HEREFORD, ARIZ.—March was a good month for Patrick Dome and Karl Schmitt, co-owners of the 10-room Casa de San Pedro B&B in Hereford, Ariz. The 105-panel, 34-kilowatt, solar photovoltaic array positioned on the south side of their B&B supplied 125 percent of the electricity they needed for the month. The panels typically supply about 90 percent of the B&B’s electricity. Given its Arizona location, the Casa de San Pedro B&B is ideally located to take advantage of the sun’s power; the inn also uses a simple passive solar system (black piping) to heat water for the pool. Schmitt says...

TARRYTOWN, N.Y.—More than 75 staff, associates, and managers at Castle Hotel & Spa gathered on Earth Day, April 22, and filled more than 4,000 gallons of trash into 20-gallon bio bags that included disposable bottles, debris, trash, plastic bags and general yard waste from the historic 11-acre property in Tarrytown including the one-mile hiking path and bordering streets of Benedict Avenue and Martling Avenue.General Manager Gilbert Baeriswil welcomed the 75 employees of Castle Hotel & Spa for the “first annual Earth Day Clear and Clean” and handed out commemorative tee-shirts for the all-day event and shared sponsored coffee and...

NEW ORLEANS—The first annual Farm To Table International Symposium (F2Ti), featuring the brightest thought leaders and leading practitioners in the burgeoning farm-to-table movement, will be held in New Orleans, August 2 to 4, 2013.F2Ti explores the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of food and drink sourced locally to globally. Topics include farming and aquaculture, fisheries, sustainability, social and digital interactive media, food security and safety, food law and policy, food science and GMO, artisanal and slow food and drink, and fair trade.F2Ti is produced by the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in partnership with the SoFAB Institute. SoFAB...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To celebrate Earth Month, the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA) is endorsing the Global Soap Project, a nonprofit organization launched in 2009, which has the dual mission of reducing waste while improving global health.More than 1,100 hotel properties send partially-used bars of soap to Global Soap for recycling. The group recycles up to 7,500 pounds of used soap each week to produce up to 30,000 new bars of soap. The group works with a global network of non-government organizations to distribute the reprocessed soap and provide hygiene education to refugees, disaster victims, homeless families, and people living...

PARIS—A year after launching its PLANET 21 sustainable development program, Accor is celebrating a major milestone. Plant for the Planet, the Group’s innovative towel reuse and reforestation project, has planted more than three million trees worldwide. To celebrate this achievement, Accor hotels around the world are engaging in tree planting exercises to raise awareness and kick off an ambitious new phase of the project.In partnership with Greening Australia, Accor’s Australian hotels have contributed towards the reforestation of the banks along the Hawkesbury River outside Sydney, planting 11,300 trees spanning 10 hectares. Accor will plant an additional 10,000 plants this...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—With an eye on both U.S. domestic and global growth, Wyndham Worldwide announced it has again surpassed its annual goals in strengthening the diversity of its global supply chain. The company’s diverse spend in 2012 increased by 19 percent over 2011.“As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, diversity is a fundamental part of how we do business in nearly 100 countries,” says Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and chief executive officer, Wyndham Worldwide. “Increasing the diversity of our people, including the vendors we partner with, is especially important as we continue to grow around the world, as it...

TORONTO—More than two decades after Fairmont Hotels & Resorts led the foray into environmental stewardship with the launch of its highly acclaimed and industry-leading Green Partnership program, the luxury hotel brand is again raising the bar with the introduction of its new Fairmont Sustainability Partnership. Expanding its scope and taking a more holistic approach to operational responsibility, the new program provides greater balance around the company’s economic, environmental and social priorities. “It’s about demonstrating accountability and integrity in the way we conduct business, improving the well-being of local communities and ecosystems, addressing the environmental impacts of our operations, and engaging...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has launched a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) website. Branded to coalesce with MGM’s CSR initiative, “Inspiring Our World,” the website details the company’s advancements in diversity, community engagement and environmental responsibility.“Our new CSR website serves as a great forum to engage guests, customers and partners in our efforts to ‘Inspire our World,’” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “Customers, today, are interested not only in the exceptional service a business provides, but also whether it serves the community and planet with the same enthusiasm. We want them to know that...

MINNEAPOLIS—Club Carlson, the hotel rewards program for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, announced that it has become the first hotel loyalty program to commit to a global meetings and events carbon offsetting initiative. Club Carlson will purchase carbon credits to offset the estimated carbon footprint of 100 percent of Club Carlson for Planners meetings and events globally, across the group’s six brands totaling 1,077 hotels in operation worldwide.The carbon offsetting—a free service for the meeting planners—will be managed through Carlson Rezidor’s new partner, Carbon Footprint Ltd. Carbon credits will be purchased and invested in renewable energy in India and with...

BOULDER, COLO.—EnvironmentallyFriendlyHotels.com (EFH) has connected eco-conscious travelers with the best green hotels for many years. This Earth Day, EFH announces the release of a significant site upgrade, making both finding and promoting sustainable hotels even easier.“Staying in hotels that follow sustainable, earth-friendly practices is a great way for those who support today’s Earth Day events to help improve the environment year round,” said Patrick McClear, president of HealthyStays.com, LLC, which owns and operates EFH. “It not only reduces their footprint when they travel, but it also sends a message to hotels that their green efforts are important to their...