ANN ARBOR, MICH.—High levels of hazardous chemicals were found in garden hoses for the second year in a row. Researchers at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Ecology Center found phthalates and the toxic chemical BPA in the water of a new hose that had been sitting outside in the sun for just two days. Findings include BPA levels of 0.34 to 0.91 ppm in the hose water, a level that is three to nine times higher than safe drinking water standards. The phthalate DEHP was found at concentrations of 0.017 to 0.011 ppm in the hose water, which is two...

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—Ellerman House has launched an initiative to become Cape Town’s most eco-friendly boutique hotel. Through newly implemented green projects such as solar panels, LED light bulbs, heat pumps, earthworm farms and recycling systems, the property aims to be Cape Town’s leader in eco-friendly luxury hospitality by September 2013.In order to measure the carbon footprint for the entire property, including the main house, villas, spa, art gallery and all administrative housing and offices, Ellerman House hired an energy efficiency company, BrightBlack, as a consultant and to administer extensive energy testing. The staff at Ellerman House began taking...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA) annual Summer Summit, held June 18 to 19 at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa in Denver, will feature awards for eco-friendly practices. These Good Earthkeeping awards, to be presented at the Stars of the Industry Awards luncheon, are just some of the awards that will be presented. Other areas in which awards will be presented include: community service, guest relations, special events, diversity, and information technology. The Summit will also include a session featuring top-line forecasting and social data trends and a special meeting of members to vote on a...

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—Mario and Annemarie Delicio of Dematech are the owners behind Hotel Verde. Dedicated and passionate about sustainability, they have transformed what was initially just a sensible business proposition into a showcase for some of the most advanced environmentally conscious technological installations as well as construction and operation practices in the world.“We have a responsibility as a company, as an employer and as a visitor on this planet to live as sustainably as possible,” says Mario Delicio. “This is the only way we can survive long-term and hand over to our children in a responsible manner.”Construction on...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA) annual Summer Summit, held June 18 to 19 at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa in Denver, will feature awards for eco-friendly practices. These Good Earthkeeping awards, to be presented at the Stars of the Industry Awards luncheon, are just some of the awards that will be presented. Other areas in which awards will be presented include: community service, guest relations, special events, diversity, and information technology. The Summit will also include a session featuring top-line forecasting and social data trends and a special meeting of members to vote on a...

LONDON—The first international restaurant rating system that enables diners to choose restaurants that match their sustainability priorities wherever they are in the world was launched recently by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). Some of the best restaurants in the world have already completed the SRA rating and a number of others have committed to doing so. Narisawa, the two Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo, won the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Zacapa, at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants this year, by achieving the highest score among the 50 Best Restaurants to complete the SRA’s new Global Rating survey. Noma, in...

PARIS—Accor Hotels announced that its Plant for the Planet program will fund 200,000 trees in the United Kingdom in a pioneering project designed to promote sustainable food production and nurture links between hotels, guests and farms. Europe’s largest hotel group marked the first anniversary of its PLANET 21 sustainability strategy by revealing plans to finance up to 50 projects across the United Kingdom by the end of 2015, planting trees on farms in smart ways that cut costs, raise yields and improve the environment. The program also aims to engage Accor’s employees and guests on sustainability.Plant for the Planet...

ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and NRG Energy, Inc. announced a new global alliance to expand the use of renewable energy systems at Starwood properties. The alliance will begin with three properties, including the installation of a 1.3 megawatt (MW) solar array at the Westin St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands where NRG will build, own and operate the project. This array will provide clean, efficient power to the resort and help to reduce local air emissions and the impact of shipping on the fragile Caribbean ecosystem by directly reducing demand for diesel...

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MON.—Three West Yellowstone properties owned and operated by global hospitality company Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts successfully graduated from the Yellowstone Business Partnership’s (YBP) UnCommon Sense Program. The Gray Wolf Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Conference Center and Branch Restaurant and the Yellowstone Park Hotel are known as the Park Gate Lodges.The Park Gate Lodges group of properties is one of only 10 businesses to graduate in the class of 2013. Graduation ceremonies were held April 25.“The UnCommon Sense program provided an amazing opportunity for our Park Gate Lodge properties to look at business in...

CHICAGO—The McCormick Place convention center has become the largest convention center in North America to be certified to a new international sustainability standard. This certification was introduced in 2012 to promote responsible environmental and social practices in the event industry. McCormick Place achieved Level One Certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences.“We can all be very proud of this international honor for McCormick Place, which highlights how Illinois is on the cutting-edge when it comes to sustainability and the green economy,” Illinois Governor Pat...