GOLDEN, COLO.—Lewis Properties announced that it has installed solar panels on its award-winning Colorado-based hotels—the Golden Hotel in Golden and the Boulder Creek Quality Inn & Suites in Boulder—making them the first solar powered hotels in their respective cities. The installations, to be completed this month, will make a significant impact on decreasing the carbon footprint of the hotels. Owners Burt and Andria Lewis stated, “This was an easy decision for us; we are consistently trying to enhance our green practices and what better way to do so than by going solar.” The 62-room Golden Hotel features a 160-panel, 33.6-kilowatt...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a luxurious property located on the shores of Lake Louise in Banff National Park, has partnered with Clean the World, an Orlando-based soap recycling organization, to collect discarded hotel amenities and distribute them to people in need. Collections for recycling begin September 16 and will help reinforce the eco-friendly profile of The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, which already enjoys a strong reputation for responsible tourism and sustainable hotel management. Since opening its doors in 1890, the Chateau has been a distinguished vacation destination in the heart of Banff National Park. With 554 guestrooms and suites,...

CHICAGO—The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers’ (NAFEM) biennial event, The NAFEM Show, February 10 to 12, 2011, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla., will provide a first look at the foodservice equipment and supplies industry’s products, solutions and innovations in 2011. Attracting approximately 20,000 foodservice professionals and featuring more than 500 exhibitors, the show once again includes a new product gallery, topical educational sessions and networking opportunities. Innovative thinking is celebrated in WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL!, a one-stop-shop spotlighting new products in the areas of labor savings, sanitation, energy efficiency, food safety, lifecycle costs and more. The 2011...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Last month, the total footprint of commercial projects certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System surpassed one billion square feet. Another six billion square feet of projects are registered and currently working toward LEED certification around the world. “This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build and operate buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Not only does green building contribute to saving energy, water and money, it also creates green jobs that will grow and energize our economy.” The milestone is a testament to the global effort...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) closed its public comment period for its Green Guides, EnviroMedia Social Marketing released new research that shows 65 percent of Americans would prefer just one seal for green products over the hundreds now that are causing confusion. It’s increasingly hard to determine if a product is truly “green.” Certifications like Energy Star help consumers address energy efficiency. However, new standards for water use, packaging, recyclability, toxics, and carbon impact are competing for attention and space on the product label. The research shows Americans most trust a third-party certification system, like the Good Housekeeping Seal,...

DEZHOU, CHINA—Located in China Solar Valley in the Economic Development Zone of Dezhou, the Solar Valley Micro-E Hotel is part of Sun-Moon Mansion, the largest single solar powered structure in the world. Sun-Moon Mansion, an 800,000-square-foot building, includes more than two thousand solar collectors on its roof. The hotel opened in December 2009 and is part of complex that features solar air collectors, seasonal heat storage, solar heating and cooling, ceiling radiation, geothermal system, photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation, PV lighting, energy-saving glass, sun-shading panels, external wall insulation, and rainwater collection. The five-star Solar Valley Micro-E Hotel was constructed by Himin...

PARIS—Euro Disney S.C.A. Group (“Euro Disney”) and Groupe Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs (“Pierre & Vacances”) recently unveiled their new concept of a vacation destination based on the search for harmony between man and nature. The destination would be, in its design and in its operations, a unique model of sustainable development for tourism and be called Les Villages Nature de Val d’Europe (Villages Nature). As a mixed-use resort, Villages Nature will work with visionary landscape architects to develop new lodging and leisure experiences that will provide multiple opportunities for visitors to interact with nature. These activities would be...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—Despite its sensational natural environment, neither the City of Scottsdale nor the State of Arizona have a luxury eco-resort. That’s all about to change thanks to a unanimous approval from the Scottsdale City Council. Planned close to Scottsdale’s 20,000-acre McDowell Sonoran Preserve, one of the largest natural parks and preserves in the county featuring the scenic Sonoran Desert, the project is being promoted by developer Lyle Anderson Co. A member of the Scottsdale Hall of Fame, Anderson was the developer behind Desert Highlands and Desert Mountain. Combined they offer seven Jack Nicklaus golf courses with Desert Highlands being...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In one respect, this year has been a good one for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Energy Star for Hospitality and Entertainment program. In another respect, the year has not been so impressive. According to the EPA’s most recent report on Energy Star hotel benchmarking activity, as of July 2010 there were 5,262 hotels using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark their energy performance. That is up from 3,123 buildings in 2007, 3,685 buildings in 2008, and 4,920 in 2009. Participating hotels are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—To help find solutions to the nation’s bed bug problem, the Federal Bed Bug Workgroup is convening a second national summit set for February 1 to 2, 2011, in Washington, D.C. The summit is open to the public and will focus on ways the federal government and others can continue to work together on management and control of these pests. The first federal bed bug summit was held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April 2009. Since then, EPA has helped organize the Federal Bed Bug Workgroup, which consists of EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban...