OURAY, COLO.—If Karen and Richard Avery could save another therm, they would. They certainly are trying. The couple, who own the 39-room Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo., have reduced the lodge’s natural gas consumption by more than 70 percent in the past four years. The Averys have wisely invested in a geothermal system that utilizes the natural hot springs on their 2.6-acre property. Once used by the Ute Indians many years ago and last century for a sanitarium, the hot springs are used to heat the guestrooms and all of the hot water for the...

RICHMOND, VA.—Some 2,000 pounds of food waste each month will no longer be sent to local landfills, thanks to a new composting initiative implemented by the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown in the restored Miller & Rhoads building. “While we are proud to be a participant in the Virginia Green program, we wanted to expand our efforts by adding composting in 2011,” said John Cario, general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown. Virginia Green, the state’s program to encourage green practices in tourism, has nearly 1,000 participants, including more than 400 lodging facilities. “To be the very first hotel...

PHUKET, THAILAND—Guests at the exclusive Aleenta Phuket–Phang Nga resort were given the chance of a lifetime recently to help save indigenous turtles when they released 20 endangered baby leatherback turtles into the Andaman Sea. The event was part of the Aleenta Resorts & Spas Mai Khao Marine Turtle Initiative, managed by corporate social responsibility group, Pure Blue Foundation, which also pioneered the groundbreaking reef restoration project off the coast of the resort. The Pure Blue Foundation was created by Aleenta Resorts founder Anchalika Kijkanakorn. The resort has raised these particular baby turtles over the last few years and has...

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA—With less than two months to go before the 3rd International Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference takes place in Costa Rica, a growing number of leading sustainable tourism companies and individuals have announced their participation and support of this event. The conference, which is organized and hosted by the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) and the Monteverde Institute, will showcase the growing trend in the tourism industry to provide financial and material support as well as volunteer expertise for community and conservation projects in tourism destinations. The Pellas Development Group, an international company headquartered in Costa Rica, is the...

SPOKANE, WASH.—The Davenport Hotel Tower has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the only hotel in the state of Washington to obtain Gold status and amongst only 33 in the world. LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.  “We are delighted with this news,” said Lynnelle Caudill, managing director of the hotel. “It was just over one year ago we set out to pursue LEED certification. We worked to improve our usage of energy, lighting, water and...

DENVER—Sage Hospitality announced a partnership with Denver B-cycle to become the first large-sized employer to purchase annual bike sharing memberships for all full-time employees in downtown Denver. Sage is also becoming the first Denver hospitality company to offer guests discounted access to the bike sharing program. Sage has pledged to buy annual memberships for each of the approximately 600 people employed full-time at its six downtown Denver hotels and global office. The Denver B-cycle partnership is part of the new SageWell health initiative, which encourages Sage associates to make positive decisions about nutrition and fitness and to set personal...

LISLE, ILL.—In this day and age of environmentally-conscious decision making, hotels around the country are trying to do their part to help their local communities. At the Hickory Ridge Marriott Conference Hotel, executive chef Sean Curry and restaurant manager Richard Park have taken this modern age green challenge seriously. This Chicago area hotel has recently begun a number of environmentally friendly initiatives to help reduce its impact on natural resources. Additionally, the Hickory Ridge hotel will use these environmental projects to provide unique services to its guests. Two of the major additions to this Lisle hotel’s property are the herb...

EWING, N.J.—Ewing is now the home of New Jersey’s first LEED-certified hotel. Element Ewing Hopewell, an eco-chic boutique hotel, has earned a coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed to be “green from the ground up,” Element hotels blend nature-inspired smart design, inspiring public spaces, and comfortable modern touches. Element, from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., made history with its 2008 launch by becoming the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue LEED certification. Element serves as Starwood’s green innovation lab, where sustainable practices are...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program has launched the 2011 National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. Teams from 245 buildings around the country are going head to head to improve energy efficiency and determine who can reduce their energy use the most. Nearly 5 million commercial buildings in the United States are responsible for approximately 20 percent of both the nation’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion annually. Through energy efficiency improvements, competitors are working to save energy, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and protect the...

DENVER—The Westin Denver Downtown was recently honored by Host Hotels & Resorts with a sustainability award recognizing the hotel for a tradition of commitment to environmental responsibility. The hotel’s associates have made numerous commitments to reducing impact to the environment such as partnering with a company on a compost program; establishing an online in-room dining menu and guest directory; moving from Styrofoam and plastics to soy or corn-based packaging for to-go/box meals; and recycling in all 430 guestrooms, public and back-of-the-house space. The latest sustainability initiative is providing biodegradable wooden key cards to all hotel guests. “As climate change has...