SAN DIEGO—The city of San Diego is working with businesses that dispose large amounts of food waste to recycle the material and potentially reduce their disposal costs. Businesses participating in the program could save as much as $30 a ton in disposal fees by recycling food scraps at a discount rate. "Here is a program that benefits businesses in these tough economic times," said Chris Gonaver, director of the city's Environmental Services Department. "This program also helps to extend the life of the Miramar Landfill by diverting food waste from disposal," Gonaver said. "Food scraps are turned into rich compost that...

TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—With the addition of a dozen hotels to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Green Lodging program, there are now 650 hotels in the program. The 650th property to join is the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Clearwater Beach. “Florida’s Green Lodging Program encourages and enables vacationers to be environmentally conscious even while they are relaxing on a getaway,” said Deas Bohn, DEP director of sustainable initiatives. “While Floridians are vacationing, they can also be conserving water and energy while protecting the state’s natural resources.” To become a designated member of the voluntary program, lodging facilities adopt cost-saving...

HARTFORD, CONN.—There are now 15 hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts participating in the Connecticut Green Lodging program sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. The lodging facilities participating in the program are redoing operations and gaining a marketing edge through energy savings, water conservation, green cleaning and other environmentally sound practices.    In addition to listings on the state’s Department of Environmental Protection website (www.ct.gov/dep/greenlodging) and the www.CTvisit.com site run by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, these certified properties enjoy “eco” listings on the websites run by AAA and...

NATIONAL REPORT—The American Hotel & Lodging Association is about to release the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey. Green Lodging News was provided with a copy of the survey results prior to the survey’s official release. The survey, which is conducted approximately every two years, was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and prepared by Smith Travel Research. A total of 48,954 hotels were polled. The response rate was 18 percent (more than 8,500 participants). The survey report covers 14 green-related areas: Allergy-Free Rooms, Air Purifiers, Liquid Soap Dispensers, Linen/Towel Reuse Program, Energy Management Sensors in...

NEW ORLEANS—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced the launch of Choice Hotels Music, a new music initiative designed to give artists the opportunity to deliver their music to millions of consumers and retain ownership of their works while, at the same time, drive donations from Choice Hotels to leading nonprofit organizations. As part of Choice Hotels Music, the company will produce original music and offer consumers the chance to download these songs for a limited time for free at ChoiceHotels.com. With each download, a financial donation will be made to a featured cause or charity. Choice Hotels Music has already begun...

VAIL, COLO.—The Green Spa Network (GSN), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform, educate, and advise beauty, wellness, and spa-industry professionals and businesses on sustainability issues and green operating practices, announced that it will hold its third annual Congress at the LEED certified Westin Riverfront and Spa Anjali in Vail, Colo. The event, planned for October 3 to 7, 2010, will feature the theme: “Elevate Your Vision; the Sky is the Limit!” “The GSN Congress provides an exceptional opportunity for committed spa and personal-care professionals to respond to the global imperatives for sustainability,” says Michael Stusser, chairman of the...

SAN FRANCISCO—On Thursday, August 26, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants CEO Mike Depatie, president and COO Niki Leondakis and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that all of Kimpton’s 10 Bay Area hotels have been awarded the GS-33 Green Seal Silver certification in their pursuit for environmental responsibility. With 41 of its 50 hotels in 22 major metropolitan cities having already received certification, Kimpton is on the verge of becoming the first lifestyle boutique hotel company in the United States to attain 100 percent Green Seal certification at the Silver level or higher. On August 26, Kimpton invited San Francisco locals...

HELENA, MONT.—The Montana Innkeepers Assn. (MIKA), soon to be the Montana Lodging & Hospitality Assn., has partnered with Green Directory Montana to launch a Montana Sustainability in Hospitality Program for those owning and operating lodging establishments in Montana. The program was officially launched on August 1 and is the result of the work of a MIKA green lodging committee that had been meeting for more than a year. Stuart Doggett, executive director of MIKA, said that due to Montana’s budget crisis, it became apparent to MIKA that a green lodging program was not going to emerge out of a state...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Jinjiang Inns, a leading Chinese budget hotel chain, recently introduced a range of new green hotel initiatives that aim to reduce disposable item usage, encourage recycling and reward environmental consciousness. One major new initiative is the “6 Small Pieces” plan, which will offer six different toiletry essentials to guests in rooms. These essentials will be recycled into either plastic or aluminum alloy items after usage, rather than going to landfill. Guests at Jinjiang Inns are also encouraged to bring their own toiletries and supplies, and are actually rewarded for doing so. Non-traditional Approach “We realize that our approach is definitely non-traditional for...

DENVER—Sage Hospitality has upped its own ante on helping the environment with its new Green Choice program. The “opt in” initiative offers guests the choice to decline daily housekeeping to reduce their carbon footprint while saving hotels money on energy, water and other costs. Introduced in March 2010 and currently offered at 18 Sage hotels across the country, such as The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel and the Nines in Portland, Ore., Green Choice reflects a growing trend as hotel groups seek innovative solutions to save money—and the planet—amid challenging times for the travel industry. Green Choice has seen great success...