AVALON, N.J.—Green Day, a fun and educational event focusing on green initiatives, ecology and the environment, took place today, July 16, at the Concord Suites in Avalon, N.J. The hotel invited everyone in the community to come and learn about ways they can be more environmentally aware and adopt green practices at home.In addition to featuring many of Concord Suites’ green initiatives, the Cape May County Zoo, EcoVentures, the N.J. Audubon Society and other environmentally conscious organizations participated with interactive displays and entertainment including singer, songwriter and tale spinner Valerie Vaughn. The day also included recycling crafts, giveaways and...

ATLANTA—For five weeks this summer, a group of hospitality students from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business will intern at three Meliã Hotels International resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Designed for students interested in resort operations, this internship will allow 11 students the opportunity to understand how to integrate sustainable principles into business operations in an international environment.“Within the hospitality and tourism industry we are seeing an increased focus on applying sustainable ‘best practices’ to affect the bottom line,” says Debby Cannon, director of the School of Hospitality. “By examining how to be environmentally responsible and its...

NATIONAL REPORT—Data provided in McGraw Hill Construction’s Green Retail and Hospitality: Capitalizing on the Growth in Green Building Investments report suggest significant recent growth in green building in the hotel sector. According to the report, hotel owners highly involved in green building rose from 28 percent in 2011 to 48 percent in 2013, and that growth is expected to rise to 64 percent in 2015. This growth is not confined to new construction activity. Nearly three quarters of hotel owners also expect to have green operations and maintenance activities by 2015. The reason for the increased interest? Green building asset...

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,...