WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, Doubletree Hotels announced a $50,000 donation on behalf of its Teaching Kids to CARE community outreach program to Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP). The donation will help support the United Nations World Food Program’s (WFP) School Meals initiative in Haiti in an effort to further assist the recovery efforts currently underway. “Millions of earthquake survivors in Haiti are struggling every day to survive, and WFP has been working day and night to reach them with food and other humanitarian assistance,” said Friends of WFP president and CEO,...

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—Bardessono has just received the highest level of official recognition possible for its sustainable and environmentally friendly design. The hotel has been awarded LEED Platinum certification, an achievement reached by only two other hotels in the world, on the first anniversary of its opening. Phil Sherburne built Bardessono with the intention of creating a hotel that provides guests with a luxurious experience while simultaneously protecting the environment. “I believe it is critical for the development community to be a leader in the effort to preserve a healthy planet,” Sherburne says. “We can’t just continue to talk about environmental...

LAS VEGAS—Organizers of the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition (WSI), the world’s largest conference dedicated to urban water efficiency, recently announced that the show will remain in Las Vegas at least through 2012. Officials with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which presents WSI in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection agency’s WaterSense Program and other public- and private-sector organizations, gave the conference the green light to continue for at least three more years. “WaterSmart Innovations provides a platform for professionals from a broad spectrum of disciplines to come together to share their knowledge,” said WSI program chairman Doug Bennett. “There...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In 2009, EPA’s Energy Star Leaders prevented the equivalent of more than 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and saved more than $48 million across their commercial building portfolios. These savings have quadrupled since 2008 and represent the single greatest year of savings since EPA recognized the first Energy Star Leaders in 2004. Over the past five years, Energy Star Leaders are saving money and helping the environment by preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the electricity use of nearly 39,000 homes annually. This year’s list of Energy Star leaders includes Accor North America, Columbus...

BALTIMORE—Baltimore’s Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott—blocks from the Inner Harbor—recently received a Special Accomplishment Award from the United States Green Building Council, Maryland Chapter at the group’s fifth annual awards ceremony. The award is the latest in a series of accolades for the hotel. In November, Maryland Governor O’Malley presented the Fairfield Inn & Suites with a sustainable tourism award as part of his announcement of the state’s Green Travel Program, noting, “Baltimore’s first LEED certified hotel has made green practices an integral part of its operation. It has implemented a variety of procedures that promote sustainability, especially for...

DENVER—Denver will soon play host to some of the finest up-and-coming students in the international meetings and incentive travel industry. The Future Leaders Forum will take place in association with the Green Meeting Industry Council Conference (GMIC) Green Meetings 101 on February 9, 2010, at the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. The program, designed and delivered jointly by the IMEX Group—producers of the leading international meetings exhibition—and GMIC, offers gifted young students the opportunity to gain a unique insight into how to develop a successful career in the meetings and incentives travel industry. The focus of this Future Leaders Forum...

SAINT-HYACINTH, QUEBEC—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) announced that the company’s first sustainable hotel in Canada and the first of its type in Quebec officially opened in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe has been built to meet the criteria of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System for its sustainable practices. The Holiday Inn Express and Suites Saint-Hyacinthe features several key amenities that create a green environment, with a high efficiency energy distribution, ultra-insulated building, and LED and low voltage fluorescent lighting. The property has employed several key factors to reduce...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the GUESTROOM 20X Task Force, a group of hospitality technology leaders and experts, are searching for the latest and near-future technologies for the newest version of GUESTROOM 20X. The 2010 version of GUESTROOM 20X, a special exhibit showcasing the most innovative technologies for the guestroom, debuts at the 2010 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) June 22 to 24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. “Since 2006, GUESTROOM 20X has garnered a reputation as providing a thought-provoking glimpse into the possibilities of future guestroom technologies,” said Frank Wolfe,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Experian recently listed its “Top 20 websites in the ‘Travel’ online industry for the month of December 2009, based on visits.” Among those sites—which include such well-known stops as Priceline.com and MapQuest—only three attempt to highlight green hotels. The three include Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia. Travelocity has a Green Hotel Directory that can be accessed through a “Green Travel” link on its home page. Site visitors not only have access to green hotels but also voluntourism opportunities and the option to offset their travel through The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero Program. Orbitz also has its own eco-travel microsite....

SACRAMENTO—Continuing California’s efforts to fight climate change and protect the environment, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) unanimously adopted the first-in-the-nation mandatory Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) requiring all new buildings in the state to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible. Taking effect on January 1, 2011, these comprehensive regulations will achieve major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water use to create a greener California. “With this first-in-the nation mandatory green building standards code, California continues to pave the way in energy efficiency and environmental protection,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “Today’s...