TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—Florida volunteer organizations and beach lovers across the state participated in the Great VISIT FLORIDA Beach Walk this past Saturday, November 6. More than 2,000 individuals and teams participated across Florida’s 34 beach counties and 825 miles of beaches. The beach walkers photographed, video recorded and Tweeted virtually every mile of Florida’s coastline, six months after the oil spill. The statewide Beach Walk and photo fest was done to show the world that Florida’s 825 miles of beaches are as clean as ever, in photos uploaded in real time to the Internet by volunteers who walked or paddled and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) opened up the proposed update to the LEED green building rating system for its first public comment. The public comment period, which will close on December 31, 2010, is the next step in the continuous improvement process and the ongoing development cycle of the LEED program.  “Continuous improvement of LEED is in the DNA of USGBC and its regular evolution is necessary to continue to move market transformation forward.” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. “As green building expertise advances and practice evolves, so does LEED, providing innovative solutions...

VICTORIA, B.C.—When the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification—its application is in the final stages—it will be one of just three lodging facilities in North America to earn the Platinum honor. The other ones include the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., and the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif. The 126-suite, two-tower property in Victoria, British Columbia was built to be approximately 50 to 60 percent more energy efficient than the Model National Energy Code for Buildings. According to Jim Pearson, CEO of Aviawest Resort Group, the developer and manager of...

CONCORD, N.H.—The New Hampshire Sustainable Lodging & Restaurant Program will hold its annual Sustainable Hospitality Conference on Tuesday, November 16 at the Attitash Grand Summit Conference Center in Bartlett. The morning’s sessions will focus on savings through energy efficiency and renewables. Stacy Doll, formerly the head of the Mount Washington Resort’s Green Team and now the coordinator of the New Hampshire Energy Collaborative will open the conference with a talk about what the New Hampshire Climate Action Plan means to hospitality businesses. A panel of leaders from the industry will talk about their efforts to improve energy efficiency and use...

MILWAUKEE, WIS.—A practical, real-world guide designed to expand water conservation efforts inside and outside of today’s facilities was released. The IFMA Foundation and the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments (ASBE) produced the white paper titled, “A Comprehensive Guide to Water Conservation: The Bottom Line Impacts, Challenges and Rewards.” The guide is available free of charge and provides an overview of  key areas in water conservation, covering: domestic water use including restrooms, hot water consumption and water reclamation; process water use including cooling towers and laundry facilities; rainwater harvesting with a description of harvesting techniques and applications for water reuse;...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its list of the top 50 organizations using the most renewable electricity. The Green Power Partnership’s top purchasers use more than 12 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity use of more than 1 million average American homes. Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydropower. Hilton Worldwide is the only lodging-related company in the top 50 at No. 37. Twenty-nine percent of Hilton’s power purchases are for green power. The Intel...

LINTHICUM, M.D.—Baltimore’s TownePlace Suites by Marriott Hotel at BWI Airport is the first LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certified green hotel in the state of Maryland. Significantly, it is also the first existing hotel in Marriott’s 3,400-hotel portfolio worldwide to be so recognized. To celebrate this milestone, the BWI extended-stay hotel “put on the green” with a showcase designed to help the public understand how easy it is to be green in their own homes. On September 30, the TownePlace Suites offered an exclusive preview of its innovative environmental practices. From green cleaning in guestrooms to composting all of its...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Omaha’s dynamic Midtown Crossing district will be the site of a new Element hotel. Element is a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. brand. When it opens November 4, Element Omaha Midtown Crossing will become the first hotel in Midtown, and mark Element’s debut in the U.S. Midwest. Part of the thriving Midtown Crossing development, and just minutes from downtown Omaha and Eppley Airfield, Element Omaha Midtown Crossing is ideally situated beside the natural beauty of Turner Park. Omaha is home to five Fortune 500 companies and cultural attractions such as The Orpheum Theater and Joslyn Art...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Clean the World was in the right place at the right time during the recent cholera outbreak in Haiti. Shawn Seipler, executive director at Clean the World, and William Lowry, director of global development, were on a planned October 19 to 22 soap distribution trip to Haiti when word of a fatal cholera outbreak was first announced. The deadly epidemic, confirmed October 21 by the World Health Organization, claimed more than 300 lives in less than a week with many more deaths expected.  The mission was clear: Clean the World was in a position to provide soap to...

MINNEAPOLIS—The solar array at the Minneapolis Convention Center now has 403 of its 2,613 solar panels installed. The Minneapolis Convention Center’s solar array will be the Upper Midwest’s largest solar photovoltaic system, connected directly to the convention center’s internal electrical system and producing 750,000 kWh of renewable energy per year. This system will produce the equivalent of powering 85 homes annually, while offsetting 539 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (the amount given off by 60,587 gallons of gasoline). Solar energy is clean, renewable and—once the capital costs are paid—free. “The Convention Center is Minneapolis’ living room, where we welcome...