NEW YORK—New York State Division of Tourism’s iconic “I Love New York” heart logo has had a green makeover to celebrate the launch of responsibletravel.com’s new guide to responsible tourism in New York State.The guide encourages travelers to escape the confines of the Big Apple and to discover an even bigger secret—the rest of New York State’s 11 regions. Searching out wilderness hiking trails connected to the city by mainline railways, motor-free lakes best explored by kayak and enthusiastic local New Yorkers dedicated to sharing and preserving their local environments, the guide highlights the best, most inspirational travel experiences...

NEW YORK—The 2013 Hilton Humanitarian Prize was presented to ECPAT at the annual Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Symposium at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on October 23. The Hilton Symposium gathers policymakers and leaders in the humanitarian field to address the most challenging issues facing the billions of people who make up the world’s most vulnerable populations.“ECPAT is deeply honored to be selected to receive the prestigious Hilton Humanitarian Prize by its distinguished jury,” said Dorothy Rozga, executive director of ECPAT International. “Over the last 20 years the name ECPAT has become synonymous with action to stop...

NEW YORK—Underscoring sustainable hospitality and the importance of honeybees for the environment, InterContinental New York Barclay and The Center for Sustainable Design Strategies at Pratt Institute announced the launch of the Barclay the Bee comic series. Aiming to educate and sensitize children to the environment in a fun way, student artist Olga Andreyeva, a senior Illustration major at Pratt, has created sweet, savvy bees-in-the-city characters that playfully highlight the vital work of bees against the backdrop of their New York City home.Printed locally on 100 percent recycled paper using non-toxic inks and renewable wind-powered energy, the comics, starting with...

SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE—The steady rise of ecotourism as opposed to the more traditional model is just the tip of an iceberg of a rising service industry geared towards satisfying customer demands to “do the right thing,” according to the owner of Belize’s first eco-resort.Lucy Fleming, who with her husband Mick opened the Lodge at Chaa Creek in September 1981 after struggling to support themselves as farmers in this tiny Caribbean country, said their experience proves that there is a large market of people who rate a resort’s environmental credentials as highly as a reputation for quality and service. And...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Trade Commission announced six enforcement actions, including one that imposes a $450,000 civil penalty and five that for the first time address biodegradable plastic claims, as part of the agency’s ongoing crackdown on false and misleading environmental claims.The plastic cases include a complaint against a company that markets an additive it claims makes plastic products biodegradable and four complaints and proposed consent orders against companies that marketed various plastics with allegedly false and unsupported claims that their products were biodegradable. In the civil penalty case, the FTC filed a complaint and consent order against a company...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Assn. (NRA) recently previewed its revamped Zero Waste Zones program in Atlanta, saying it is excited to help the city’s restaurateurs, foodservice businesses and retailers become more sustainable.The NRA, which acquired the initiative late last year, reintroduced an expanded version of the program October 23 at an official reception at Ted’s Montana Grill in downtown Atlanta. The revamped program will follow the rules of the NRA’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program.“Our members have a strong and growing interest in energy efficiency, recycling and sustainability in general,” said Scott DeFife, the NRA’s executive vice president of policy and...

MCLEAN, VA.—Northern New Jersey’s newest Hilton Hotels & Resorts property, the 427-guestroom Hilton Meadowlands, is now open at Two Meadowlands Plaza in East Rutherford. The property, which recently completed the first phase of a multi-million dollar renovation, was previously a Sheraton. The greenest highlight of the Hilton hotel is its 1.1-megawatt solar photovoltaic installation on its carport. The solar panels are expected to generate 20 percent of the property’s energy.Other green programs include composting of organic waste, meeting space recycling, food donations, elimination of Styrofoam, and energy-efficient digital signage. The hotel participates in Clean the World, a nonprofit, global...

ATLANTA—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Goodwill Industries International announced the establishment of the Goodwill IHG Academy program in the United States and Canada that will offer skills development and employment opportunities to those seeking a career in the hospitality industry. Goodwill IHG Academy participants will have access to job services, resources and real-world work experience in IHG-branded hotels that will help increase opportunities for employment.The IHG Academy program is tailored to meet local job needs around the world through IHG-branded hotels working hand-in-hand with educational and community organizations to fill jobs in hospitality. Goodwill provides job training programs that...

ITHACA, N.Y.—“The Giving Bag,” a concept to save hotels money on lost and left behind items, is the winning concept in the third annual Cornell student sustainability competition, sponsored by Schneider Electric, a partner of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. The competition is conducted in conjunction with the annual Sustainability Roundtable at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (SHA). The roundtable brought nearly three dozen international hotel practitioners and researchers to the school to discuss current sustainability trends and strategies.Creators of “The Giving Bag,” Lilia Karimi and Quinn Cox, both students at SHA, won the first-place prize of...

SINGAPORE—Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a global commitment to plant 22,500 trees worldwide by 2014. The planting will be carried out through a global partnership with Plant It 2020—the nonprofit organization that helps reforest the world’s cities and forests. The partnership is a symbol of Carlson Rezidor’s continued commitment to being a responsible business in the communities in which it operates across Asia Pacific, the Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa.“We are marking Carlson’s 75 years of success with the planting of 7,500 trees in Asia Pacific,” said Simon C. Barlow, president, Asia...