NAPA, CALIF.—The Inn on First announced that it has been successfully recertified by the Napa County Green Business Program, qualifying as a green business. The Green Business certification is good for three years and is given to businesses that meet green business standards. This means that The Inn on First has conserved resources and prevented pollution through its environmental conservation efforts. It has also met the environmental compliance requirements. Because of the positive efforts, The Inn on First will now enjoy public promotions through the Green Business Program. It will also receive positive public recognition from its peers and...

ATLANTA—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced that IHG Green Engage, the online sustainability program used by more than 2,600 IHG-branded hotels worldwide, is now recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council under its LEED Volume program and Green Key Global (GKG) as providing streamlined pathways to certification. IHG is the first hotel company to provide an approach to precertification for new-build hotels under the LEED 2009 for New Construction rating system. This is IHG’s second LEED designation—IHG was also the first hotel company to provide LEED precertification for existing hotels.Globally recognized sustainability certifications like LEED and GKG could ultimately improve...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its second installment of the LEED in Motion report series: Places and Policies. The report states that there are nearly 60,000 LEED green building projects across the globe, spanning 10.6 billion square feet. Notably, Canada, India, China, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Brazil lead the way for countries with the highest number of projects outside the United States.Available exclusively to USGBC’s 13,000 member organizations, the LEED in Motion report series is aimed at equipping green building professionals, advocates and proponents with the insight needed to make a strong case for...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has started the largest installation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations in Nevada. Twenty-seven EV charging stations will be located at nine of the company’s Las Vegas resorts in addition to MGM Resorts’ main corporate offices. Additional stations will be available at Circus Circus Reno. The charging stations, which will be installed in guest garages and valet areas, will be available for employees and guests to use at no cost.“It is important that our guests have the convenience and ability to continue sustainable habits during their time with us,” said Cindy Ortega, Chief Sustainability Officer...

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA—JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts has expanded its luxury portfolio in South Korea with the unveiling of the new 170-room JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul. The new hotel is the second JW Marriott to open in Seoul and the first hotel in the city to receive LEED Gold certification.“South Korea is a one of Asia’s fastest growing global economies and a strategically important North Asian travel hub,” said Simon Cooper, President & Managing Director of Asia Pacific for Marriott International. “JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul will further strengthen our luxury brand portfolio in this very important market...

NATIONAL REPORT—Last year was a big year for national green lodging certification with the launch of TripAdvisor’s GreenLeaders program but at the state level there was still a lot of certification and recognition activity and that will continue through 2014. There are currently 27 state level programs that offer some degree of certification or recognition for lodging establishments actively working to reduce waste, energy consumption and water consumption. Green Lodging News previously had listed 28 states but Montana has been removed from the list. Its partnership with Green Directory Montana is no longer active. Within the 27 states that...

BOSTON—Driven by superior features and falling costs, the market for light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires, or optimized permanent light fixtures, will grow more than 12-fold over the next decade—from $2 billion today to $25 billion in 2023, a compound annual growth rate of 25 percent, according to Lux Research.Lux Research used historical trends as well as projected average price reductions to build a model that calculates the adoption rate of LEDs within each end market application—office, industrial and street lighting. They found that recessed modular will emerge the largest LED luminaire market, growing from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $14.5...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide announced that RobecoSAM, an investment asset management firm, has recognized the company as a 2014 Silver Class Sustainability Leader in its annual Sustainability Yearbook. This is the first time the company has been included in the Sustainability Yearbook and received the Silver Class rating.The Sustainability Yearbook lists the world’s most sustainable companies in each industry. This year, in addition to being within the top 15 percent of their industry, companies needed to achieve a score within 30 percent of the best-performing company in their industry to be included. Wyndham Worldwide is the only company in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the WaterSense H2Otel Challenge as a way for agency partners and other organizations to encourage hotels to use best management practices that will save water and money, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.  “Hotels that reduce their water use will not only help their community save precious resources, but can gain a competitive edge in today’s green marketplace,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “Since 2006, WaterSense has helped Americans save more than 487 billion gallons of water, and now we’re building...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Econo Lodge is celebrating the one year mark of its Room to be Green program. A first of its kind initiative executed across the entire lodging portfolio, Room to be Green is designed to reduce environmental impact and waste, meet the changing expectations of today’s environmentally conscious guests and potentially lower operational expenses, (including energy and water costs) at the property level. The Econo Lodge brand, which is fully franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world’s largest hotel companies, is a leader among economy hotel brands for implementing mandatory green initiatives throughout all its properties....