NATIONAL REPORT—The number of hotels asking guests to pay more for rooms with filtered air is on the rise with the continued growth of PURE Solutions’ PURE Room program and the recent introduction of UV Flu Technology’s ABC “Purity +” Rooms. According to Brian Brault, CEO of PURE Solutions, his PURE Room program is now represented in 250 hotels in North America and should be in close to 300 hotels by the end of the year. Outside of North America, another 20 hotels are represented. By room count, there are now approximately 5,000 PURE Rooms—mostly in the United States...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Delaware North Companies is celebrating the 10th anniversary of ISO 14001 registration of GreenPath, the company’s award-winning environmental management system, with the registration of its global headquarters in Buffalo, N.Y. The registration to the standards put forth by the International Organization for Standardization signifies Delaware North’s continued commitment to stewardship. Delaware North Companies’ global headquarters earlier this month completed a two-day audit necessary for maintaining ISO 14001 registration. The third-party ISO auditor reviewed the policy, the plan and the progress on Delaware North’s latest annual goals. The auditor then toured the building, quizzing employees and inspecting everything from the...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International (NSF) and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) have developed an American National Standard that provides a standardized way to define and report the environmental and human health hazards associated with a chemical product and its manufacturing process impacts. The new standard, officially known as NSF/GCI/ANSI (American National Standards Institute) 355 Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard, establishes standardized criteria for comparing chemicals and processes that help chemical manufacturers and their customers make greener choices. The standard outlines a framework that chemical manufacturers will use to develop one comprehensive, standardized NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 report to...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Westin Hotels & Resorts announced the launch of a global, brand-wide Associate Enrichment Program that will introduce the brand’s “Elements of Well Being Platform” to its associates around the world through key touch points. Borrowing from the brand’s signature guest experiences, Westin will now make available special programs for associates designed to inspire healthy choices and overall well-being both in and out of the workplace. The three main components of the enrichment program, SuperFoodsRx, WestinWORKOUT and Breathe Westin, will be extended into each property’s back-of-the-house and a designated “Well Ambassador” at the hotel will be charged with overseeing...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Central Florida Marriott Business Council, a sponsor of the Inaugural Clean the World Gala, is showing what kind of impact a dedicated group of hotel properties can have when they make a decision to help Clean the World. The council of 17 Central Florida hotel properties, representing a variety of Marriott brands throughout the region, will be well-represented at the Gala—in person and with the soaps and bottled amenities they have collected for Clean the World. Since partnering with Clean the World in 2009, the Central Florida Marriott Business Council properties have made 466 shipments to Clean the World,...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and its portfolio of 10 hotel brands announced the 2010 results of LightStay, its sustainability measurement system. Since the introduction of LightStay, the company continues to improve sustainability and economic performance and saved more than $74 million in utility costs as a result of the following reductions: 6.6 percent reduction of energy use; 7.8 percent reduction of carbon output; 19 percent reduction of waste output; and 3.8 percent reduction of water use. To date, Hilton Worldwide’s efforts are equivalent to the removal of more than 50,000 cars from the road, water savings that could fill more than...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide Corp., one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, has been ranked among the top 100 greenest companies in the United States by Newsweek magazine, and number one among hotels and restaurants. Newsweek ranked Wyndham Worldwide number 73 on its U.S. list based on a number of criteria including the actual environmental footprint and management, which includes policies, programs, initiatives, and disclosures. The report, published on October 17, also factored in Wyndham Worldwide’s reporting practices such as the Global Reporting Initiative and Carbon Disclosure Project, both of which were released by the company in 2011. “Wyndham Worldwide has a...

TORONTO—In an effort to advance far-reaching strategies for energy efficiency and fossil fuel independence in new and operational buildings, the International Living Future Institute unveiled the Net Zero Energy Building Certification program. The program is linked to the Living Building Challenge, widely considered to be the world’s most stringent and progressive green building program. As with the Living Building Challenge, certification is based on actual performance rather than modeled outcomes. Buildings must be operational for at least 12 consecutive months prior to evaluation. “In the next two decades, we are looking at the disappearance of cheap oil, a scarcity of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has published two standards to help businesses measure, manage and report GHG emissions beyond their own operations, including the finalized version of long-awaited scope 3 guidance. The Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle standards were developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). According to WRI, the standards will allow companies to measure and manage the full scope of emissions in their value chain and products for the first time, while helping to move businesses and reporting programs to one harmonized global reporting...

BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES—One of the travel and tourism industry’s most exclusive and prestigious events last weekend drew Hollywood A-listers, top business CEOs, a head of state and senior environmental campaigners together in the Maldives to discuss how to make tourism a benefit rather than a threat to the planet’s environment. The event—the SLOWLIFE Symposium, organized by the luxury resort company Six Senses—drew actors Daryl Hannah and Edward Norton, business leader and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, the heads of two solar power companies and green thinkers Jonathon Porritt and Tim Smit to Soneva Fushi resort in Baa Atoll, Maldives. They were joined...