company, with 10 percent of those quizzed saying it had a central importance. Two fifths (40 percent) said it was very important while 36 percent said it was quite important.And the findings bode well for...