MCLEAN, VA.—The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association has signed on to become a 2008 Distribution Partner for The Green Events Source Book. As a distribution partner, HSMAI will be distributing copies of the multimedia resources guide to an estimated 3,000 meeting planners at three upcoming U.S. conferences: Affordable Meetings Mid-America at Chicago’s Navy Pier April 9 to 10; Affordable Meetings West at the Long Beach Convention Center June 11 to 12; and the National Conference and Event Technology Expo in Washington D.C. September 10 to 11, 2008. In addition to exhibiting at the conference, Green Events Source founder Deborah Popely...

SAN FRANCISCO—Michael Pace, general manager of W San Francisco, announces the kickoff of ECOLICIOUS—the first of a number of new eco-fun programs designed to put W San Francisco’s best green foot forward in 2008. ECOLICIOUS puts the W spin on organic-chic cocktailing, with a groovy green organic drink menu and delicious farm-to-table bites. San Francisco scenesters and green-thumbs alike will delight in this hip new eco-chic cocktail mixer. “We know that people in San Francisco like to have a good time when they get off of work, but we also understand that they like to do what they can...

CHEVY CHASE, MD.—Beginning April 1, guests at Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts around the world can volunteer their time to improve and assist the local community where they are vacationing. The program, called “Give Back Getaways,” offers guests a variety of opportunities from helping to protect endangered sea turtles in Cancun, Mexico, to helping with renovations and landscaping at the Children-Hospice SONNENHOF, which offers support for children with critical illnesses in Berlin. Give Back Getaways is the most recent opportunity to volunteer under Community Footprints, The Ritz-Carlton social and environmental responsibility program. “We have come to recognize the interest many of...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—As the price of gas approaches $4 per gallon in parts of the country, travelers are taking notice. For the fifth year in a row, BedandBreakfast.com members are putting money where guests need it most—in their gas tanks. Guests who fill up on hearty breakfasts at participating B&Bs will find themselves treated to their own fill-up through the BedandBreakfast.com “Tanks a Lot!” promotion, in which inns offer free gas to B&B travelers. Knowing that travelers are increasingly interested in traveling green, BedandBreakfast.com members have crafted a number of creative offers to reward guests for conserving gas and to...

DENVER—RockResorts, a luxury hotel company with a long-standing tradition of emphasizing the natural settings of its resort locations, is launching a brand-wide Green Weddings initiative beginning this summer. From the majestic mountains of Vail to the authentic adobes of Santa Fe, couples can now say “I Do” at a RockResort without saying “I Don’t” to Mother Nature. Those exchanging their vows at the nine unique RockResorts properties will do much more than just recycle the cans attached to their “Just Married” signs. Celebrating this special day at a RockResort offers shades of green sure to satisfy and make a difference...

KISSIMMEE, FLA.—Gaylord Hotels and The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) welcomed Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center into the Florida Green Lodging Program. The 1,406-room resort is one of the largest in that state to participate, and the first in Osceola County’s popular Kissimmee resort corridor. In addition, the resort announced the upcoming rollout of a new guest communications program, called “We’re Eco-Logical”, designed to share the spirit of the resort’s eco-friendly initiatives with guests and meeting planners, while encouraging them to take an active role in the programs. “Together with the citizens of Osceola County, we have created one...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Softscribe Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Founded in 1999, Atlanta-based Softscribe Inc. blends traditional public relations with emerging new media to help companies targeting the green hospitality and tourism market drive sales and reach their strategic objectives. Softscribe provides a full range of traditional public relations and marketing strategy services, and a growing collection of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) offerings that use the Internet to leverage its clients’ existing public relations investments. Call (404) 256-5512, e-mail info@softscribeinc.com, or go to www.softscribeinc.com.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Mercure hotels across Australia have gone green on conferencing, with the hotel group being among the first to offer a national Carbon Neutral Conferencing product. The new initiative was unveiled at the Asia Pacific Incentive Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne. Accor’s Mercure hotel brand is one of Australia’s largest, with 17 hotels in every state capital of Australia, as well as in a number of regional centers. Under the Mercure Meetings initiative, Mercure hotels will fully fund offsets for carbon emissions produced during a conference. This means the offset cost of making a conference Carbon Neutral is covered by...

OTTAWA, ONT.—The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has announced a new strategic partnership with The Innovolve Group Inc. and the new Green Meeting Guide. This partnership will enable meeting planners to work closely with the HAC Green Key Eco-Rating Program to ensure the Canadian Lodging industry continues to evolve as a leader in environmental stewardship. The HAC Green Key Eco-Rating Program is a graduated rating system designed to recognize hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental performance. Based on the results of a comprehensive environmental audit, hoteliers are awarded a one to five Green Key rating....

GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—The sand is golden, the water is blue, and the rest of the destination is going green. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, along with the Board of Broward County Commissioners, and in conjunction with private and public sector partners in the hospitality industry, is transforming Greater Fort Lauderdale into “Greener” Fort Lauderdale. The CVB is contributing by creating an environmentally-friendly in-room card for hotel guests and working with the hotels to become Florida Green Lodging certified. “Greater Fort Lauderdale is actively making a commitment to preserving our water resources and sensitive ecosystems...