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...

ATLANTA—About a year ago, not long after starting as director of engineering at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta, Wes Shirley was overlooking the third floor terrace of the 439-room hotel during a rainstorm. He thought to himself, “What a waste. If only we could somehow harvest and reuse all that water we could really save some money.” With the assistance of a plumber, the Director of Administration and Development at Southern Polytechnic University (who is an engineer), and some students at Southern Polytechnic University, Wes came up with a plan to harvest the rainwater that falls on the 32,000 square...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International and NRG Energy, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary NRG Solar, announced the planned installation of one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic arrays in the world at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas. The 6.2-megawatt installation will be MGM Resorts’ first commercial solar project in the United States and will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,000 homes.The announcement was made at a news conference in Las Vegas featuring U.S. Senator Harry Reid and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in advance of the National Clean Energy Summit 6.0...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Food waste from restaurants accounts for a large proportion of a hotel’s waste in total. Leftovers from buffets, kitchen scraps, bread and what guests leave on the side of their plates all add up to hundreds of kilos every day. Much of this food waste is thrown away unnecessarily and Scandic is now taking the next step in its work on sustainability by actively working on waste management at all its hotels. A recently completed pilot shows that, with know-how and planning, the hotels can reduce breakfast waste by more than 30 percent.By training staff, controlling purchasing and...

RALEIGH, N.C.—Concord Hospitality Enterprises, one of the nation’s leading hotel developer/owner/operators, its affiliate hotels and Feed The Children (FTC), a nonprofit, worldwide relief organization based in Oklahoma City, Okla., rallied once again for their fifth annual Share Day, a volunteer event organized in eight cities in the United States and Canada.Share Day brings together some 400 hotel employees to distribute approximately 40 tons of donated food and sundries to needy families in the communities where Concord operates hotels. The donations provide non-perishable food and essentials like toilet paper and personal hygiene items sufficient to sustain a family of four...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that its membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system. The final overall vote was 86 percent in favor of adopting LEED v4. This includes 90 percent approval from the user category of the voting body, 77 percent approval from the general interest category and 89 percent approval from the producer category. The minimum overall percentage of votes needed for a passing vote was 66.7 percent.“There are 46 countries and territories around the world and all 50 U.S. states (and...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its “Different by Design” Aloft brand has doubled its presence in Tulsa, Okla., with the opening of Aloft Tulsa Downtown. The opening also marks the successful completion of the Aloft brand’s second adaptive reuse project. The former City Hall was transformed into Aloft Tulsa Downtown by owner and developer TOCH, LLC. Managed by Presidian Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Tulsa Downtown offers 180 loft-like rooms and leading-edge technology.“Aloft Tulsa Downtown brings new life to a historic building by infusing it with the energy of the Aloft brand’s urban design and buzzing...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The recent success of the IMEX Frankfurt show demonstrated an elevated awareness of sustainability as a business driver for international meeting buyers. The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), which serves as a strategic partner with IMEX on the Green Awards program, presented five awards that recognized excellence in sustainable meetings, suppliers and commitment to community programs. The organization also celebrates ten years as the industry’s voice of sustainability by welcoming new leadership. The GMIC Global board welcomes its new board of directors: Brian Hunt, Maritz Travel; Lindsay Arell, Arell Logic and Colorado Convention Centre; Allen Weidman, InfoComm International; Roger...