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,...

HONG KONG—In recognition of Shangri-La Asia Limited’s corporate sustainability leadership, the company has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). It is the only hotel group to be included in the index component within Asia Pacific and it is the first time Shangri-La has been made a constituent.Launched in 1999, the DJSI track the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The annual DJSI, compiled by Dow Jones and RobecoSAM Group, assess a company’s corporate sustainability performance from the economic, environmental and social development aspects. This year, DJSI reviewed 2,500 companies around the world and 333 companies...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As asthma rates continue to rise, the Healthy Building Network (HBN) warns that new preventive strategies are needed to address this epidemic at its source. This includes avoiding the many building materials introducing asthma-causing chemicals into the indoor environment. The materials include flooring, carpets, insulation and paints with chemicals that can cause the development of asthma.This information has been released in the new HBN report, Full Disclosure Required: A Strategy to Prevent Asthma Through Building Product Selection, which reveals that many building materials can cause the development of asthma. HBN says that building occupants can be exposed to...

MANKATO, MINN.—All that’s left is the waiting for the official plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council. When it arrives the Courtyard Mankato Minnesota will become the first hotel in the Gopher State to receive LEED certification. Considering all of the property’s green features, the honor will be well deserved. The 93-room property, about a year old, is owned by Mercury Investments L.P. Preston Lougheed is the general manager.“As far as we know we are the first Marriott in the United States to have solar panels,” Lougheed says. “It was a big investment.” The 40 kW, 192 panel system...

FARGO, N.D.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced plans to introduce its eco-wise Element brand to Fargo, N.D. Element Fargo is scheduled to open in November 2015 in the Veterans Boulevard Corridor. The hotel is owned by StaySharpe Hotels and will feature 130 rooms.Element Fargo will be located across the street from the site of the new $500 million Sanford Fargo Medical Center now under development, and just ten minutes from Microsoft Corporation’s second largest campus in North America. The hotel will also be convenient to Fargodome, home of the two-time defending FCS championship team, the North Dakota State...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) announced its annual Sustainable Meetings Conference will be held in San Francisco, April 15 to 17, 2014. The event theme will be “bridging the gap” between conceptual sustainability and real world practices at the industry scale. The host hotel for the event will be the San Francisco Hilton. The conference will be geared toward event planners, suppliers, service providers, and destination representatives with an interest in learning the latest green meetings best practices and technologies.“The GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference continues to innovate not only on showcasing sustainable event practices, but on the...

MOUNTAINDALE, N.Y.—The Green Tourism Conference will be a first-of-its-kind opportunity to unite foodservice and lodging facilities, tourism agencies, “eco” product suppliers and recreational activity businesses from the Catskills to the Poconos around the common cause of promoting ecotourism.The region’s proximity to two major metropolitan areas positions it as an up and coming destination for tourists seeking green travel and outdoor recreational opportunities. The main goal of the conference is to increase tourism revenue by facilitating collaboration and fostering sustainable tourism initiatives throughout the region, spanning Delaware, Greene, Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties of New York; and Wayne, Monroe, Pike...

RAPID CITY, S.D.—Rapid City Hotel Adoba has chosen to close for the Christmas Holiday for the first time in history, following a record year of growth and completion of the property’s second phase of renovation earlier this year. The hotel will close on December 24 at 10 a.m. and reopen on December 26 at 7 a.m.General Manager Stacie Hull says the primary reason for closing is to recognize her team’s achievement and provide her team members the opportunity to spend the holiday with friends and family.“Following strong revenues in 2013, above average occupancy, and the completion of phase two...

ENGLEWOOD, COLO.—In the company’s second annual “State of the Meetings Industry” survey, Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fourth largest hospitality management company in the United States, forecasts major meetings trends to watch for in 2014. Based on input from more than 180 corporate, association, independent, and government planners nationwide, the report provides insight on a number of key topics: budget; lead time; location; technology; culinary; teambuilding; and environmental sustainability. Money & Time Twenty-six percent of the survey participants forecast expenditures to be greater in 2014, an expected increase from the 20 percent who forecasted the same for 2013 funds, while 55...