LAS VEGAS—Green Day will precede Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) once again this year, taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 17. Green Day is the only accredited conference of its kind that brings together a targeted group of passionate industry leaders dedicated to sustainable hospitality design. This unique forum continues to be at the forefront of education and innovation to promote more socially responsible, ethical and eco-friendly practices within the industry. While the U.S. market of green building products and services has increased 500 percent in the past...

BOULDER, COLO.—Although the primary purpose of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in commercial buildings is occupant productivity, a new report from Pike Research finds that the objective of most changes to HVAC systems in the next five years will be to decrease energy cost. According to the study, because of rising energy prices and the drive to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with building operations, many building owners have begun to manage energy cost as an asset, rather than a fixed cost. The tools for improving efficiency of HVAC systems include building energy management systems (BEMS), on-site...

GREENVILLE, MAINE—A new green destination for outdoor recreation in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness region is now available to the public with the official opening of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) Gorman Chairback Lodge and Cabins, on Long Pond, between Greenville and Brownville. The new central lodge building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered, making it the first sporting camp lodge in Maine, and one of only a handful of backcountry facilities in the nation, to be LEED registered. Overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED provides a nationally recognized set of industry standards for evaluation and certification...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook director of market development, is slated to discuss how social media is radically changing the way we work, live, communicate and vote at the opening session of the 2011 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC). Zuckerberg will present “Change Through Social Media: How the Web is Radically Altering Our World” on Monday, June 20 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. “As the director of market development for Facebook, Zuckerberg knows first-hand how this platform hit the sweet spot of consumer demand for connectedness, and it’ll be interesting to hear how she intends to...

PARIS—Novotel’s traditional certification organization is changing its name and Accor’s midscale hotel brand is taking advantage of the occasion to reaffirm its goal of obtaining environmental and social certification for all of the more than 400 hotels in its network by the end of 2012. At present, 78 hotels in 18 countries have already been certified and an additional 104 hotels have embarked on the project. EarthCheck, known as Green Globe until 2009, is one of the first worldwide certification programs developed especially for the tourism industry. Its process is based on the notion of continuous improvement and requires a...

ATLANTA—An integrated design approach to building energy modeling—and learning how to use modeling tools more effectively—improves the accuracy and reliability of simulation results and increases the return on time and resources invested to generate the models. ASHRAE’s Energy Modeling Conference: Tools for Designing High Performance Buildings, April 4 to 6, 2011, ASHRAE headquarters, Atlanta, will provide hands-on modelers and principals with the information to better harness the power of energy modeling tools. The conference covers modeling fundamentals, building component contributions, software demonstrations and case studies. A collaborative perspective is provided that demonstrates how energy models and computer simulations can...

NATIONAL REPORT—A new study commissioned by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) shows manufacturers have made huge strides in creating more energy efficient televisions. In furtherance of the technology industry’s leadership on energy efficient products, the CEA study provides a review and analysis of power consumption trends in digital television technology. The CEA study, “Power Consumption Trends in Digital TVs Produced Since 2003,” reviewed power consumption data on best-selling digital TV models from 2003 to 2010—in both active and standby modes—on high-definition liquid crystal (LCD) and plasma display models with screen sizes ranging from 13 to 65 inches. Some highlights: • LCD active...

PHOENIX—The Arizona Biltmore announced that nearly two years after implementing an extensive Green Initiative at the resort that covers every aspect of operations and every department of the property it has earned the Certified Green designation from the Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association (AzHLA).  “We have developed an extraordinarily comprehensive and sustainable Green Initiative at the Arizona Biltmore that enabled us to substantially exceed the requirements to be certified by the AzHLA,” said general manager Andrew Stegen. “This is a significant milestone for us; however, our goal is to take our initiative even further by continuously identifying and implementing...

SAN FRANCISCO—InterContinental San Francisco announced that it has been awarded LEED Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED EBOM) program. LEED is USGBC’s rating system for designing, constructing and maintaining the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings. InterContinental San Francisco is the first property in the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts portfolio to achieve LEED certification for an existing building. To achieve LEED EBOM, InterContinental San Francisco was evaluated on operational efficiency and minimization of environmental impact. To date, it is the largest...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is welcoming seminar proposals for the 96th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS), taking place November 12 to 15, 2011, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Industry and trend experts are encouraged to submit seminar topics that address timely and relevant issues to meet the professional development needs of some 30,000 IHMRS attendees. The deadline to submit proposals is March 1, 2011. Proposals focused on trends, within the areas of lodging ownership and management, consumer travel trends, sustainability and related issues, are preferred. Additional topics can...