STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. signed an agreement with Suzhou Science and Technology Town Kexin Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. to open a new-build Element hotel in Suzhou Science and Technology Town (SSTT), an eco-city adjacent to the commercial and administrative center of the city’s high tech industrial development zone.Slated for completion in mid-2015, the hotel, Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town (Element Suzhou), marks the Element brand’s entry to Asia Pacific, as well as the presence of all of Starwood’s nine differentiated lifestyle brands in the region.Launched in 2008, the Element brand has made history as...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rock legends Bon Jovi will perform before thousands of green building professionals and community members to launch the upcoming Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Greenbuild, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, will take place November 20 to 22, 2013, in Philadelphia. Registration is currently open.“Bon Jovi is the type of band that crosses all generational lines with its diverse and loyal fan base, and we are thrilled to have such an iconic group take the stage at Greenbuild,” said Kimberly Lewis, senior vice president, Community Advancement,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Gasoline-powered passenger vans have been the norm for transporting guests for a long time. Unfortunately, these types of vehicles are environmentally inefficient. They consume gasoline, produce air and noise pollution, require oil and transmission fluid for upkeep, and are particularly disadvantageous while idling. While the world’s automakers have been rolling out electric automobiles the last few years—the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, etc.—few companies are making electric passenger vans.In the past few months, Zenith Electric, through its Zenith Motors, has begun producing an electric shuttle van in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Zenith is owned by William Yung III, who also...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic has been working with sustainability issues since the mid-1990s. Water, energy, waste and carbon dioxide emissions are some of the areas monitored by the Group every month, to ensure continuous improvement with respect to sustainability. Now the company is focusing on its restaurants, and has decided to replace palm oil with rapeseed and sunflower oil. Scandic’s restaurants use about 75 thousand liters of oil every year just for deep-frying. The use of palm oil has already ceased in Norway, Denmark and Finland. “Accepting our environmental and social responsibilities has always been important to us,” says Inger...

WESTBURY, N.Y.—The Viana Hotel and Spa, located in Westbury N.Y., has been awarded LEED certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). As Long Island’s only green-built feng shui hotel, Viana Hotel and Spa has made an unwavering commitment to sustainability and efficiency. The project team includes LEED consultants, The Cotocon Group and TWIG, who utilize various elements to create buildings that are sustainable and retrofitted to green standards. The architectural work that carries out these eco-friendly principles was completed by Hero Architects, and accompanied by commissioning agent Viridian Energy & Environmental LLC.Starting with the demolition, the team...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised its Energy Star requirements for residential refrigerators and freezers. The updated requirements raise the bar for energy efficiency in these products and, for the first time, encourage manufacturers of Energy Star appliances to include optional “connected” features. These features would offer consumers more ways to reduce the energy consumption of their refrigerators and freezers, help lower their utility bills, and better protect the environment and the climate. Under the new standards, Energy Star certified refrigerators and freezers will use at least 10 percent less energy than models meeting 2014 federal...

PHILIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN—The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa is not only the first Westin hotel or resort in the world—but also the only major resort in the Caribbean—to install and utilize solar panels to replace its energy consumption throughout the resort. The resort’s owner, Columbia Sussex Corporation, enlisted the expertise of Anthony Prall Jr.’s Caribbean Energy Store to design a system to facilitate its 317 guestrooms, restaurants, restrooms, laundry facilities and spa.“There are hotels and resorts utilizing solar power for specific areas, such as heating pools and water, bungalows or, if it is a small property,...

NEW YORK—InterContinental New York Barclay recently announced it has been accepted as a Gold level GreenLeader into the new TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program. The program helps travelers plan greener trips by identifying environmentally-friendly accommodations across the United States.Additionally, the hotel announced it was recently ranked as the No. 1 Green Hotel in New York on TripAdvisor—a nod to the InterContinental New York Barclay’s assertive sustainability program which includes 100 percent wind powered energy, organic, seasonal, natural or local food, on-site composting, recycling and reduced paper, compact fluorescent bulb lighting, roof top garden with honeybee maintenance, and an energetic variety of...

DALLAS—Plans are quickly coming together for the Lodging Green + Sustainability Conference + Expo being planned by Lodging Magazine in collaboration with EcoGreenHotel. The October 1 to 3 event will be held at the LEED Gold certified Omni Dallas Hotel. The three-day event will feature a tour of the Omni Dallas Hotel and a keynote address by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy is a professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law and serves as co-director of the school’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. He also serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney...

SEATTLE—ForestEthics, a forest protection organization whose mission includes educating consumers about environmentally harmful forestry practices, filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) asking the agency to investigate the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)’s claim to be a “green” certifier of forest products. The complaint argues that SFI’s claim that it is an independent, nonprofit public charity is deceptive and misleading because SFI is substantially governed and financed by the timber industry and because its vague and ambiguous forestry standards are developed and approved by timber industry personnel in a closed process. ForestEthics’ complaint is based on the FTC’s...