SILVER SPRING, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced it has executed a lease for a new corporate headquarters in Rockville, Md. The news follows the October 25, 2010, announcement by Governor Martin O’Malley, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and City of Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio that Choice Hotels had signed a letter of intent to move to Rockville when the lease on the company’s current building expires in 2013. The new headquarters, which will pursue LEED certification, will be located at a building being completed at 121 Rockville Pike in Rockville Town Center, where the company will occupy more than...

PERTH, SCOTLAND—To celebrate Canada Day 2011, the Perth, Scotland-based Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) last week announced its first Green Tourism certified operators in British Columbia, Canada. More than 30 businesses in British Columbia took part in a pilot Green Tourism assessment last summer. Through this process the Canadian criteria and performance indicators were established and 26 sites achieved certification, comprising a variety of bronze, silver and gold awards.  “There are some outstanding businesses in British Columbia with some even rivaling the best we have in the U.K.,” said Jon Proctor, senior assessor with GTBS. “Siwash Lake Ranch was...

SAN DIEGO—The Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa on Mission Bay has introduced a “Save Our Sea Turtles” package in partnership with SeaWorld San Diego to make it easy for meeting planners and their groups to do something good for the environment when they hold their meetings at the resort. Recognizing that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are playing an increasingly important role in meeting agendas, the resort has created a new package to help groups provide a another kind of CSR—Care, Support and Rehabilitation—for threatened or endangered sea turtles. The “Save Our Sea Turtles” package, which is available for meetings...

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.—Plans for the second annual West Coast Green Lodging Conference are coming together with a little more than one month to go before the August 21 to 23 event. Meanwhile, initial plans for the Third Annual Green Lodging & Hospitality Conference and next year’s Sustainable Meetings Conference also have been announced. The West Coast Green Lodging Conference will be held at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort. In addition to a full slate of educational sessions, the agenda will include a “Green Partners” exhibit area for vendors and a back-of-the-house tour highlighting the Embassy...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council recently announced that Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law legislation passed by the state’s General Assembly adopting the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) as an optional requirement for new construction. Maryland’s adoption of the IGCC, effective in March 2012, will apply to all commercial buildings as well as residential properties more than three stories high. The IGCC is a tool designed for jurisdictions to adopt into laws reducing the environmental impact of construction projects while keeping construction safety measures intact and enforceable. “We applaud Maryland’s leadership in adopting an adaptable, affordable and enforceable code...

ANGUILLA, BRITISH WEST INDIES—When chefs at the CuisinArt Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Anguilla need vegetables or herbs for dishes they are making, they do not have to go far. The 93-room resort has its own one-half acre, 18,000-square-foot hydroponic farm in a greenhouse. Staffed by four people, including hydroponics expert and author Dr. Howard Resh, the farm produces a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, edible flowers, and herbs such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli rabe, bok choy, arugula, watercress, parsley, sage, chives, dill, chervil, mint, oregano and more. Only organic bioagents and natural organisms...

NEW ORLEANS—Hyatt Regency New Orleans and Make It Right announced a fundraising campaign to complete Make It Right’s goal to build 150 environmentally friendly homes in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, the neighborhood hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Founded by actor Brad Pitt, Make It Right is the internationally known nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding New Orleans’ poorest communities with safe, green and affordable homes. In March 2012, Hyatt Regency New Orleans and Make It Right will host “A Night to Make It Right,” a fundraising gala that will celebrate the iconic hotel’s re-opening and help to raise...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, has named Paul Snyder to be vice president, corporate responsibility in the Americas region. He officially began his new role on June 27, 2011. Based in Atlanta, Snyder will work with the region’s president Kirk Kinsell and his senior executive team and will report to David Jerome, senior vice president, corporate responsibility, IHG in Denham, U.K. Snyder leads the implementation of sustainability and community efforts throughout IHG hotels. He manages the regions’ public affairs activities, working closely with the corporate affairs, human resources and legal departments with...

LOS CABOS, MEXICO—The Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Golf & Spa Resort and The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos are participating in Los Cabos’ sea turtle conservation program and allowing guests to experience the nesting of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles on the resorts’ sandy shores.  Last year, the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar and The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos oversaw the release of more than 4,000 sea turtles. Guests were able to participate in the releases, as well as learn about the nesting process and protection of the Olive Ridley turtle throughout the incubation and hatching season. Named for...

BLOOMINGTON, IND.—A new study published in the British journal Fungal Biology reports that potentially pathogenic fungi including a type of “black yeast” are now able to live in extreme conditions such as in dishwashers.* According to researchers, these same pathogens may also be found in other appliances such as washing machines and coffee makers because all can provide a moist environment in which the pathogens can grow. The study, which involved private homes located in 101 cities on six continents, also reported: • The fungi were found on the rubber seal that lines the inside of the door on 62 percent of...