SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco’s Orchard and new Orchard Garden Hotel are offering holiday revelers a way to make the world a little greener this holiday season with their “Plant A Tree” package. The package includes a one-night stay in either of the boutique hotels and the choice of taking home a boxed Colorado Spruce tree seedling or joining the hotels’ partnership with Friends of the Urban Forest to plant a tree. The recently opened Orchard Garden Hotel is California’s only hotel to be ecologically sustainable from the inside-out and is registered to become the state’s first hotel to earn...

NEW YORK—How can eco-savvy travelers trek through the myriad of websites listing vacation options in Latin America and the Caribbean to make choices they know will be environmentally and socially responsible? A free online tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance can help. The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism offers users a database of sustainable tourism businesses—including hotels, inns, lodges and more—that conserve biodiversity and help local communities. This lets responsible travelers choose destinations that are not only beautiful but also beneficial to the areas they visit. The Eco-Index of Sustainable Tourism is the only website with a searchable...

DENVER—With the Rocky Mountains and more than 12,000 professionals from all industry and market sectors convening for the U.S. Green Building Council’s GreenBuild Conference as the backdrop, the forming of the Green Cleaning Network was announced. “We are excited to be part of the launch of this important initiative,” says Doug Gatlin, the U.S. Green Building Council’s program manager for LEED for Existing Buildings. “The Green Cleaning Network will play an important role in advancing the green building movement.” “The rapid growth of the green cleaning movement over the past decade has created an urgent need for...

NATIONAL REPORT—To add ambiance to a restaurant, bar or other area of a hotel, sometimes all that’s needed is a little candlelight. Whether fueled by wax and wick or liquid fuel, candles encourage a relaxing, stress-free atmosphere. As common and accepted as traditional candles are, few hoteliers may realize their true costs—from both a financial and environmental perspective. When wax candles burn down, they typically are thrown away and add to waste disposal costs—from the hotel to the landfill. Just like automobiles burning gasoline, candles using liquid fuel strain the environment. Energy is consumed through processes used to generate the...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced the latest accolade for its industry leading environmental program. On November 9, during the annual Hospitality Awards ceremony in Paris, France, Fairmont received a Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program award for its Green Partnership program. The award recognizes the best example of environmental and humanitarian activity, sustainable development, and the involvement of local populations by hotel groups throughout the world. The Worldwide Hospitality Awards were presented by the MKG Group, an organization associated with HTR Magazine. Jeff Senior, Fairmont’s senior vice president marketing & sales, accepted the award on the company’s behalf....

HONG KONG—Accor Hotels has a strong track record as a trend setter, not a trend follower, in matters relating to the environment. Its first formal groupwide environmental management directive was issued in 1994, long before most hotel companies. The group created a full Environmental Charter in 1998, and increased the number of elements being managed from 15 to 65 in 2006. With all-important support and commitment of its owners, the Novotel Century Hong Kong, the first Accor-managed hotel in Hong Kong, already moved to live up to this tradition when, earlier this year, it became one of the...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The student board of directors of the 82nd Annual Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) has announced the theme for next year’s student-run event. It is “Sustainability Through Innovation.” The event will be held at the Cornell Hotel School April 12-15. The weekend will feature a delicate blend of education and leisure. Industry leaders attend HEC in order to mingle with students, learn cutting-edge business concepts, and enjoy a feast of culinary delights. What will make HEC 82 different than the 81 preceding HECs is the theme. It originated from the question: What must innovative hospitality organizations do in...

OTTAWA, ONTARIO—A year and a half after launching its Green Key Eco-Rating program, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has rated more than 400 hotels and will soon have an additional 400 properties participating. Anthony Pollard, president of HAC, anticipates having 2,000 hotels on board by the end of 2007. With approximately 6,800 hotels in Canada, 2,000 properties would represent almost 30 percent of the total number. Even though there are other rating programs to choose from, hoteliers in Canada appear to have locked in on this one. Several factors are driving the program’s success. The first is...

CHICAGO—Preferred Hotel Group, which includes 350 hotels and resorts in more than 50 nations, recently recognized three of its members with its Preferred Pineapple Award for their exceptional efforts in the areas of environmental well-being. Through its recently launched program entitled “GIFTTS: Great Initiatives for Today’s (Tomorrow’s) Society”, the company initiated its Preferred Pineapple Award. The award was presented at the Preferred Hotel Group Annual Conference in Las Vegas last week. Additional members received Certificates of Excellence in recognition of their good works. “The purpose of GIFTTS is to provide a meaningful platform to showcase individual actions...

BOSTON—The Green Restaurant Assn. and Chefs Collaborative have formed a partnership. Since 1990, the Green Restaurant Assn. has been helping the restaurant industry work through the association’s 11 environmental guidelines. Since 1993, Chefs Collaborative has been educating chefs and consumers about sustainable cuisine. On November 13, Chefs Collaborative chairman Eric Stenberg will announce the partnership to a room full of America’s top chefs and supporting diners. Michael Oshman, Green Restaurant Assn. executive director, will give a presentation on the restaurant/environment connection. Oshman will also announce that the host hotel, Langham Hotel Boston, is about to become America’s newest Certified Green Restaurant....