CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The green and festive spirit of the holidays is decking the halls of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte this year, as the new LEED-built hotel has just unveiled its first annual environmentally-friendly, all-organic gingerbread house. Available for public viewing inside the lobby of the new hotel, the architect-designed green gingerbread house was created by Chef Jon Farace and the culinary and engineering teams of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte. The edible estate measures 10 feet high by 14 feet wide, features a striking Tudor architectural style, and is built of all-organic culinary ingredients. Design highlights include LED lights and a green “vegetated”...

SAN FRANCISCO—The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) announced the Stars of the Industry award winners at the Marriott Union Square in San Francisco. The Stars of the Industry awards, presented by USA Today, were given for employee, manager, and general manager of the year. Lodging property achievement awards were also given for community service, guest relations, and the environmental category of good Earthkeeping. Good Earthkeeping awards recognize lodging properties that have developed a culture toward integrating environmental management practices that improve everyday operations and the bottom line, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations. The program must demonstrate...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association’s annual survey of more than 1,800 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—reveals that local sourcing of ingredients, sustainability and nutrition will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2010. Locally grown produce, locally sourced meats and seafood, sustainability, mini-desserts and locally produced wine and beer top the list of nearly 215 culinary items in the “What’s Hot in 2010” survey. Rounding out the top 10 trends are nutritious kids’ meals, half-portions, farm-branded ingredients, gluten-free/food-allergy conscious meals and sustainable seafood. “No one has a better view of restaurant menu trends than the...

KEY LARGO, FLA.—The Key Largo Resorts Marina was recently awarded Clean Marina Certification from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and The Clean Boating Partnership in recognition of their efforts in adopting environmentally friendly practices beyond standard regulatory requirements. The marine improvements and newly implemented programs help protect the waters, natural wildlife and clean facilities at Key Largo Resorts Marina. Some of Key Largo Resorts Marina’s initiatives include the use of oil absorbers in bilges, utilization of recycling centers, and the installation of multiple trash receptacles. “We have developed a ‘best practices’ standard which all of our vendors...

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—With its recent $1 billion in renovations, the Holiday Inn brand has earned well-deserved publicity. Perhaps the Holiday Inn property deserving of the most buzz this year, however, is the brand new Holiday Inn Northwest/Sea World in San Antonio. The 194-room hotel is on track to be the first LEED certified hotel in Texas and the first LEED certified property within the 3,300-property Holiday Inn brand. The hotel, which opened on October 5, is owned by a group of investors out of Lubbock, Texas, and managed by Dallas-based Hospitality Management Corp. Green highlights of the 100 percent...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule to help reduce water pollution from construction sites. The agency believes this rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over four years, will significantly improve the quality of water nationwide. Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb soil and sediment. If that soil is not managed properly it can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and pollute nearby water bodies. The final rule requires construction site owners and operators that disturb one or more acres to use best management...

KANSAS CITY, KAN.—EPA Region 7 has awarded grants totaling $154,332 to Kansas State University and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for separate projects aimed at pollution prevention. Both grants are authorized by the Pollution Prevention Act, which allows EPA to provide funding to states, their entities, and tribal governments for technical assistance projects that address source reduction or elimination of pollution by businesses across all environmental media—air, water and land. Kansas State University will receive $55,882 from EPA and provide additional funds for a total of $61,882 to support its Pollution Prevention Institute’s efforts to continue offering...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hotel managers are not the only party at the negotiating table struggling to control costs and operate within the limits of austere budgets. Meeting planners have also been given the challenge of setting up effective events at the least possible cost. In an effort to work within the framework of slashed government, corporate, and association meeting budgets, planners have continued to cut banquet menus and off-site events as they have in the past. However, now they have begun to flex their negotiating leverage and ask for aggressive room rate concessions from hoteliers. In response, it appears that hotel...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Doubletree Hotels and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian organization, have teamed up to motivate students to help fight hunger this holiday season through a unique relationship that will collect food for local food banks in the United States and raise funds for WFP’s hunger relief operations abroad. The “Community Drive to Fight World Hunger” campaign is part of Doubletree’s award-winning Teaching Kids to CARE community outreach program, which raises awareness about key social and environmental issues through educational activities and fosters a sense of activism, empowerment and reward among students. Food...

CONCORD, N.H.—Visitors to New Hampshire who want to stay in a “green” property can now search and book a room via the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development’s website. According to officials, New Hampshire is the first state in New England to have a live, interactive “green” booking system enabling visitors to search and make an immediate reservation at a green lodging property in New Hampshire. “Traveling green just got a whole lot easier in New Hampshire,” said Alice DeSouza, director of the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development. “Now when a visitor makes the choice...