CAPE ELIZABETH, MAINE—Maine’s Governor John Baldacci introduced Webber Energy Fuels’ biofuel program at The Inn By The Sea this past weekend. This winter, The Inn By The Sea will be the first hotel in Maine to keep guests warm with Webber’s new fuel comprised of heating oil mixed with fats and vegetable oils.Choosing to heat with Webber’s biofuel made with domestic renewable natural products is part of The Inn By The Sea’s ongoing commitment to reduce heating oil consumption and to align business practices with consideration for the environment, according to the inn’s general manager, Tom Petot. South...

TORONTO—Days Inns-Canada announced its participation in the HAC Green Key Eco-Rating Program administered by the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC). Days Inns-Canada is the first midscale hotel chain to participate in the program as a brandwide initiative. Through the HAC Green Key Eco-Rating Program, Days Inns’ 87 locations across Canada are committed to maximizing efficiency by enhancing energy performance while also reducing operating costs. The brand expects that most of its properties will receive their Green Key rating by the end of 2006. “As active supporters of the HAC Green Key Eco-Rating Program, Days Inns-Canada is dedicated...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland-Lloyd Center announced that the property has earned a Green Seal GS-33 Lodging Sustainability certification. The 476-room Doubletree is the first lodging property in Oregon and the largest hotel west of the Mississippi to receive this green hotel designation, which includes a set of stringent criteria that encourages hotels to adopt environmental standards and practices in their everyday operations. The Green Seal certification is the latest step in the Doubletree’s efforts to build sustainable practices into its entire operation. From installation of energy- and water-efficient fixtures and lighting in guestrooms...

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CALIF.—As hotel brands in other parts of the world adopt smoke-free environments as their latest marketing strategy, a vast majority of European guests prefer a smoke-free hotel environment, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. The study found that nearly 70 percent of hotel guests in Europe prefer a smoke-free environment that exceeds the boundaries of their room, which is slightly less than hotel guests in North America (79 percent). The desire for a smoke-free environment ranges from 57 percent of guests who reside in Spain, to a high...

DENVER—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. a Green Purchasing Gold Achievement Award for its purchasing practices at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Part of the EPA’s “WasteWise” program, the award recognized the concessioner’s waste reduction program, which includes purchasing numerous items with recycled content as well as increasing the recycled content of many products. Xanterra is one of only 11 organizations to receive a Gold Achievement Award this year and the only national park concessioner ever to receive the award. In 2005, Xanterra switched to chlorine-free, 100 percent post-consumer...

BOSTON—Formed a year ago as an outgrowth of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC), Boston Green Tourism (BGT) is working to position America’s Walking City as the place to go to find green hotels and meeting facilities. The organization already has 76 active members including hoteliers, restaurateurs, vendors, and convention center and government officials. “It is a three-year project,” says Dan Ruben, executive director of BGT, who as executive director of CERC led efforts to green America’s two political conventions in 2004. The goals of BGT are four-fold: • Establish Greater Boston as a preeminent...

GRENADA—The 32-room Blue Horizons Garden Resort in Grenada has achieved the prestigious Green Globe Benchmark Certificate under the new Green Globe Certification program, which recognizes the property’s commitment to operating at the world’s highest environmental standard. Achieving this distinction means Blue Horizons Garden Resort can now proceed to the next step—securing the coveted Green Globe Certification. Blue Horizons first obtained the Green Globe Benchmark distinction in 2004 but it expired during the time the property was closed (as a result of Hurricane Ivan). During the $1.5 million renovation project that ensued, Blue Horizons made sure to keep environmentally-conscious...

PAGE, ARIZ.—Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, an Aramark Harrison Lodging managed property, announced it has received a Pollution Prevention Award from the Utah Pollution Prevention Assn. (P2) and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. “This is especially important to us because this award recognizes organizations and companies in Utah that are making outstanding efforts in programming and training to prevent pollution and improve environmental quality,” says Bubba Ketchersid, resident district manager, north Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas operations. “Protecting and preserving our environment is an extremely important part of our company’s commitment to our guests, employees and neighbors.”...

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND—A recently formed group of tourism and hospitality consultants, educators and researchers have joined forces to develop and distribute content that will be designed to “help move the agenda forward” in the areas of tourism and hospitality sustainability. Located in Lausanne, Switzerland, this organization is in the process of recruiting new members who support their mission and vision. A preliminary website, which will soon be updated, provides some background information and can be found at www.thisd.org. Anyone interested in participating in this new organization and who is willing to contribute to its formulation process are encouraged...

NATIONAL REPORT—Any hotel property that has a restaurant or bar has to deal with bottle disposal. No matter where they are on the property—behind the bar or in the dumpster—bottles take up space. It costs money in labor to move them from one location to another and to have them hauled away. Glass bottles do not generate much cash as recyclables—about $4 to $6 per ton—so most often they end up in landfills. Yes, there are places where bottles are sorted for recycling or returned for deposit refunds, but sometimes it costs more than a nickel to get a nickel...