BOSTON—The Green Restaurant Association (GRA) announced that it has updated its Certification System to the points-based Green Restaurant 4.0. For the past two decades, the GRA has been certifying restaurants across North America with its environmental standards. Every few years, the GRA upgrades its certification standards to help the restaurant industry move toward environmental sustainability. Green Restaurant 4.0 will provide a comprehensive and user-friendly method of rewarding restaurants with points in each of the Environmental Guideline categories: Energy, Water, Waste, Disposables, Chemical and Pollution Reduction, Sustainable Food, and Sustainable Building Materials. Under the Green Restaurant 4.0 standards, restaurants will have...

NEW YORK—NEWH Inc., the hospitality industry network, providing scholarships, education, and leadership opportunities for individuals in the hospitality industry, will host a “Green Day” at the 2009 semi-annual NEWH Leadership Conference in San Diego on January 10, 2009. The NEWH Leadership Conference, designed to focus on leadership and education, takes place January 9 to January 11. The Leadership Conference Green Day, under the auspices of NEWH Sustainable Hospitality, will consist of a sustainability panel and an introduction to LEED presented by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), along with a vendor spotlight on sustainable products and a personal...

DENVER—What began with a company-wide seafood policy that ensured Xanterra Parks & Resorts served only sustainable seafood in its 68 restaurants has evolved into an aggressive program that includes a wide variety of new innovations in sustainable cuisine, waste-reduction programs and sustainable renovations and construction of restaurants. Known for its wide-ranging environmental programs, concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates lodges, restaurants, gift shops, tours and activities in national and state parks and resorts. “Our chefs have created some of the most innovative sustainable offerings we’ve ever seen,” said Chris Lane, vice president of environmental affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts....

MADRID, SPAIN—A new United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) project is leading to at least 20 percent overall energy savings and increasing renewable energy use by 10 percent in hotels. It targets particularly small and medium enterprises, which represent the vast majority of hotel rooms in the accommodation sector and which can benefit from best practice trends and technology advances. The project brings together partners from the hotel, environment and renewable energy communities and is supported by the European Union. More than half of the world’s 5.9 million hotel rooms are located in Europe. Ninety percent of those are...

ABU DHABI, U.A.E.—Expert speakers from around the world, including hospitality and green building pioneers, top consultants and senior managers from the information technology and building sectors, are among the confirmed speakers at “The Growth of Green Hotels Conference” which will take place on December 14 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The conference will be held on the opening day of Equip’ Hotel Middle East, the capital’s first hospitality trade show, being organized by Reed Exhibitions Middle East, from December 14 to 16. Equip’Hotel Middle East is organized with the support of Abu Dhabi National Hotels and the National...

TORONTO—They say all good “soles” go to heaven, and now shoes from the Fairmont Fit program will get a second life with Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization that collects gently worn and new shoes for redistribution to those in need. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is donating footwear from Fairmont Fit, a program which offers members of Fairmont President’s Club, the brand’s exclusive guest recognition program, access to adidas athletic apparel for use during their stay. Fairmont is also providing a little incentive to begin the New Year on the right foot and stick with those resolutions to get in shape. Guests...

SAN FRANCISCO—Joie de Vivre, California’s largest boutique hotel collection, has launched Joie De Vivre Green Dreams, a dedicated portal on its website that allows consumers to track the company’s ongoing efforts to preserve the environment. Joie de Vivre Green Dreams, also the name of the company’s environmental program, features the company’s green policies and practices, a green certification “scorecard” for hotels, green travel tips, and links to environmental resources. “Joie de Vivre has made a long-term commitment to incorporating sustainability into its business operations through the Green Dreams program,” said Joie de Vivre’s senior vice president of operations, Karlene Holloman,...

PORTLAND, ORE.—With the approach of New Year’s Eve, Shilo Inns’ owner, Mark Hemstreet, announced that Shilo Inns would usher in the New Year by making all Shilo Inn hotels and restaurants 100 percent smoke free. “We care about our customers as well as our employees’ health and comfort,” Hemstreet said. “We consistently get more and more requests from our guests for smoke-free rooms and since we have already had 95 percent of our rooms and suites nonsmoking for many years, we felt it was the best decision to finally turn the entire hotel and restaurant environment to “smoke free.” “Guests have...

CHICAGO—The Talbott Hotel, a luxury boutique in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast, has been bestowed the distinction of being one of the first Green Seal Certified hotels in the United States. Striving to meet the city of Chicago’s Green Hotels Initiative, the hotel worked diligently for months and at great expense to meet the environmental lodging standard, which brings with it requirements in waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste water management and green procurement. The Talbott operates on a platform of “Sustainability without Compromise” as staff there insist that green initiatives only enhance the already high standards for...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) announced that Portland, Ore., will be the host city for the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2009 (ESTC). The event will be held from November 1 to 3. The ESTC is the annual bi-national conference focusing on greening the tourism industry in the United States and Canada. Travel Portland and Travel Oregon, the city and state’s destination marketing agencies, respectively, will co-sponsor the 2009 conference as the ESTC 2009 Destination Host. The conference will take place at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower, the first Hilton property ever to be Green Seal...