BOSTON—Earth Day may be just around the corner, but consumers are buying with an eye toward “green” all year long. A record-high 71 percent of Americans consider the environment when they shop, up from 66 percent in 2008. Additionally, nearly half (45 percent) of consumers actively seek out environmental information about the products they buy, according to the five-year benchmark of the 2013 Cone Communications Green Gap Trend Tracker.Even as “green” becomes increasingly top of mind, Americans still struggle with their role in the life cycle of products with an environmental benefit. Ninety percent said they believe it’s their...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—Aqua Hospitality is donating a portion of room reservations on Earth Day to celebrate a number of green improvements throughout its collection. Aqua Hospitality’s hotels and resorts will be doing their part to care for the oceans via room reservation donations to Hui o Koolaupoko, an organization whose mission is to protect ocean health. One dollar from each reservation booked on Earth Day (Monday, April 22) will go toward helping Hui o Koolaupoko’s programs for monitoring ocean conditions and watershed health by working with various stakeholders on natural resource coordination and community education. Bookings for April 22 can...

NATIONAL REPORT—Air curtains, also known as air doors, can play an important role in a hotel’s energy conservation strategy—especially hotels with foodservice operations. In use for almost a century now, air curtains have become more sophisticated and effective in recent years and the number of applications for them has grown. Air curtains can now be used in entryways—both in the front and back of the house—with walk-in coolers, warewashers, and even in laundry areas. Air curtains help to contain heated or air conditioned air, and are essential in stopping the infiltration of flying insects, dust and dirt.Air curtains employ...

SEARCHLIGHT, NEV.—Cottonwood Cove Resort and Marina on Lake Mohave has made history, becoming the world’s first floating green building to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Spearheaded by the National Park Service and Forever Resorts, LLC, the marina building opened June 2011, serving as the marina’s operations office.From decking made of rice hulls to exterior stucco made of recycled tires, from the beginning, the marina was lauded for its use of green materials. The floating eco-friendly structure features sustainable modular construction and state-of-the-art energy-efficient and environmentally responsible materials...

CHICAGO—This month, Earth Month, Hotel Felix Chicago will roll out the green carpet with free eco-friendly events and activities for Chicagoans and guests alike. Located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, Hotel Felix is Chicago’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified hotel.The Earth Month activities include but are not limited to: •    Earth Day, Earth Stay: To kick off Earth Month on April 1, Hotel Felix will offer an exclusive Earth Day room rate of $20.13 plus tax for the first 10 people who book a room for Earth Day, April 22, online using promo code EARTH....

TURTLE ISLAND, YASAWAS, FIJI—Turtle Island Resort in Fiji has recently completed a groundbreaking solar installation, making it one of the first ever clean energy resorts in the world. The installation renders the island resort nearly 100 percent self-sufficient using the sun’s clean energy. This project, which entailed a total of 968 solar panels being installed on the island, commenced in early 2012 and is now fully operational. Through its ecologically conscious operations, the resort runs on an average of 85 percent solar power, more than any other island resort in Fiji, and perhaps any luxury resort worldwide.“At Turtle Island...

DESTIN, FLA.—Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa has received the 2013-14 Green Meetings Approved by ConventionSouth certification from ConventionSouth magazine, a leading national resource for meeting planners holding events in the South.The annual certification program evaluates and recognizes properties for their green meeting initiatives and the ability to help meeting planners meet their own green meeting objectives.“We’ve worked long and hard on our sustainable practices and green initiatives, and are excited to have our efforts recognized with this certification,” said Gary Brielmayer, general manager of Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa. “From water reduction and energy conservation,...

DEATH VALLEY, CALIF.—Approaching its five-year anniversary, the solar photovoltaic system national park and resort concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts installed in Death Valley has produced more than 10 million kW and met the company’s goal of reducing purchased electricity by 30 percent.The one megawatt (MW) system was completed in June 2008 and covers five acres within Furnace Creek Resort which includes the historic Inn at Furnace Creek, Ranch at Furnace Creek and Furnace Creek Golf Course as well as employee offices and housing.“Our solar PV system has been a true workhorse as it harnesses the sun’s energy practically every...

LONDON—A growing body of evidence suggests tackling food waste could help resolve many of the sustainability challenges faced by the food industry. A number of studies are linking food losses and waste to food inflation, food security, resource inputs and climate change.The global food industry is currently experiencing its third bout of food inflation in five years because of poor agricultural harvests in the United States, Russia and South America. Analysts predict the average basket of food prices will rise by 15 percent by June 2013. The hike in food prices is raising concerns about food security and its...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp., a developer and operator of integrated resort destinations, has expanded its Sands ECO360 Meetings program. New offerings include “Green Meeting Concierges” to guide the entire sustainable meeting planning process, “Sands ECO360 Event Impact Statement”—a report to track a meeting’s sustainability performance—and the option to add community engagement events to the meeting experience.The Sands ECO360 Meetings program was created specifically to help Las Vegas Sands’ meeting and convention customers fully leverage the company’s award-winning investment in sustainable building and business practices. Meeting organizers interested in hosting a green event now have the option of working...