INTERIOR, S.D.—Big changes are afoot at Cedar Pass Lodge, a Forever Resort and the only accommodation located inside Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The historic property, which originally opened in 1928, is adding new cabins built to LEED Gold specifications, in time for the 2012 summer season.New features at Cedar Pass Lodge include: •    New cabins featuring wood paneling salvaged from Black Hills pine trees felled by beetles. The wood bears the distinctive “beetle-kill” markings of grey streaked wood. •    New cabins are furnished with regionally sourced handcrafted lodge pole pine furniture felled by beetle kill and repurposed wood...

LAS VEGAS—Registration is now open for the Fifth Annual WaterSmart Innovations (WSI) Conference and Exposition, scheduled for October 3 to 5 at the South Point Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas. Full registration for the urban water efficiency conference includes admission to the WaterSense Partner of the Year Awards luncheon October 4, hosted by the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense Program.Last year’s event drew nearly 1,100 participants from more than 30 states and nine nations. WSI 2011 also featured more than 130 professional sessions and an expo hall with more than 50...

ORLANDO—On the heels of InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) announcement that it would partner with Clean the World—potentially adding 3,274 properties to Clean the World’s 1,400 hospitality partners—Green Lodging News spoke with Clean the World’s co-founder and CEO, Shawn Seipler, about the impact of the partnership.“It means a number of things,” said Seipler, whose organization recycles and donates partially used soap and amenities to those in need around the world. “It is another major chain on board with us. It demonstrates continued acceptance of our program by the industry. In the first year of our partnership with Starwood, we added...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association announced that exhibit space at its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show has completely sold out. The newly redesigned exhibit floor will showcase more than 1,900 exhibitors, including more than 500 new exhibitors that will offer thousands of products and services to restaurant and foodservice operators. NRA Show 2012 will be held May 5 to 8 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. “A sold-out exhibit floor means NRA Show 2012 will be buzzing with thousands of new products and services that can make a difference in operators’ businesses,” said Jack Crawford, convention chair and president and CEO of Ground Round...

ORLANDO—Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, announced the launch of the Wyndham Million Trees Project, an initiative to plant one million trees throughout national forests in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees.As part of the Wyndham Green sustainability program to reduce the company’s environmental impact around the globe, owners, guests and associates at more than 150 Club Wyndham and WorldMark by Wyndham resorts and 10 corporate offices are being encouraged to contribute to the cause.“The Wyndham...

SAN FRANCISCO—Green Spa Network announces the launch of the first ever “GSN Plastic Reduction Challenge”—an 11-month campaign conducted in partnership with the Plastic Pollution Coalition—where awards will be given in seven different categories to winners from day, resort and destination spas as well as spa product companies.The objective of the contest is to reduce usage of disposable plastic—like plastic bags and bottles, food and beverage items, product packaging, shipping supplies, etc.“Plastic is a material that the earth cannot digest,” says Daniella Russo, co-founder and executive director of Plastic Pollution Coalition “Every bit of plastic ever made is still here...

JERSEY CITY, N.J.—Hyatt Regency Jersey City welcomed its largest check-in to date earlier this week. Working in conjunction with Hilltop Honey located in North Caldwell, N.J., Hyatt Regency Jersey City installed two honeybee hives with approximately 32,000 resident bees per hive. The bees are perched on the hotel’s fifth floor rooftop suite complete with views of the World Trade Center development, and will assist in a statewide agricultural initiative to increase pollination. The Mayor of Jersey City, the State of New Jersey apiarist, and the State Secretary of Agriculture were present on April 30 for the official bee launch....

ORLANDO—The Peabody Orlando announced progress in its efforts to become one of the most eco-friendly hotels in the United States with the addition of ChargePoint electric vehicle chargers in its self-parking garage, which will be fully installed by early May. ChargePoint stations offer a convenient location for guests to charge electric vehicles during their stay.The Peabody Orlando has nurtured collaborations to reduce consumption and waste, and promote environmentally friendly practices throughout the hospitality industry. Through its participation in the ChargePoint America program sponsored by Coulomb Technologies and NovaCharge, The Peabody Orlando will be part of a growing network of...

SHELBURNE, VERMONT—Using data on 46,000 U.S. hotels provided by Northstar Travel Media, and building energy data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, sustainability technology company Brighter Planet has applied its own lodging model to determine the best and worst performing hotel chains when it comes to energy efficiency and carbon footprints. Brighter Planet’s model predicts natural gas, fuel oil, district heat, and electricity use based on local climate, number of rooms, number of floors, construction year, and air-conditioning coverage, and adjusts for the presence of various amenities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, and minibars.Matt Kling, science analyst for...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces the release of their Criteria for Destinations. The criteria are a set of guiding principles and performance indicators designed to lead destination managers, communities, and businesses on a path to sustainability: maximizing social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits while minimizing negative impacts. The Destination Criteria complement the existing GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, which have become a worldwide standard for tourism sustainability.“While many destinations have been impacted by unsustainable development in the past, more and more destinations are now realizing the importance of sustainable tourism and are seeking outside...