WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that more than 2,500 products are now authorized by the agency under its Design for the Environment (DfE) Safer Product Labeling Program to carry the DfE label. DfE-labeled products do not contain known chemicals of potential concern, like carcinogens, reproductive or developmental toxicants. Even minor product components, like dyes and fragrances, are screened for safety. EPA also announced that it soon will require manufacturers with products that bear the DfE logo to disclose their ingredients to consumers. “EPA’s DfE Program helps empower people to choose products that are safer for their families...

PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh general manager Leonard Czarnecki announced that his hotel has donated $10,000 to Grow Pittsburgh and initiated a long-term partnership with the nonprofit organization to support its mission of demonstrating, teaching and promoting responsible urban food production. The donation is part of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ CARE (Community Assistance and Responsibility to the Environment) Grant Program which provides funding to support environmentally-focused initiatives and social and community wellbeing. Most of the grant will be used to support the construction of a school garden in the local community through Grow Pittsburgh’s unique Edible Schoolyard program—a collaborative effort between Grow...

SILVER SPRING, MD.—For Earth Day this year Choice Hotels International issued a press release that included an update on its more than two-year-old Room to Be Green program (see article). Room to Be Green is an optional program for Choice licensees that gives them an opportunity to receive marketing recognition—a green leaf icon—on the Choice website based on their commitment to implement at least three green programs at their properties in the areas of energy conservation, water conservation, and recycling. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Christopher Schrader, project director of brand programs for Choice, to get more details...

CHICAGO—The 43rd annual NeoCon, at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, offers attendees a wide variety of educational programming. The event will be held June 13 to 15, 2011. NeoCon offers a wide variety of CEU accredited seminars for interior designers, architects, lighting designers, professionals in LEED credential maintenance and more. Over the three day show, attendees will have access to 140 seminars, association forums, special events, featured programs and leading-edge keynote speakers. Hospitality designers will find a variety of programming specifically for their industry. All hospitality design programs are sponsored by NEWH and presented under the Hospitality Design educational track. They...

NEW YORK—Harvesting crops in Manhattan is tough. So Element New York Times Square West is doing the next best thing. Giving guests and neighbors easy access to fresh, seasonal produce and artisanal farm products, the earth-friendly hotel will launch a pioneering partnership with Holton Farms, an eighth-generation Vermont-based farm and Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) program. The partnership makes Element Times Square West the nation’s first hotel to participate in a Community Sponsored Agriculture program. Element will join Holton Farms’ CSA as an active member, supporting the program by purchasing a “share” in this season’s harvest. Memberships are usually available...

NASHVILLE—Gaylord Opryland Resort and The Land Trust for Tennessee announced a partnership aimed at reducing energy and water consumption while promoting the conservation of land in the local community. As part of the company’s towel reuse program “Choose to Reuse,” Opryland has made a donation to The Land Trust for Tennessee to support implementation of Nashville’s Open Space Plan. “Choose to Reuse” builds on Gaylord’s recently announced corporate sustainability program, GET Green. GET Green, which is designed to integrate within the overall business strategy, focuses on reducing Gaylord’s impact on the environment while improving its interactions with all of its...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—A group of leaders in the hotel industry representing brands, hotel suppliers, architecture firms, purchasing companies, and sustainability experts has launched the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium. The Consortium, led by MindClick SGM, will work collaboratively to facilitate greening the furniture, fixture and equipment (FF&E) supply chain for hotels by: leading the industry in development of an industrywide Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI) to comprehensively measure the sustainability of FF&E suppliers and the products they sell; collaborating to establish consistent measures of sustainable purchasing performance for brands, owners and FF&E manufacturers; and establishing key performance indicators that enhance...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Clean the World was selected as the winner of the 2011 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Award in the Leadership category. The awards are presented annually by The Collins Center, a nonprofit think tank based in Tallahassee, Fla. The 2011 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Awards recognizes Clean the World’s emergence as a worldwide leader and industry standard for soap and amenities recycling in the hospitality industry, and the launch of a “global hygiene revolution” centered on recycling soap to save lives. The award also looks ahead to Clean the World’s future development of new, sustainable and socially responsible programs...

OURAY, COLO.—If Karen and Richard Avery could save another therm, they would. They certainly are trying. The couple, who own the 39-room Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo., have reduced the lodge’s natural gas consumption by more than 70 percent in the past four years. The Averys have wisely invested in a geothermal system that utilizes the natural hot springs on their 2.6-acre property. Once used by the Ute Indians many years ago and last century for a sanitarium, the hot springs are used to heat the guestrooms and all of the hot water for the...

RICHMOND, VA.—Some 2,000 pounds of food waste each month will no longer be sent to local landfills, thanks to a new composting initiative implemented by the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown in the restored Miller & Rhoads building. “While we are proud to be a participant in the Virginia Green program, we wanted to expand our efforts by adding composting in 2011,” said John Cario, general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown. Virginia Green, the state’s program to encourage green practices in tourism, has nearly 1,000 participants, including more than 400 lodging facilities. “To be the very first hotel...