I am excited to announce that Green Lodging News is celebrating its fifth anniversary this month. When I first began working on Green Lodging News more than six years ago, I had no idea what it might become. I have to say I am very pleased so far. Thank you to all of our readers, writers and sponsors for helping us to get to this point. After a recent renewal campaign, our e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently reaches almost 3,000 subscribers and our website attracts 17,000 different people, 90,000 total visits, and generates 450,000 page views each month....

When I was contacted this past week by someone representing the Synthetic Turf Council, I was a little skeptical. Can something mostly made from oil-based material—synthetic turf—be environmentally advantageous? Turns out a strong environmental case can be made for using synthetic turf instead of natural grass—especially in areas of the country where water is scarce (click here for Council’s recent report). In fact, according to Rick Doyle, president of the Atlanta-based Synthetic Turf Council, if one is pursuing LEED certification for a new or existing building, using synthetic turf can help one earn from six to 14 points (Water...

It is, by total number of respondents, one of the largest sustainability-related lodging surveys I have seen. As part of its Earth Guest Research initiative, Accor Hotels conducted a survey of almost 7,000 of its guests in six countries—Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Only guests who had stayed at an Accor hotel in the previous 12 months were eligible to participate. The Web-based survey was conducted last August by French market research institute IFOP. Why did it take almost a year to release the results? According to Sophie Flak, executive vice president, Organization and Sustainable...

I have stayed at many hotels during my travels and am always surprised when the guestroom bathroom lacks proper ventilation. I am sure you can relate to this. You get out of the shower and the mirror is all steamed up. You grab the hair dryer, turn it on, point it at the mirror and stand there for a few minutes until you can see yourself again. Chances are, somewhere in that bathroom there is mold growing—probably black mold. Not good for your guests and housekeepers. Not good for anyone. For those of you with distributed—or spot—ventilation systems (the fan...

Several articles that crossed my desk this week pertaining to standards and Product Category Rules (PCRs) deserve your attention. First of all, the Convention Industry Council announced that its Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX)-led initiative to create standards for environmentally sustainable events has reached an important milestone. Eight of the nine draft standards have completed review by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) committee where they have been under development. This final vote marks the completion of the consensus process for the development of the standards and clears them for final approval and ratification as official ASTM Standards....

Everyone in a purchasing position shops based on price. Very easy. Not so easy is shopping based on the sustainability of a product and the sustainable practices of the company that makes it. That could soon change if the newly launched Hospitality Sustainable Consortium is successful in creating a Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI). Led by MindClick SGM, the Consortium is in the process of creating the Index that will score the corporate social responsibility, environmental, and product sustainability performance of suppliers—first suppliers of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) and then focusing on operating supplies and equipment (OS&E). I...

I had an opportunity this past week to chat with Karen Avery, co-owner with her husband Richard of the Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo. While writing an article about the lodge (click here for article), an image of Jed Clampett came to mind. And no I am not crazy. For those of you old enough to remember, Jed Clampett was a character in The Beverly Hillbillies, a TV show that ran from 1962 to 1971. In the beginning of every episode, the theme song would play and show Jed hunting for some critter. Jed would...

Approximately two and one-half years ago, in the fall of 2008, the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, a coalition of 27 organizations representing the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, released the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria (GSTC Criteria). The GSTC Criteria were developed as part of an initiative led by the Rainforest Alliance, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Foundation, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The GSTC Criteria are comprised of 37 voluntary standards in four categories: Sustainable Management, Social/Economic, Cultural Heritage, and Environment (click here for details). The GSTC Criteria were developed to offer a...

This past week was a busy one with a visit to Las Vegas for the Hospitality Design Expo and Conference. Preceding the event was Green Day, an afternoon filled with experts chatting about trends in sustainable development and design. Be sure to check out our coverage from Green Day (see article). I spent most of my time spent at the Expo walking the trade show floor, reconnecting with industry friends and visiting with representatives of companies in attendance for the first time. It was exciting to see so many new vendors offering green products. It would be impossible to...

Leather has long been used in our industry for furniture, wall and floor surfaces, and other design elements. Looking at the leather industry as a whole, only a small portion of leather produced ever ends up in a hotel. Most leather is used for shoes, hand bags, in the automobile industry, etc. Even though the purchase of leather pales in comparison to carpeting or mattresses in a hotel, it should be considered carefully. Historically, the tanning of leather has been a very dirty one because of the improper use of chromium—a toxic heavy metal. Lax environmental regulations here in the...