ALBANY, N.Y.—Four Albany-based Hampton hotels are making eco-conscious travel more of a reality with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations now offered upon booking. The program, called Green Electric Vehicle, launched as a pilot at the Hampton hotels in Albany and is in the process of branching out to other Hilton Worldwide hotels in the United States. The initiative allows travelers to book a room at a participating Hilton Worldwide hotel and reserve a parking space with a Skychargers-managed GE charging station. For travelers renting a car during their stay, Hertz provides a broad EV fleet at the Albany International...

PORTLAND, ORE.—This October during National Breast Cancer Month, Provenance Hotels’ Hotel Max in Seattle and Hotel deLuxe, Hotel Lucia and Sentinel in Portland are teaming up with The Keep A Breast Foundation to offer “We Heart Boobies” fund raising rates on rooms, “i heart boobies” bracelets and pink cocktails with proceeds benefitting education and awareness programs that use art, creative expression and grassroots action to inform young people about methods of prevention, early detection, coping and support.Keep A Breast is famous for working with boundary-pushing artists like Shepard Fairey, Mike Giant and Ed Templeton to raise funds and awareness,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Selecting an ice machine is a major purchase consideration for any hotel manager. The energy used in the average hotel restaurant for refrigeration and ice production is between 13 and 18 percent of overall energy costs for that section. Saving money on these costs not only helps the environment, but also helps the bottom line. How can we reduce energy usage and water usage while still generating enough ice to maintain service quality? Water efficiency in ice machines is based on number of gallons per 100 pounds of ice produced. This can range between 18 gallons to 200 gallons...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—This Saturday, thousands of Vail Resorts, Inc. employees will gather to complete 13 trail, habitat or school restoration projects across the United States and in Jamaica to commemorate Vail Resorts’ newly launched EpicPromise, a new brand platform designed to engage resort guests and residents of the communities where it operates in one of the company’s core values, “Do good.”Over the last five years, Vail Resorts has consistently demonstrated a commitment to sustainability through environmental and community support, including: •    Over $7 million in contributions to more than 235 nonprofit partners annually. •    Energy reduction of 10 percent and a...

VANTAA, FINLAND—Vancouver, B.C.-based Water Wall Turbine Inc. (WWT) has selected The Switch to provide a 500 kW full-power converter for its innovative self-floating power plant. This new commercially viable system extracts potential and kinetic energy from large, fast moving water currents for conversion into electric energy.The Switch will supply its first 500 kW full-power converter in October 2014 for WWT’s prototype project, which will be used for the Dent Island Resort, near Vancouver Island off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. System testing of the integrated equipment is planned for the first quarter of 2015.The vessel will power...

BURBANK, CALIF.—The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF)—Disney’s granting program focused on protecting wildlife and connecting kids and families with nature—has announced its 2014 conservation grant recipients.This year, $3.5 million in grants will benefit wildlife and habitats spanning five continents—from African lions in Tanzania and elephants in China to giant armadillos in Brazil and monk seals in Hawaii.“For nearly two decades, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has supported crucial work to address threats that face wildlife, critical habitats and the communities that depend upon them,” said Beth Stevens, Senior Vice President of Corporate Citizenship, Environment & Conservation. “As we seek...

LAS VEGAS—Approximately one month remains until the second annual Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference & Expo. The event will be held Tuesday, October 28 through Thursday, October 30 at the LEED Gold and Green Key certified ARIA Resort & Casino. The event, with about 50 speakers and 40 exhibitors, will feature many educational and networking opportunities. If you have not yet registered for the Lodging Green & Sustainability Conference & Expo, contact Alisha Allen at Lodging Magazine at (215) 321-9662, ext. 62, or by e-mail at aallen@lodgingmagazine.com. Mention Green Lodging News and receive $100 off of the $495 registration...

WASHINGTON—The National Restaurant Association unveiled new research that shows a substantial number of operators are implementing sustainability best practices into their businesses. The survey of 1,000 full-service and quick-service operators found that nearly three quarters of operators recycled used fryer oil, fats and grease. More than six in 10 recycled their cardboard and paper, used compact fluorescent lighting and bought products made of recycled materials. About three in 10 installed faucet aerators to conserve water.“More operators are looking at ways to increase efficiency—environmentally and fiscally,” said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, National Restaurant Association. “Restaurateurs...

DEATH VALLEY, CALIF.—In keeping with its “pillars of sustainability,” the AAA Four Diamond Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park has enacted a series of initiatives designed to minimize the impact of its operations and of its guests. The resort has put in place programs to reduce waste and water usage, generate electricity and offer sustainable choices to its guests.Those efforts are working as the resort reports solid waste has been reduced by 44 percent, water usage has dropped 19 percent and electricity use is down 18 percent since 2010. In that same time period sustainably sourced food...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is redesigning its Design for the Environment Safer Product Label to better convey to consumers that products bearing the label meet the program’s rigorous standard to be safer for people and the environment. “We want consumers to be able to easily find safer products that work well,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The agency wants to hear from the American people on which designs will help people identify household cleaning and other products that are safer for families and the environment.” The redesigned label is intended to...