CHICAGO—The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which works with the private sector and honorary chairwoman First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the nation’s childhood obesity crisis, announced at its inaugural Building a Healthier Future Summit that it has partnered with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts to improve the nutritional profile of food menus at full-service managed Hyatt properties across the country. Menus at all Hyatt hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada will be enhanced following the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPlate federal guidance, which targets children’s menus. In the next year, Hyatt...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International, a global public health and environmental organization, has published the first American national standard for commercial and residential on-site water reuse treatment systems, NSF/ANSI 350. The new standard complements NSF’s expanding scope of environmental standards and sustainable product standards, which help establish criteria for and clear methods of evaluating environmental and sustainable product claims. Certifying a water reuse system to NSF/ANSI 350 also satisfies requirements for leading green building programs. The U.S. Green Building Council has included reference to NSF/ANSI 350 in their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Building Design & Construction 2012 Draft...

CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE—There is no shortage of literary bunny tales, or pop culture characters inspired by our natural fondness for rabbits. Who doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh’s practical friend “Rabbit,” Beatrix Potter’s mischievous “Peter,” Bambi’s loyal mentor “Thumper,” or the Velveteen, energizer and seasonally indispensable Cadbury bunnies? But, like Alice in Wonderland’s white rabbit who vanished into a fanciful rabbit hole, New England’s native Cottontail is also on the verge of vanishing—forever, and from the real world.In an effort to stop  from vanishing in Maine, Inn by the Sea, the Maine Department of Conservation, and Bureau of Parks and...

LAS VEGAS—National Park Trust, a nonprofit environmental organization, and the Caesars Foundation have partnered to help today’s generation explore and learn about the environment near their homes and schools through the Buddy Bison program. National Park Trust’s Buddy Bison program is centered on responsible use of resources and finding the value in the world as well as preserving it for future generations. Earlier this year the Caesars Foundation presented National Park Trust with a $60,000 grant that will be used to coordinate several Buddy Bison field trips in five regions of the United States through 2012. “The Caesars Foundation and Caesars...

COLUMBIA, S.C.—“It just happened that way,” says Hema Patel, in regard to her company’s Holiday Inn & Suites Columbia-Airport opening on Earth Day 2010. Planned or not, it certainly was appropriate that the five-story, 122-room hotel opened on a day that recognizes the birth of the modern day environmental movement. The hotel, which is owned by Patel and her husband’s Capital Hospitality, LLC and operated by the couple’s Courtesy Management Inc. of Orangeburg, S.C., is expected to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in early 2012. Patel says the intent initially was not to build...

ATLANTA—The Atlanta Airport Marriott has acquired two additional compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle vehicles for its guest operations as part of the property’s participation in the Clean Cities Atlanta Petroleum Reduction Program. Clean Cities Atlanta is a government-industry partnership that works to reduce America’s petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. The alternative fuel shuttle buses join the property’s existing fleet of two compressed natural gas (CNG) and two fossil fuel vehicles. “We remain committed to reducing our carbon footprint by utilizing renewable natural gas rather than fossil fuel, helping to maintain a clean, safe environment for everyone,” said general...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. cable industry announced a new initiative dedicated to improving the energy efficiency of set-top boxes and other devices and developing advanced cable-enabled services designed to promote innovative energy conservation measures. A key element of the initiative is the “CableLabs—Energy Lab,” a new facility within the cable industry’s R&D consortium that will concentrate exclusively on improving energy efficiency, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and CableLabs announced. The energy initiative will promote the development, testing, and deployment of technologies that will enable cable subscribers to reduce and manage energy consumption, including establishing new requirements for both cable...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced a partnership with Good360 to connect hotels donating high-quality used goods to charitable organizations that can repurpose and serve needs within their communities. By utilizing LightStay, Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary sustainability performance management platform, all of the more than 3,750 Hilton Worldwide hotels globally will be able to enter goods available for donation into a tracking system that will link to Good360’s online product donation marketplace and its more than 22,000 charities that can claim items as needed. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide’s group meeting clients can track donations entered by Hilton Worldwide-branded properties in the event...

TORONTO—The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) reported the results of its greening efforts for the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo recently held at the MTCC. Even for the world’s largest conference & expo dedicated to green buildings, the results were impressive, with a significantly reduced footprint achieved through an unprecedented 95 percent waste diversion rate, energy and water conservation and an ever increasing commitment to greening through the education of MTCC employees. The premier event featuring three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events attracted more than 23,000...

CANCUN, MEXICO—Cancun has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. The sandy beaches, the blue water and the warm weather have brought tourists back year after year. Understanding that this natural beauty is extremely fragile, the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa has started important green initiatives to ensure tourists can enjoy Cancun for years to come. This resort in Cancun, Mexico, has introduced a number of important environmentally conscious programs this year. Many of them focus on cutting down waste from the Cancun hotel. For instance, the JW Marriott Cancun Resort has begun an aggressive...