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...

SEATTLE—The DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport and the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center have announced a partnership with Food Lifeline to secure food and reduce hunger in the Seattle communities. The collaboration will enable the DoubleTree and Hilton Seattle Airport hotels to collect safe, surplus food from events and conferences that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to those in need.“During each conference there is the potential for large amounts of food to go to waste, while at the same time many people in the Seattle region do not have enough to eat,” said Frank Welton,...

HALES LOCATION, N.H.—Golfers who took a drive up to the White Mountain Hotel for opening day at the Hale’s Location Golf Course on May 4 noticed something missing—the sound of gas-powered golf carts. “We have switched to an all-electric powered fleet,” said Wayne Sprouse, the new head professional at Hale’s Location Golf Course. Electric carts are much more environmentally friendly, not just because they don’t use gas or pollute the air but also because they are quiet. “Golf is a game that benefits from silence during play,” adds Sprouse. “These new, quiet carts make for a better experience for...

LAS VEGAS—Registration is now open for the sixth annual WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference and Exposition, scheduled for October 2 to 4 at the South Point Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas.Full registration for the urban water efficiency conference includes admission to the WaterSense Partner of the Year Awards luncheon October 3, hosted by the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program.Since its debut in 2008, WSI has drawn attendees from 45 states and 27 foreign nations. This year’s conference will again feature a full slate of comprehensive professional sessions and an expo hall...

SAN DIEGO—Nonsmoking rooms in hotels operating a partial smoking ban don’t protect their occupants from tobacco smoke, reveals research published online in Tobacco Control. Non-smokers should give hotels that allow smoking in certain rooms a wide berth, say the authors, and instead choose completely smoke free hotels.The researchers analyzed the surfaces and air quality of rooms for evidence of tobacco smoke pollution (nicotine and 3EP), known as third hand smoke, in a random sample of budget to mid-range hotels in San Diego. Ten hotels in the sample operated complete bans and 30 operated partial smoking bans, providing designated nonsmoking...

PHOENIX—Thanks to the debut of the PHX Sky Train, visitors arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport can now travel to downtown Phoenix for $2, in about 20 minutes, without burning an ounce of gasoline. The Sky Train, which began operation April 8, is an automated train that transports travelers between the airport’s busiest terminal and the nearest light-rail station. Sky Train is free and operates 24 hours a day, arriving at stations about every three minutes.Passengers flying Southwest and US Airways, the two highest-volume carriers at Sky Harbor, can check their bags in early, for free, before boarding...

NATIONAL REPORT—There are very few industries in which competitors have come together and collaborated to address the problem of inconsistent carbon reporting. Despite increasing concerns that carbon reporting is a “tick box” exercise, non-comparable and ultimately informs little about the actual positive change a company is making, collaboration for the sake of a solution often seems a step too far. The global hotel industry is proving that it’s not. The Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), created by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and International Tourism Partnership (ITP), is the first consistent approach to reporting in the industry....

WHITE SALMON, WASH.—Travel businesses face a multitude of challenges: rising costs, shrinking resources, and increasing pressure to raise the bar on sustainable practices that reduce environmental impacts. Leading-edge businesses are turning responsibility into opportunity. They understand that long-term success requires stewardship of the destinations they serve. They also effectively communicate how their actions can make a difference by engaging customers and increasing brand loyalty. Join Sustainable Travel International’s business development manager, Andrew Grossmann, on Thursday, May 23 at 1 p.m. EST, to learn about carbon emission calculation methodologies that make sense for your business, and to explore how carbon...