MONROE, WIS.—Arthur Bartsch, owner of Wisconsin’s Super 8 of Monroe, has spent the last 15 years trying to figure out how to remove inefficiencies from his 54-room property in Monroe, Wis. He is way past the “low hanging fruit” and well on his way to running one of the greenest lodging establishments in Wisconsin and possibly even the entire United States. The Energy Star rating for the Super 8 of Monroe in 2012, the first year he ran his numbers in the Energy Star Portfolio manager? A 95. That means the hotel, from an energy efficiency standpoint, has been...

FORT COLLINS, COLO.— Based on the premise that spas should be green as a part of the culture of the spa industry, The Spa Association (SPAA) has launched a Green Certification Program to define the parameters of “green” within the industry both for spa facilities and product lines.SPAA utilizes the Ecological Footprint model largely set forth by William Rees in 1992 in the effort to compare human demands on nature with the biosphere’s ability to regenerate resources and provide services. The LEED green ideals and principles are also enacted in the SPAA materials and precepts particularly for building and...

NEWTON, MASS.—TripAdvisor announced that it is accepting applications from U.S. accommodations to be considered for its soon-to-be launched TripAdvisor GreenLeaders program. Created in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, the United Nations Environment Programme and the U.S. Green Building Council, the program will recognize eco-friendly properties and help travelers plan greener trips. Large hospitality companies including Best Western, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Select Registry, as well as independent hotels, are participating in the program.Applications will be reviewed against a set of environmental criteria developed for TripAdvisor by a leading environmental...

CHICAGO—Anthony Bourdain, best known for his Emmy Award-winning series “No Reservations” and new programs “The Taste” (ABC) and “Parts Unknown” (CNN), will play a prominent role at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB). He will deliver a special feature presentation, sign his latest books, and host the third annual Restaurants Rock industry celebration, the official after-party of the NRA Show and IWSB. NRA Show 2013 will be held May 18 to 21 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.As the celebrity host of Restaurants Rock, Bourdain will judge the action-packed IWSB Star...

MIAMI—The InterContinental Miami announced that it has once again renewed its commitment to sustainability efforts by partnering with renewable energy company, Greenlight Energy, and purchasing 16,064,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind power for 2013. This kilowatt-hour purchase equals 100 percent of the hotel’s estimated energy usage in 2013. The hotel ranks as the largest green power purchaser in the state of Florida and maintains its place on the 100 percent Purchaser’s List maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership for a second year in a row. The EPA estimates that the InterContinental Miami’s 2013 purchase avoids an estimated...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has added a new category to its sustainable tourism awards program which it organizes in collaboration with TravelMole, the online community for the travel and tourism industry.This year, CTO member destinations can submit their projects and programs for consideration for the Destination Stewardship Award. It is one of six to be presented at the 14th annual CTO Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-14) being held in Trinidad and Tobago from April 15 to 18.The Destination Stewardship Award is presented to a member destination that is making solid strides towards sustainable tourism management at the destination...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. has become an official hotel partner of Clean the World, a nonprofit that collects, recycles and distributes discarded soaps and other hygiene amenities to communities in need. With nearly 47,000 rooms (more than 200 hotels) already participating, Marriott is the number one hotel chain in the Clean the World portfolio, having collected nearly 1 million soap bars and amenity bottles and diverting more than 120 tons of waste from landfills since 2009. “We are guests on this planet, and conservation ensures our resources are sustained for generations to come,” said Denise Naguib, Marriott International’s vice...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The seventh annual Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), organized by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), co-hosted by Kenya Tourist Board and Ecotourism Kenya and in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 24 to 27, 2013. A leading platform for industry stakeholders engaged in ecotourism and sustainable tourism, the ESTC aims to strengthen commitment to the recent UN resolution, “Promotion of ecotourism for poverty eradication and environment protection,” which recognizes tourism’s role in sustainable community development efforts. “In a significant acknowledgment of tourism as a tool for promoting sustainable...

SILVER SPRING, MD.—Econo Lodge hotels, franchised by Choice Hotels International, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, announced it will be the first national economy hotel chain to promote green practices across an entire lodging portfolio. All Econo Lodge hotels in the United States will implement the Choice Hotels Room to be Green (RTBG) program in 2013. The program is designed to reduce environmental impact and waste, meet the changing expectations of today’s environmentally conscious guests and potentially lower operational expenses, (including energy and water costs) at the property level.Econo Lodge, which currently has almost 900 domestic hotel properties...

BANFF, ALBERTA—Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and opened in July 2010, the Kinnear Centre was built to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System certification, an international benchmark for design, construction, and operation of high environmental performance buildings. The Centre has now reached its LEED goal.“We are extremely proud to attain LEED Gold Certification for the Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation,” said Jeff Melanson, president of The Banff Centre. “This certification reflects our strong commitment to environmental leadership, and recognition of The Banff Centre’s location within the pristine mountain environment of Banff National...