NATIONAL REPORT—In 2002, when San Francisco’s famed Fairmont Hotel reopened after more than a year of extensive remodeling, one of the first things visitors noted was that acres of carpeting had been replaced with acres of hard surface floors. This is an example of a trend that has been occurring in all types of commercial and residential settings. Where wall-to-wall carpeting was common, hard surface floor coverings, such as stone and wood, are now taking its place. For hotel housekeepers this can mean a major change in cleaning operations. Instead of vacuuming these acres of carpeted floors, they now need...

NATIONAL REPORT—Three green travel and/or lodging industry events have been added to the calendar for 2010. In chronological order they include: the New England Eco-Hospitality Expo, May 25; the Green Travel Summit, June 10 to 11; and the West Coast Green Lodging Conference, August 22 to 25. The New England event will be held at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, N.H., the Green Travel Summit at the Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., and the West Coast Green Lodging Conference at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe Hotel & Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Details are still being worked...

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA.—Since 2004, when the Convention Industry Council (CIC) appointed a green meeting task force that produced a white paper of best practices for suppliers and planners, interest in the concept of green meetings has steadily been growing. Discussions between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CIC and the Green Meeting Industry Council revealed a tremendous need in the meeting and event industry for a uniform measure of environmental performance. Following up on this interest, the CIC’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) program teamed up with ASTM, and ASTM Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality is currently addressing a wide variety of green...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International announced that its new draft standard for Commercial Furnishing Fabrics (NSF Draft Standard 336) is now open for public comment. The Commercial Furnishing Fabrics standard is one of eight sustainability standards and certification programs NSF International has developed. These standards provide manufacturers an independent, third-party means of demonstrating their commitment to the environment and avoiding accusations of greenwashing. NSF International has also developed standards and certification programs for sustainable carpet, flooring, business and institutional furniture (BIFMA e3), and green chemicals. NSF Draft Standard 336 for Commercial Furnishing Fabrics provides pathways toward sustainability by establishing measurable criteria...

SANTA CRUZ, CALIF.—Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), the utility which provides natural gas and electric service to approximately 15 million people throughout a 70,000-square-mile service area in northern and central California, is giving away money through rebates and owners of hundreds of lodging establishments have been more than happy to take it. Through its four-year-old LodgingSavers program, PG&E has made it easy and affordable for hoteliers to update lighting, install guestroom energy management systems, replace packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs), and install new showerheads, faucet aerators and pool pumps. How does LodgingSavers work? It is implemented by Ecology Action,...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) has posted the proceedings of its inaugural Sustainability Roundtable. The proceedings, which are available at no charge from the CHR website, cover the roundtable’s examination of key points regarding the lodging industry’s efforts to operate sustainably, including such issues as the definition of sustainability, emerging regulations and laws, engaging guests, and the complexity of carbon neutrality. “When we issued highlights of the sustainability roundtable late last year, people were interested in learning more about the discussions,” said Rohit Verma, CHR executive director. “So, with the assistance of our panel members, we now...

VANCOUVER, B.C.—The Vancouver Convention Centre announced that its iconic West building, opened in April 2009, has been awarded LEED Platinum certification for new construction by the Canada Green Building Council. Platinum is the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. “The Vancouver Convention Centre is the only convention centre in the world to receive the highest level of LEED certification,” says Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. “Not only is the expanded Vancouver Convention Centre bringing economic benefits to the province and the tourism industry, but it’s a model of sustainability that will...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Westgate Resorts has partnered with Clean the World to recycle all the partially used amenities from their Central Florida hotel rooms. Clean the World sanitizes the soap and shampoo that would have been discarded, ending up in landfills, and distributes these amenities to needy people around the world. “By joining our Hospitality Recycling Program, Westgate Resorts will help provide even more supplies for those in desperate need,” said Shawn Seipler, co-founder and executive director of Clean the World. Through the Clean the World Hospitality Recycling Program hotels donate a tax-deductible fee in exchange for the collection, recycling and...

SAN FRANCISCO—Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI), the market research, strategic consulting, and communications specialists, announced the release of its CMIGreen 1st Annual Green Traveler Survey Report. The Annual Green Traveler Survey Report is the result of a unique, pan-industry cooperative initiative between tourism businesses and nonprofit, environmental and sustainable business organizations, from the development of the survey to the interpretation of its findings. The report is being offered free to the tourism and hospitality industries, in order to advance efforts toward greener travel. The CMIGreen study surveyed the purchasing habits, travel behavior, environmental commitment, expectations and motivations of 1,736 self-defined,...

ATLANTA—A standard set to be a game changer in the industry was introduced at ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference, while work continued on other programs and standards that will help the organization build a more sustainable future. Some 2,500 people attended the conference, held late last month in Orlando, Fla. Also taking place in conjunction with the meeting was the Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition, which attracted nearly 45,000 registered visitors and exhibitor personnel. The expo featured an 8 percent registered visitor increase from the last show in Orlando in 2005 and a new record for the Southeast. Other highlights included...