WASHINGTON, D.C.—The movement for healthier, high-performing buildings has reached a new milestone, as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently issued the 20,000th LEED certification for a commercial project. USGBC’s Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) certified the offices and staff services space in the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) plant in Knoxville, Tenn., under LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI).“The 20,000th LEED certification belongs to an organization that shares our social and environmental values, and we applaud GMCR on its accomplishment,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “This is an important milestone in our mission to...

SINGAPORE—Hilton Worldwide announced the expansion of its Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia with three new renewable energy projects receiving support for 2014. The Mungcharoen Biomass Project in Thailand, the Musi Hydro Project in Indonesia, and the Song Ong Small Hydro Project in Vietnam will join the Borneo Rainforest Rehabilitation Project in Malaysia as beneficiaries of the program.Initiated in October 2012, Hilton Worldwide’s Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia measures carbon generated by meetings and events held at Hilton Worldwide properties in the region, and, at no cost to customers, offsets this through the purchase of carbon credits. Hotels...

NEW YORK—The 98th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) took place November 9 to 12 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. IHMRS presented 550 hospitality industry suppliers to 15,996 trade attendees over four days of exhibits and conferences.The visitor results marked a significant increase from the 13,048 attendees at 2012’s IHMRS, held in the weeks following Hurricane Sandy. “We’ve had everything from hotel owners to senior corporate representatives from all the major brands, so I can’t be more thrilled with the actual attendance and the types of people that we’ve been able to meet,”...

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA—More than 200 journalists, advocates, and world leaders in ecotourism came together in November for the Fourth Annual International Conference on Sustainable Tourism. Hosted by the Costa Rica National Chamber of Ecotourism (CANAECO) and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), the P3 event (Planet, People, Peace) covered environmental issues for the future of tourism and sustainable practices. Held in San Jose, Costa Rica, P3 brought together members of the media and 25 experts in the fields of technology, tourism, sustainability, conservation, and environmental studies. “The major goal of the conference,” said CANAECO president, Glenn Jampol, “was to convene...

TUCSON, ARIZ.—What are the major trends likely to affect the green building industry and markets in the United States in 2014? As one of the world’s leading green building consultants, keynote speakers and authors, Jerry Yudelson thinks he knows the answers. In fact, his Top 10 list of green building megatrends has become an annual event.At the top of Yudelson’s 2014 list is the prediction that green building in North America will continue its strong growth in 2014, with the ongoing expansion of commercial real estate construction together with government, university, nonprofit and school construction. “Green building is the...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Tourism Cares announced its Global Impact Portfolio, a multifaceted, multi-country effort to preserve, enrich, and empower World Heritage destinations and local communities emerging from crisis and reopening to tourism. Tourism Cares will marshal the resources and insights available to the global travel industry to make timely financial grants, organize skilled and professional volunteers, enhance the visibility and awareness of iconic destinations, and facilitate exchanges of ideas to positively impact sites and communities. Based on the belief that, when taken together, travel and philanthropy are a powerful force for change, the fund will prioritize Egypt and Myanmar in 2014....

ORLANDO, FLA.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) has partnered with ECPAT-USA to develop a new online training program for hotel employees, “The Role of Hospitality in Preventing and Reacting to Child Trafficking.” The 30-minute course provides hotel staff and managers with the information they need to identify and respond to crimes of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). It explains the risks trafficking can pose to properties, provides a list of signs and behaviors that may indicate child trafficking, and offers steps to respond to the situation in ways that minimize risk. The training...

OTTAWA—The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) recently announced the 2013 Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence winners. The Hall of Fame Awards Program was developed by the HAC to recognize those of its members (individuals, companies or properties) that have demonstrated significant accomplishments, exemplary leadership and tireless commitment to Canada’s lodging industry.Winners are recognized in three categories. The winners of the 2013 Awards of Excellence in each category include:• Humanitarian: Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort & Conference Centre;• Human Resources: The Gold Eagle Lodge; and• Green Key Environment: Delta Hotels & Resorts.“The goal of HAC’s awards program is to reward...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the global LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program, and Underwriter Laboratories (UL), a leading safety and certification group, have announced an exclusive strategic partnership centered on building product transparency and occupant health and safety.The partnership, the first of its kind in the building and certification industry, will roll out several targeted initiatives focused on increasing disclosure, awareness and transparency of building product composition and the manufacturing processes. The goal of the program is to accelerate market transformation and the overall quality and performance of buildings.The...

INWOOD, N.Y.—Your laundry staff is a busy bunch. Sorting loads, transferring them from washer to dryer and finally, finishing, folding and getting them shelved. Still, most days they find time to unknowingly dump a bucket of money in the trash. True, the bucket reference may be a bit dramatic, but chances are there is an activity going on in your laundry that is costing the operation money—human error. Managers employ a variety of tactics to help prevent human error. They focus on bringing in quality employees and spend ample time training them. But short of constant supervision, which, let’s face it,...