BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts Inc. announced it will be providing Good Food on a Grand Scale by serving natural, hormone-free meats and poultry and organic dairy products in casual on-mountain restaurants at its five resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in California and Nevada beginning the 2007-2008 ski season. The company believes Vail Resorts will serve more meals made with natural meats and certified organic dairy products each year than any other restaurant operator in North America and that the effort will be the largest undertaking to offer these products in the travel industry. To...

LAS VEGAS, LOS ANGELES—The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP (JMBM) announced cosponsorship of the only hotel summit designed to provide senior executives with a comprehensive program that examines both the compelling economic benefits and some of the daunting practical challenges of green hotel development. The annual summit will focus on bringing together the hotel industry’s top leaders and its most experienced developers. The upcoming conference will emphasize economics, current case studies, costly mistakes, brilliant successes, financing and valuation issues, consumer trends and offer a “how to” (or “how not to”) approach...

NEW YORK—Maxon Holdings LLC (Maxon), a leading energy and environmental development company, announced a partnership with Earthpark, North America’s first center for science literacy and the environment. Maxon will provide $10 million of in-kind financial and technical support toward the completion and opening of Earthpark, scheduled to open on Earth Day, 2011. Maxon will give this support through its infrastructure asset financing operations, part of the company’s asset optimization business. Maxon’s contribution will facilitate ongoing support and involvement with educational and research efforts in the areas of global sustainability and restorative living practices. Earthpark also announced at the 2007 Clinton...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—The California Lodging Expo and Conference will have a green theme next month. The event will be held at the Oakland Marriott City Center from November 6 to 7 and feature four environment-related sessions. The event will also include presentations by the following prominent industry leaders: Niki Leondakis, COO, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group; Nancy Johnson, EVP, Carlson Hotels Worldwide; and Chip Conley, founder & CEO, Joie de Vivre Hospitality. In the session entitled, “Kermit was wrong! It’s Easy Being Green!”, Wen-I Chang, Atman Hospitality Group, and Stefan Muhle, The Orchard Garden Hotel, will discuss the process of building...

LONDON—Travel and tourism can be (and in an increasing number of destinations already is) a catalyst for economic prosperity, nurturing the natural and cultural environment. The World Travel & Tourism Council is delighted to invite those who adopt in these principles to participate in the 2008 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards—the highest accolade in sustainable tourism. There are four categories for entry, allowing for applications from tourism destinations, businesses and organizations. The categories include: • Destination Award: for destinations of any size that show a commitment to responsible tourism development;• Conservation Award: for any tourism organization committed to the protection of natural...

BOSTON—Three additional hotels in the Boston area have earned an Energy Star label by documenting superior energy performance and efficiency. With the new designations, there are now eight hotels in the Hub metropolitan area that have made sufficient energy improvements to achieve an Energy Star label. At an event on Thursday, October 4, EPA honored Boston area hoteliers, recognizing each for their facilities’ superior energy performance. Together with Boston Green Tourism, the agency lauded local hoteliers for improving energy efficiency and implementing high quality measures that ultimately improve the guest experience. “We’re excited to see Boston’s hospitality industry take a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—More than half of all U.S. adults say they would be more likely to select an airline, rental car or hotel that uses more environmentally friendly products and processes, according to the results of the latest travelhorizons survey by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Ypartnership. But while more than half of U.S. adults may be advocates of environmental responsibility, only 14 percent of respondents said their actual selection of a travel service supplier would be influenced by that supplier’s efforts to preserve and protect the environment. Just 13 percent would be willing to pay higher rates or fares...

NEW YORK—Green Shield Certified, a new seal of approval for eco-friendly pest control providers, has been introduced. Green Shield certification offers pest control companies and their customers a new standard for smarter, more effective pest control without unnecessary pesticides. The program is endorsed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and Physicians for Social Responsibility of Greater Los Angeles. “Green Shield Certified is the next generation of pest control service,” says Jonathan Kaplan, a senior policy specialist at NRDC. “These certified companies are proving that knowledge and prevention can provide more effective,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC’s premiere historic luxury hotel, is now powered by 100 percent wind energy. Pepco Energy Services, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. and a leader in renewable electricity, supplies the 332-room landmark hotel with 100 percent wind renewable energy credits, making the Willard the first urban luxury hotel in the United States to be fully supported in this sustainable manner. Pepco Energy Services provides the Willard InterContinental Washington with nearly 7.1 million kilowatt hours of 100 percent wind renewable energy certificates. The Loyalton Group, an energy risk management firm in Washington, D.C., facilitated the contracts,...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, a property managed by Delaware North Companies and located in Dixville Notch, N.H., passed its ISO 14001 Registration Audit earlier this month. This is the 19th ISO Registration that Delaware North has successfully navigated. “This is a great honor for The Balsams and our company as a whole,” says John Huey, director of stewardship, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts. “We’re fully committed to doing what’s best for our environment and building upon such successes by further developing GreenPath and our positive impacts on the environment.” The ISO 14001 audit, which is markedly stringent, assesses...