LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is inviting tourism companies and organizations from around the world that can demonstrate best practices in sustainable tourism development to submit their applications for the 2010 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The deadline for applications is December 2, 2009. To quote Jean-Claude Baumgarten, president and CEO of WTTC, “The awards, now in their sixth year under WTTC’s stewardship, exemplify the Council’s multi-stakeholder vision set out in the Blueprint for New Tourism that looks beyond short-term considerations and focuses on benefits not only for the people who travel, but also for people in the communities...

NATIONAL REPORT—Many full-service hotels use escalators to move high volumes of guests to and from the lobby and meeting rooms during functions. Considering that these types of vertical transportation needs only occur during certain times of the day, escalator operation could be significantly scaled back, while having a minimal, if any, negative impact on a guest’s overall experience. In fact, with proper messaging, reduced escalator operation could actually be a net positive component of a guest’s experience. Hoteliers should analyze escalator usage patterns and simply shut down escalators during periods of minimal use. Encourage guests to either walk up...

ISLA VERDE, PUERTO RICO—Naya, the leatherback sea turtle adopted by the InterContinental San Juan Resort & Casino, is representing the hotel chain and Puerto Rico in the annual Tour de Turtles Migration Marathon, organized by the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. Earlier this month, 11 sea turtles using satellite-tracking technology began competing in a three-month ocean race to become the first turtle to reach a 1,628-mile distance. Similar to human marathons, each turtle is swimming to raise awareness for a particular “cause” or threat to their survival. This secondary competition, known as Causes Challenge, is designed to see which turtle can...

NEWBERG, ORE.—The Allison Inn & Spa will open September 26 in Newberg in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. Set on 35 acres, the 85-room (with 20 suites) property was designed by GGLO, Seattle, and is owned by Newberg-based Springbook Properties, Inc. The owners expect to earn a LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project. The Allison Inn & Spa is a four-level structure consisting of 154,000 square feet of building space. The east wing is dedicated to guestrooms. The west wing is home to the conference and event space. The inn’s lobby, restaurant...

ORLANDO—U.S. travelers are more familiar with sustainable travel terminology than they were two years ago but remain unwilling to pay more for eco-friendly travel options according to the July travelhorizons, the quarterly consumer survey co-authored by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership. The percentage of American travelers who consider themselves “environmentally conscious” has not changed since 2007 (78 percent); however, there has been a remarkable increase in the percentage who report familiarity with the term “carbon footprint” (from 12 percent in July 2007 to 54 percent in July 2009). Awareness of the term “green travel” also improved from...

ORLANDO—Marriott Vacation Club, the premiere timeshare brand of Marriott International, is not allowing a single key card to go to waste. Resorts have begun replacing the 1.2 million plastic key cards purchased annually with those made of 50 percent recycled material, saving approximately four tons of plastic from being dumped in landfills. The new key card is just one of many advances the brand has made to help reduce its global environmental footprint. More than 800,000 guest arrival pieces, which are printed annually in the United States and distributed to owners and guests upon check-in, are now printed on Forest...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) launched a credentialing maintenance program (CMP) for LEED APs and Green Associates, ensuring that LEED professional credentials will remain relevant and meaningful in a rapidly evolving marketplace. “Since 2001, the LEED AP credential has been recognized as a mark of significant achievement, acknowledging that a candidate passed a rigorous test that assessed their knowledge of green building fundamentals as well as knowledge of practice in a chosen specialty,” said Peter Templeton, president, GBCI. “But knowledge doesn’t stand still, and credential maintenance underscores a professional’s commitment to staying at the leading edge of green...

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.—When the ground gets dry at The Jenks House Bed & Breakfast in Jacksonville, Fla., owners Tom and Ila Rae Merten don’t tap into the city’s water supply. Thanks to a rainwater capture system, they have all the water they need. Installed earlier this summer at the two-guestroom B&B, the system guides water from the garage apartment roof into four 275-gallon storage tanks (1,100 total gallons). The tanks sit on racks in the garage. The roof is 675 square feet in size. One inch of rainfall results in 193 gallons of captured water. With Jacksonville getting an average...

TECATE, MEXICO—The Second Annual Green Spa Network Fall Congress will be held November 1 to 5, 2009, at the historic Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. As the premier spa sustainability event of the year, the four-night, five-day GSN Fall Congress will provide professionals with the opportunity to respond to the planetary imperative for sustainability—while increasing profitability and customer loyalty. Internationally known Paul Hawken will be the keynote speaker. Paul is a leading voice in the world of sustainable business and the search for a whole, nurturing society. He is co-founder of Smith & Hawken and author of “Natural Capitalism:...

LAS VEGAS—Dan Bena, who spearheads international sustainability efforts for food and beverage giant PepsiCo, will be the opening keynote speaker for the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, October 7 to 9, 2009, in Las Vegas. Bena, PepsiCo’s director of sustainability, health, safety, and environment, will address the conference’s opening session on October 7. PepsiCo’s “Performance with Purpose” operating model has environmental sustainability as a cornerstone and includes minimizing environmental impacts of operations, and extending across supply chains and communities. In 2007, PepsiCo adopted rigorous enterprise-wide global metrics to track its environmental footprint, and was one of the first...