CHICAGO—In celebration of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day on Wednesday, April 2, broughtonHOTELS prepared 10,000 sandwiches that were donated to St. Jerome’s Ministry, Chicago Lights, Pacific Gardens, and several additional charitable organizations in Chicago to aid in the fight against hunger. The event took place on April 2 at the Majestic Hotel, 528 W. Brompton Ave. in Chicago. Volunteers from broughtonHotels, the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce and neighboring businesses assisted in preparing the sandwiches. The event was the largest sandwich donation ever attempted by broughtonHOTELS employees, who make sandwiches for St. Jerome’s Ministry three times a month, in...

BERKELEY, CALIF.—Looking strictly at the economic costs and benefits of three different roof types—black, white and “green” (or vegetated)—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers have found in a new study that white roofs are the most cost-effective over a 50-year time span. While the high installation cost of green roofs sets them back in economic terms, their environmental and amenity benefits may at least partially mitigate their financial burden.A new report titled “Economic Comparison of White, Green, and Black Flat Roofs in the United States” by Julian Sproul, Benjamin Mandel, and Arthur Rosenfeld of Berkeley Lab, and Man...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—B Resort, located in the Walt Disney World Resort, announced a philanthropic partnership with the Wildlife Foundation of Florida as part of the B Hotels & Resorts B Humane program. The resort is scheduled to open in the summer of 2014.The B Humane program, one of the Signature Elements available at B Hotels, is designed to increase awareness of endangered species native to the destination. The hotels spotlight a plush stuffed animal that is also available for “adoption” (i.e. purchase), with a portion of the proceeds going towards promoting wildlife protection efforts. As its signature cause...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Provenance Hotels announced a partnership with Bee Local that will bring local artisan honey, a uniquely Portland culinary experience, to guests of the company’s three properties in the city—Hotel Lucia, Hotel deluxe and Sentinel—and help ensure its sustainability for years to come. This month, the hyper-local Portland honey producer will install beehives on the roofs of Hotel Lucia, Hotel deLuxe and Sentinel and make its honey available in honor bars at all three downtown hotels. When the hotel hives are harvested, the honey they produce will be featured on the menus at Imperial at Hotel Lucia and the...

PHOENIX—Best Western International announced it has partnered with Earth Day Network for the third consecutive year to raise awareness on environmental issues in celebration of Earth Day on April 22. To help spur the conversation, Best Western has launched an “Acts of Green” photo sharing contest on Instagram designed to inspire fans of the brand to showcase their eco-friendly habits. Daily prizes will be awarded to participants following @bestwestern and @earthdaynetwork using #actsofgreen in their posts. One lucky fan has the chance to win a vacation at an eco-friendly Best Western hotel in one of 10 North American destinations. “As a...

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA—Five years in the planning, the Biohotel Organic Suites is just one month from opening in Bogota, Colombia in the district of Usaquen, known as the culinary and cultural hub of the city. The seven-story, 72-room property is “my retirement plan,” says Samuel Huertas, majority owner. Huertas is aiming for LEED Gold certification for the hotel that includes the Green Piece restaurant and meeting space to accommodate up to 150 people.True to its name, the Biohotel Organic Suites is green throughout. The exterior of the building features windows made from recycled glass and vertical “gardens” that help to...

FALLS CHURCH, VA.—A recent benchmarking survey commissioned by the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) finds widespread but varied acceptance of foodservice packaging by material recovery facilities.“We are encouraged by the number of material recovery facilities already accepting various foodservice packaging,” said FPI President Lynn M. Dyer. “We have found that both the industry and consumers often think these products are not recycled. This study not only refutes that assumption but shows promise for increased acceptance.”Responses from nearly 70 material recovery facilities, called MRFs, in the United States and Canada showed that the three most accepted products are cup sleeves, pizza...

NEW YORK—Once each month at the headquarters of the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), the Big Apple’s leaders in sustainable hospitality gather as part of the HANYC Sustainable Hospitality Committee. Now in its fourth year, the Committee was founded by Hervé Houdré, Regional Director of Operations & General Manager, InterContinental New York Barclay. Houdré now chairs the Committee. There are now 19 Committee members representing a diverse group of hotels. Within the Committee there is also one HANYC representative (Richard Amato, Vice President of HANYC) and two legal counsels.“We try to have a diversity of people around...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—With California facing its worst water shortage crisis in modern history, Save Our Water—a partnership between the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR)—has launched a ‘Californians Don’t Waste’ Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign to bring awareness to simple ways citizens can save water every day.The public service campaign efforts kicked off this week with the release of several short videos focused on the simple, yet critical, message: “We Are Californians and We Don't Waste.”“Our California economy, environment and daily lifestyle depend on water to flourish,” said Mark Cowin, Director of...

STAMFORD, CONN.—As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that, beginning July 2014, it will no longer procure shark fin in any of its nearly 1,200 hotels or 1,300 restaurants around the world. The company has committed to completely eliminating the consumption of shark fin, without exception, in all restaurants and food and beverage services across its global portfolio by year-end. Starwood is the first global hotel operator to take this strong stand and commit to banning the ingredient across its entire portfolio.“At Starwood, we believe economic growth and the well-being of...