OAKLAND, CALIF.—The Homewood Suites by Hilton Oakland-Waterfront announced it has received Energy Star certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The hotel scored 43 points higher than the average hotel and 18 points higher than the Energy Star requirements. In a study conducted by California Travel & Tourism Commission and San Francisco State University, 37 percent of travelers specifically seek out green service providers and one in four travelers stated they use green service providers. The Oakland Homewood Suites is only the second hotel in Oakland to earn Energy Star certification from the EPA. “Creating a thread between team members...

NASHVILLE, TENN.—A year and three months after its launch, the Tennessee Hospitality Association’s Tennessee Green Hospitality Program now has 42 certified establishments. The businesses range from the Chattanooga Choo Choo resort in Chattanooga to the Doubletree Hotel Jackson in Jackson, Tenn. While most of the certified destinations are hotels, some like the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville and Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga are non-lodging businesses. “The program is going very well,” says Dobbin Callahan, president of Skye Con, the company that audits businesses pursuing Tennessee Green Hospitality certification. “An increasing number of meeting planners, tour guides and travelers are looking...

MADRID, SPAIN—The Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) e-toolkit, the main output of the Hotel Energy Solutions project, provides hoteliers with a report which shows their current energy use and recommends appropriate renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and actions. It further sets out what kind of savings on operational expenses hotels can expect from their green investments through a return on investment calculator. Testing of the toolkit was finalized in August in more than 100 European properties in four different pilot destinations: Haute-Savoie, in France, Palma de Mallorca, in Spain, Bonn, in Germany, and Strandja, in Bulgaria, with very positive feedback...

LEESBURG, VA.—The National Conference Center (NCC), located in Leesburg, Va., is one of the largest conference training centers in the United States. Several years ago, the Conference Center decided to go green and implemented a wide array of energy saving programs. Last year, the site also began making a large, concerted effort to serve locally grown food—quite a challenge for NCC’s executive chef Craig Mason who serves upwards of 2,000 meals a day for NCC guests. So, they invited all of the region’s farmers over for networking and an opportunity to discuss the community’s needs as well as NCC’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to ecotourism pioneer Stanley Selengut, known by many in the tourism industry as “the father of sustainable resort development,” at the September 19 to 21 Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), on Hilton Head Island, S.C. The TIES Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the distinguished achievements of those who have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to promoting ecotourism. The ESTC will host an award ceremony and reception with honoree Selengut from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. September 19 at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. Selengut will also...

RENO—Being part of the unique high desert canvas of Reno-Tahoe has inspired the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino to adopt sweeping green initiatives to dramatically reduce the resort’s carbon footprint. For several years the resort has been mindful to minimize the impact of operations on the environment while maintaining a premiere level of service and experience for guests. The resort has used geothermal energy to heat the domestic hot water for the Tuscany Tower, including the 43,000 square foot Spa Toscana and Fitness Center as well as the two outdoor swimming pools and spas, since the 2007 expansion project. With...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, achieved significant growth in its spend with diverse suppliers in 2010, adding value to its global supply chain while delivering on its core values. From linen supply, to equipment purchases, to general contractor and architectural services, Wyndham Worldwide spent 10.3 percent of its total purchases with diverse suppliers, a 51 percent increase over the previous year, placing the company among the top performers in its industry. During the past year, Wyndham Worldwide continued to formalize its supplier diversity program; by including diverse suppliers when possible in each request for proposal...

NATIONAL REPORT—The carbon footprint of single-use plastic and glass bottled water containers is huge. Consider the raw materials that go into the bottles, the manufacturing of the bottles themselves, the transportation of the bottles and finally, their disposal (only 20 percent of plastic bottles and 28 percent of glass bottles are ever recycled). Fortunately, many vendors are now making it easy to eliminate most of the carbon footprint of bottled water—thanks to on-site water purification and dispensing systems that incorporate reusable, branded glass bottles. Some restaurants are even charging upwards of $10 for the premium water that is bottled...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp., a leading international developer of multi-use integrated resorts, launched its custom Sands Eco 360° Meetings program. The program extends the Las Vegas Sands’ award-winning sustainability efforts to its large meeting and convention customers, giving them the opportunity to host gatherings in the largest LEED building in the world in a more environmentally friendly way.  “The launch of Sands Eco 360° Meetings is a natural expansion of Sands’ commitment to respect the environment in a comprehensive and impactful way, and to build a legacy of a cleaner and safer world for future generations,” said Michael...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—The New England Eco-Hospitality Conference attracts hospitality professionals from throughout the region. The day features three tracks of educational sessions, with three one hour sessions in each track, allowing attendees to choose topics of interest to them. This year’s venue is the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, an Environmental Champion in the New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program. The conference will be held on Wednesday, November 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference’s organizers are requesting presentation proposals from industry experts, focused on topics of sustainability. Some topics of interest shared recently include: The Latest in...