LAS VEGAS—Like a professor teaching his students, Kip Richardson taught a little bit of Sustainability 101 during “Beyond Green: ‘The Talk,’” at the HD 2007 Expo and Conference. A packed room of attendees listened to Richardson, director of business development for Portland, Ore.-based Ankrom Moisan Architects. What is sustainability? Richardson said it is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” “Sustainability touches everybody,” Richardson added. “This is not a political issue. It is a human issue. Almost every hotel brand is talking about it,...

MONTREAL—Groupe Germain announced a brand new concept for cheap-chic hotels that will be gradually introduced in Canada. A first in that country, ALT Hotels will offer the qualities sought by a growing range of consumers who want affordable accommodation without compromising on design and comfort. The hotels will feature a series of energy-efficient measures: heating and cooling with geothermal systems, recovery of heat from outdoor air and exhaust air leaving the building, recovery of heat from water used in commercial washers, energy-efficient lighting throughout, a main light switch for controlling all lights in the room when guests check out, geothermal...

LAS VEGAS—The HD 2007 Expo & Conference got off to a green start with the second annual Green Luncheon on Wednesday. The luncheon featured case study presentations by representatives of San Francisco-based design firm Gensler and by Larry Traxler, vice president architecture and design, Hyatt Hotels Corp. The three case studies included: Hyatt Regency Chicago, Lower Wacker Exhibit Hall and Riverfront Development; MGM Mirage City Center, Las Vegas; and Eagle Lodge Sky Resort, Mammoth, Calif. The Hyatt Regency Chicago is in the process of adding a zero-energy building addition to its Lower Wacker Exhibit Hall. Hyatt intends to...

ATLANTA—To reduce the building design industry’s impact on the environment, key leaders in that sector are collaborating to establish carbon-neutral buildings by the year 2030. The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Architecture 2030, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), supported by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy, finalized an agreement of understanding, establishing a common starting point and a goal of net zero energy buildings. “This agreement allows the building design sector to move forward with...

TOLEDO, BELIZE—Outpost International celebrated the grand opening of Machaca Hill Lodge at Laughing Falcon Reserve, their first world-class eco-development, on April 14. The eco-chic lodge is nestled amidst the lush landscape of the Toledo District in Southern Belize, idealistically situated on a private 11,000-acre reserve that is home to many of Belize’s jaguars, and is bordered by densely forested limestone hills and the Rio Grande River. From the rainforest canopy just beneath the plateau summit of Machaca Hill, the lodge offers an awe-inspiring look at the jungle and in the distance Seven Hills and the Caribbean Sea. The airy main...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced that The Hotel Management Group, the company’s Americas Operations division, will launch a new environmental initiative to replace more than 250,000 incandescent light bulbs with new energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFL) in guestrooms at over 200 company-managed hotels across the Americas. This is the first of several new environmental programs, both global and regional, that the company is scheduled to introduce throughout 2007. According to Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, a CFL’s...

NATIONAL REPORT—If you are looking to reduce water consumption in your kitchen and still have not implemented pre-rinse spray valves that conform to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), now is the time to do so. Thanks to EPAct 2005, all spray valves sold today must have a flow rate of not more than 1.6 gallons per minute (gpm) at 60 pounds per square inch (psi). According to Phil Germinario, director of marketing, sales and customer service for Niagara Conservation, Cedar Knolls, N.J., there was a time when these valves used 3 to 6 gpm. “If you switch from...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Walt Disney World Resort senior vice president for operations Erin Wallace announced that all Disney owned and operated hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort will become smoke free by June 1, 2007. The policy also applies to all Disney Vacation Club Resorts. With more than 20 Disney owned and operated resorts, this represents the largest single site resort complex to institute this type of smoking policy change. “We make adjustments to our operations based on guest demand,” Wallace says. “This policy complements our efforts to provide our guests with the healthy living options they...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts recently accepted the IMEX Green Meetings Award for its efforts in environmental responsibility and stewardship. Through its commitment to GreenPath, a nationally renowned system of environmental management, Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts received the Silver IMEX Green Meetings Award for hosting a green meeting for the Sierra Business Council (SBC) conference at Curry Village and Yosemite Lodge at the Falls in Yosemite National Park. The conference, held in November 2006, featured many green initiatives and used many environmentally friendly products. Measurable achievements at the SBC conference included 50 percent...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is erecting a new milestone in the march toward a greener government. Now the agency plans to turn its meetings green. EPA is changing its acquisition rules to give preference to facilities that consume less and manage their resources in environmentally positive ways. The rule change was effective May 1. For the first time, EPA will consider environmental achievement along with such factors as price and past performance when buying meeting and conference space. The new regulation is a step toward giving priority to hotels and conference centers that demonstrate green progress....