WESTON, FLA.—An array of environmental initiatives recently won the Bonaventure Resort & Spa a Three Palm rating from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging program.Launched in 2004, the Florida Green Lodging Program is a voluntary initiative of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that designates and recognizes lodging facilities which make a commitment to conserve and protect Florida’s natural resources. The program’s environmental guidelines allow the state’s hospitality industry to evaluate its operations, set goals and take specific actions to continuously improve environmental performance.Bonaventure Resort & Spa is set on the edge of the Florida Everglades, the...

TIANJIN, CHINA—Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Worldwide announced the opening of Hilton Tianjin Eco-City as the first Hilton Hotels & Resorts property in Tianjin city. The hotel features 301 contemporary guestrooms and suites with a scenic garden landscape and marks the first internationally branded hotel to enter Sino-Singapore Eco-City. Hilton Tianjin Eco-City is operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by Shimao Co., Ltd. “As one of China’s most important municipalities, Tianjin has a long history of welcoming visitors from around the world and being home to the biggest port in Northern China,” said Rob Palleschi, Global Head, Full Service...

SIOUX LOOKOUT, ONTARIO—Most sea shipping containers that end up in the United States or Canada from points west never get shipped back. Trade imbalances can have burdensome repercussions on the environment. Many shipping containers are recycled for their steel but occasionally the containers are creatively reused—even in construction. Case in point is the recently opened Days Inn-Sioux Lookout in Sioux Lookout, Ontario. The 60-room Days Inn, a Realstar Hospitality franchised hotel that is managed by Liberty Hospitality, is comprised of 120 sea shipping containers on two levels. The modular units were prefabricated off-site in Calgary, Alberta by Ladacor Ltd.The...

NEW YORK—The de Blasio Administration announced that as of July 1, 2015, food service establishments, stores and manufacturers may not possess, sell, or offer for use single service Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam articles or polystyrene loose fill packaging, such as “packing peanuts” in New York City.After consultation with corporations, including Dart Container Corp., nonprofits, vendors and other stakeholders, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has determined that Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Foam cannot be recycled, which led to the ban. DSNY also determined that there currently is no market for post-consumer EPS collected in a curbside metal, glass, and plastic recycling...

LAS VEGAS—Caesars Entertainment was recognized this week as one of America’s most community-minded companies in The Civic 50, an annual initiative that identifies and recognizes companies for their commitment to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. Points of Light, the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service, conducted the survey in partnership with Bloomberg LP. All companies with $1 billion in revenue or more are invited to apply for The Civic 50.“Corporate civic engagement is on the rise and it’s being led by the forward-thinking businesses included on The Civic 50...

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH—Zion Lodge has become one of the few national park lodges in the country to offer electric car charging stations to visitors of the park. The lodge, which has received numerous awards for its sustainability initiatives, recently installed two Level 2 Clipper Creek Dual CS 40 systems. The stations are available on a complimentary and first-come, first-served basis to visitors of the park.“Just as Zion Lodge is perpetually focused on enhancing our sustainability programs to minimize our environmental footprints, our guests are increasingly focused on softening their own footprints as travelers,” said Daisy Hobbs, General Manager...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Geographic Society announced its newest foray in world-class travel experiences: National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World, a collection of boutique hotels in extraordinary places around the world with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability, authenticity and excellence. Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, these lodges offer an outstanding guest experience while supporting the protection of cultural and natural heritage and embracing sustainable tourism practices. The initial collection—numbering 24 properties on six continents—further builds National Geographic’s travel portfolio, which includes National Geographic Expeditions, Traveler magazine, travel books, photography courses and the @NatGeoTravel digital and photography community.As part...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from seven ethylene glycol ethers or glymes chemicals that can cause health effects including birth defects and blood toxicity.“Today’s action is part of our continuing efforts to help ensure that chemicals in products we use every day are safe for the American public,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Finalizing this action could prevent an increase in the use of these chemicals and reduce human exposure through ingestion and inhalation.”Some of these chemicals are currently used in consumer products, including...

HONOLULU—Hawaii Energy’s largest incentive for a hotel to date was recently awarded to Hawaii’s largest hotel—the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Hawaii Energy, the ratepayer-funded energy conservation and efficiency program for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, presented a $471,192 incentive check to the Hilton after the completion of phase I of a multi-phase, multi-million dollar energy efficiency upgrade project. Phase I included a major lighting retrofit in 1,839 guestrooms and the installation of energy-saving fan coil motors in all 2,860 guestrooms. The incentive will help Hilton offset its phase I project costs of more than $1.91 million. Hawaii...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. recently was named among America’s top corporations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, by earning a perfect 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) 2015 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).The Index rankings are based on objective factors such as non-discrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, benefits for same-sex spouses and domestic partners, appropriate and respectful advertising, and external community outreach. “As a global hospitality leader, Marriott believes our policies must create the environment where all people come to work fired up to succeed and able to focus on our...