NEW YORK—Local lawmakers in New York City have introduced legislation that would effectively ban the use of polystyrene packaging at restaurants and other foodservice outlets in the area.The legislation, introduced June 12 into the City Council by members Lewis A. Fidler, Vincent J. Gentile and Letitia James in conjunction with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, would prevent operators from using the plastic foam packaging at full-service and quick-service restaurants, cafes, delicatessens, coffee shops, grocery stores, vending trucks or carts and cafeterias.Mayor Bloomberg initially proposed the ban during his State of the City address in February.If passed, the regulation, which would be...

LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA—A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been signed which details two exclusive and innovative green developments in Langkawi, Malaysia. The MOA was signed between the Langkawi Development Agency and Pekan Artisan, a tourism resort and high-impact attraction developer based in Malaysia that specializes in eco-tourism and projects that demand a high level of cultural and historical integrity. Pekan Artisan is the sister company to U.S.-based Artisan Design, a tourism and attraction design and development company founded by Robert Wyatt.The high profile launch event was witnessed by senior Malaysian government officials and covered extensively by Malaysian media.Langkawi, an archipelago...

DENVER—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) announced the winners of the AH&LA Achievement Awards, part of the annual Stars of the Industry Awards, which honor stand-out initiatives at hotel properties. In a ceremony held during the AH&LA Summer Summit at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, these awards, which have been awarded annually since 1966, distinguish individual hotels that have developed outstanding programs, events, and campaigns. Winners were chosen in the categories of Community Service, Special Events, Guest Relations, Good Earthkeeping, Diversity, and Technology Innovation.Winning the Good Earthkeeping, Small Property is the Onyx Hotel, Boston. The hotel has...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The international hotel and restaurant industry has been working toward sustainability in operations, and industry executives are making every effort to report their sustainability results. At the 2012 Cornell Hospitality Research Summit (CHRS), several presenters offered their analysis of both sustainability strategies and related reporting approaches. The sustainability presentations are summarized in a new conference proceedings, “Toward Sustainable Hotel and Restaurant Operations,” by Glenn Withiam. The proceedings document is available at no charge from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, where Withiam is director of publications.Much of the research presented at the CHRS addressed the conflicting messages that...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte has unveiled plans for its first-ever Summer Honey Festival—three months of special events and dining festivities celebrating the 100,000 honeybees which live on the hotel’s green, vegetated roof. The Summer Honey Festival began this June 1, as the hotel’s Bar Cocoa all-dessert dining experience and The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Charlotte introduced a roster of seasonal honey-based offerings available until September.On June 20, the first honey harvest of the summer will take place, reaping more than 30 pounds of natural honey to be used in Bar Cocoa’s breakfasts, all-day desserts and freshly-made gelato. The honey may also...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), creators of the LEED green building program, announced a new campaign offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.Coined “LEED Earth,” this campaign aims to bring LEED certification and thereby better-performing buildings into new markets. LEED is a global approach to more efficient, environmentally-sound buildings and is universally adaptable to address issues such as energy and potable water use, environmental toxins and human health concerns related to indoor environments....

BANGKOK—Six Senses Laamu has become the first resort in the Maldives to establish and implement a Code of Conduct for dolphin watching in order to protect the local spinner and bottlenose dolphins, and to ensure the future sustainability of their populations.Fully committed to developing a sustainable business and eco-tourism, the resort has developed policies and procedures in line with the Green Globe 21 standards: Energy Conservation, Waste Reduction, Nature, Island & Reef Protection, and Social Responsibility. These policies and procedures are renewed at least annually.Now, expanding on this commitment, the Code of Conduct for dolphin watching rounds out the...

DEARBORN, MICH.—Adoba Hotel Dearborn/Detroit announced it has been accepted as a Gold Level GreenLeader in the new TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program, which helps travelers plan greener trips by identifying environmentally-friendly accommodations across the United States. The Adoba Hotel has also earned the Green Key Eco-Ratings certification.“Being recognized as a Green Key member and Trip Advisors new GreenLeader accurately mirrors our goals and ambitions,” says Adrienne Pumphrey, Global Head of the Adoba Brand. “Working toward the certifications has been a team effort and the greatest realization has been to see the passion from each of the departments as they identify their...

NATIONAL REPORT—This year could be a landmark year for mattress recycling. Time will tell if other states will follow their leads but three states—California, Connecticut and Rhode Island—are getting closer to creating the infrastructure for statewide mattress recycling. Late last month, California’s State Senate approved SB 254 which creates a used mattress recycling program. Assembly hearings on that legislation, according to Ryan Trainer, president, International Sleep Products Assn. (ISPA), are expected to begin early next month. Earlier this year, with Public Act 13-42, Connecticut became the first state to pass comprehensive mattress recycling legislation. In Rhode Island, Trainer says,...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Clean the World, the largest global recycler of hotel amenities, has expanded to Asia. The organization’s new soap recycling facility in Hong Kong provides an essential service to a region quickly running out of landfill space. It is projected to divert 110 tons of soap from landfills in the first year.This is the first operations center outside North America for Clean the World, a social enterprise committed to saving lives around the world by collecting and recycling soap and shampoo products discarded by the hospitality industry. Nearly 2,000 hotels across North America currently participate in the program. Since...