NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND—A new eco-friendly hotel, The Orchard, has opened for business on The University of Nottingham’s award-winning main campus. Designed to complement the University-owned De Vere Venues East Midlands Conference Centre next door, the $32 million hotel complex will provide top class accommodation on University Park with extensive facilities including a roof garden, brasserie and gym. The Orchard Hotel has been built to the highest environmental standards featuring state-of-the-art technology to minimize carbon emissions including a green roof, photovoltaic panels, energy-efficient lighting, heating and ventilation systems.“The University is proud to open The Orchard as a unique and environmentally-driven addition...

PORTLAND, ORE.— The Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) announced Eric Ryan as the keynote speaker for the Sustainable Meetings Conference 2013. The annual conference for the global community dedicated to sustainability in the meetings and events industry will be held April 7 to 10 at McCormick Place West in Chicago.“The selection of Eric Ryan with Method as keynote is a prime example of how smart businesses are creating change by integrating green solutions,” said Tamara Kennedy-Hill, executive director of GMIC.Eric Ryan is the architect of the Method brand, bringing experience and enthusiasm for building consumer and retail concepts. Prior...

NATIONAL REPORT—Green Lodging News recently sent queries to more than 30 suppliers of green amenities, asking them what “new and hot” products they will be making available to the hospitality market in 2013. Eleven companies responded and sent product descriptions as well as photos of their product lines. Throughout the material there was common language—indicators of what is now accepted as “green” when considering amenities. Several suppliers mentioned adding an additive to their tubes or bottles to accelerate the speed at which the plastic biodegrades in landfills. Others mentioned cardboard packaging made with recycled content. Also common: the use...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced the winning documentaries of the second annual Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program. Selected by the Institute’s Documentary Film Program and Fund with Hilton Worldwide, the feature film Revolutionary Optimists will receive $22,500, as will the in-process category winner, Hungry; Studio H will receive $15,000 for honorable mention; and the short film Jungle Fish will receive $5,000. The prizes will be presented at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at an invitation-only panel discussion with directors of the winning films for Revolutionary Optimists, Hungry and Studio H, with moderator and film writer, David...

SEQUIM, WASH.—Taking the concept of existing-structure “recycling” to heart, Olaf and Charlotte Protze have built a thriving bed and breakfast business out of retired cabooses. The Red Caboose Getaway B&B, located in Sequim, Wash., offers accommodations in six luxuriously renovated train cars that the owners have had transported from various U.S. locations. The couple have three additional cabooses on their three acre property that are currently undergoing renovation.Olaf and Charlotte had long enjoyed visiting B&Bs and eventually fell in love with the idea of staying in renovated railcars. “Most are very rustic,” Olaf says. “I thought we could do...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corp., announced that the Sheraton Madison Hotel, located in Madison, Wis., has been accepted into Sustain Dane’s 2013 MPower Business ChaMpion Program. The one-year program, administered by Sustain Dane, a local nonprofit organization committed to creating energy saving solutions for home, school, business and municipalities in Dane County, ensures businesses are going green effectively and efficiently. The Sheraton Madison Hotel is managed by Marcus Hotels & Resorts. “It is an honor to be selected into the MPower Business ChaMpion Program,” said Brian Johnson, general manager of the Sheraton Madison....

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced a sponsorship arrangement with The Paulson Institute, which is partnering with the China Association of Mayors to enhance urban sustainability practices and policies in China. The collaboration signifies Hyatt’s commitment to furthering China’s sustainable urban growth and underscores Hyatt’s commitment to local contributions that tackle global issues.Jointly developed by The Paulson Institute and China Association of Mayors, the Chinese Mayors Urban Sustainability Training Program, to be launched in 2013, is a three-week intensive training in the United States and China, aiming to provide practical knowledge to Chinese municipal leaders on enhancing sustainability efforts.“The success of...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—WHOLE WORLD Water, a new social enterprise set to launch on World Water Day, March 22, 2013, announced today its sustainable business model that partners with the hospitality and tourism industry to collectively address one of the world’s most pressing issues—access to safe and clean water.Leveraging the potential of the hospitality and tourism industry to spur global change, the model encourages spas, hotels, resorts and restaurants to filter, bottle and sell their own water, and contribute 10 percent of the proceeds to the WHOLE WORLD Water Fund; a fund benefiting clean and safe water programs around the world....

KELOWNA, B.C.—The Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites continues to charge forward with environmentally responsible initiatives. Not only has the hotel installed an electric vehicle charging station, they have just received LEED Silver Certification for their new environmental wing through the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party certification program that rates buildings to the highest environmental performance standards in Canada. “This was quite the process,” says Brenda Rayburn, director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel & Suites. “However, for me, the length of time...

BOULDER, COLO.—Kristen Nowakowski was studying in Costa Rica when she heard rumors that a nearby “sustainable” hotel was not practicing what its website preached. That inspired her to investigate, and she found evidence buttressing the rumor. So she asked broader questions about Costa Rica’s certification system for sustainable tourism. And that became the basis for her honors thesis, which, along with her academic record, allowed her to graduate summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with majors in geography and environmental studies. Nowakowski was also named the Outstanding Graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences for the fall...