SAN FRANCISCO—U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the world’s largest conference dedicated to green building, kicked off earlier this week at San Francisco’s LEED Gold Moscone Center with 7,000 attendees. The morning’s opening plenary, headlined by MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinksi and Joe Scarborough marked the official launch of the 2012 show.Now in its 11th year, Greenbuild convenes 35,000 members of the green building industry for three days of education sessions, renowned speakers, networking events, and a vast exhibition floor with thousands of booths. This year’s location in San Francisco is ideal: With more...

NEW YORK—M1T Partners, LP (M1T), an SEC Registered Investment Advisory addressing the needs of private equity and merger and acquisition specialists by placing investments and providing the necessary advisory services to arrange, structure, execute and syndicate transactions, has finalized a preliminary round of funding of Adoba Eco Hotel, the first independent hotel chain to design, build and convert fully LEED certified hotels. M1T’s $75 million investment represents the first round of financing of a five-year plan to accelerate Adoba’s national expansion plan. M1T’s investment in the Adoba Eco Hotel brand expansion is being conducted through the firm’s fund that...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The not-for-profit Clean the World Foundation has launched a RocketHub campaign in hopes of raising urgently needed funds to further automate their operation and dramatically increase output of recycled soap going to families across the United States and the globe. They do this to combat the daily deaths of 9,000 children worldwide from hygienic-related diseases. In addition, for each dollar donated, a Clean the World hygiene kit will be delivered to victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey.Clean the World has reached 14 percent of its campaign goal of $54,000 on RocketHub, an online “crowdfunding”...

NEW YORK—Ten exhibitors received Editors’ Choice Awards during the Opening Ceremonies of the 97th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) and 3rd annual Boutique Design New York (BDNY), Sunday, November 11, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The awards recognize best new products within the categories of design, equipment & supplies, guest amenities, tabletop, and technology, as well as an eco-friendly equivalent to each of these categories. From the 10 winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award also was selected.Editors from leading hospitality trade publications reviewed nearly 150 submissions of the latest...

NEW YORK—At this past weekend’s International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show, carbon measurement was a hot topic as part of the Hospitality Leadership Forum. In “Reporting Your Hotel Carbon Metrics, Responding to Green RFPs,” the moderator and panelists summarized the progress of the lodging industry’s joint effort to develop standard metrics for hospitality carbon reporting. The session at the Javits Center was moderated by Pat Maher, green consultant, American Hotel & Lodging Assn. and partner, The Maher Group. The panelists included: George Favaloro, managing director, PwC; Eric Ricaurte, principal, Greenview; Maury Zimring, director, corporate responsibility & sustainability, InterContinental Hotels...

NATIONAL REPORT—Aside from mattress protectors, heat, steam and freezing, which have been reported on here at Green Lodging News, there are many other eco-friendly ways to address bed bugs—either from a detection or treatment standpoint. It is a challenge keeping up with the number of products available, especially those that do not involve toxic chemicals that can put employees and guests at risk, but with some investigation and comparison, one can find green solutions that work.Using detection devices can help find bed bugs early and help minimize or even eliminate the use of chemicals down the road—something many hoteliers...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. shot up the list of America’s most environmental companies in Newsweek’s Green Rankings. The company saw a rise of 238 ranks to #128 on the U.S. list, the largest positive change on the list of 500 companies and 20 industries.The Green Rankings comprehensively assess the environmental performance of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States and around the world. It ranks companies based on their actual environmental footprint, management of that footprint, and sustainability communications. The rankings provide a reliable, cross-industry framework for comparing the environmental commitment and performance of major companies.“Our...

MCLEAN, VA.—After more than a decade dedicated to refurbishing historical, cultural and iconic landmarks across the Americas, Hampton Hotels announced the achievement of its long-term goal to preserve one landmark in each U.S. state through its Save-A-Landmark program. On Saturday, September 29, the global brand of nearly 1,900 hotels worldwide donated $25,000 toward the restoration of the Kilauea Lighthouse in Hawaii in honor of National Public Lands Day.“We are thrilled to be able to help aid the preservation of the Kilauea Lighthouse as it prepares for its centennial celebration in 2013,” said Judy Christa-Cathey, vice president of global brand...

HILLSBORO, ORE.—MindClick SGM along with Marriott International announced the launch of the hotel industry’s first pilot program to gauge the impact of sustainable purchasing on guest perception, satisfaction and loyalty through a vendor sustainability evaluation program, guest marketing program and research study. In the program, the Residence Inn by Marriott Portland West/Hillsboro, owned by Apple REIT Six, will be renovated using approved suppliers who are evaluated and rated by the MindClick Hospitality Sustainability Performance Index (HSP Index).The HSP Index is the hospitality industry’s first and only supply chain sustainability rating and reporting system to help hoteliers furnish and supply...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new set of Global Alternative Compliance Paths, or Global ACPs, are now available for all commercial projects pursuing LEED green building certification using the 2009 versions of the rating systems. Global ACPs offer a flexible method for projects around the world to demonstrate compliance with the LEED credits that are traditionally more challenging for projects outside of the United States.“Global consistency and a regional approach mean providing flexibility in referenced standards while ensuring that LEED certification signifies the same level of excellence worldwide,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president, LEED, USGBC. “By focusing on global standards and...