MIAMI—The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has added the Four Seasons Hotel Miami to the Florida Green Lodging Program. The voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving green practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. “Green lodges take the initiative to conserve resources and protect the environment,” says DEP Secretary Colleen M. Castille. “By adopting innovative green practices, Florida’s environmentally sensitive lands are preserved for future generations.” The Four Seasons Hotel Miami reduces water consumption by using technologically advanced showerheads, faucets, spray nozzles and toilets....

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Westin Hotels & Resorts is marking the six-month milestone of its smoke-free conversion in North America with Breathing Lights installations in its lobbies nationwide. The artistically designed projections count the number of fresh breaths taken by each Westin guest each day. The design can be viewed by guests and visitors to Westin lobbies nationwide, or by visiting www.westin.com/breathe. Westin became the first major hotel chain to convert all of its smoking rooms in North America to smoke-free late last year, investing more than $3 million in its initiative. The move comes as part of Westin’s...

Green Lodging News, as a publication name, works. I am biased, of course, but it is not a name that I spent hours or days thinking about. And, I certainly did not need to hire a consultant to come up with it. Green Lodging News is about as basic as you can get. I suspect a reader does not think about anything other than environmental industry news when reading it or hearing it. It is simple without being misleading or causing any confusion; it is what it is. Names take time to establish. That is why companies spend...

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYO.—To entice meeting planners to conduct environmentally friendly meetings and conventions, Grand Teton Lodge Co. has introduced a “Go Green, Get Green” meeting package at Jackson Lake Lodge. With the package, meeting planners can earn up to an 8 percent rebate to their master account for hosting a green meeting. Meeting planners will be able to select from a list of eco-friendly elements to incorporate into their program, and the rebate will be calculated based on the number of these components they choose. Some of the choices include: • Printing registration materials...

SEATTLE—Two Seattle area hotels have been saving money and the environment, thanks to a host of environmentally enhanced products from Green Suites International, a California-based supplier of environmental products and programs to the lodging industry. “We’ve been using Green Suites’ EcoRoom products for more than two years at two of our hotels, and we know we’ve saved money and made some friends because of our environmentally sound practices,” says Howard Cohen, general manager of the Best Western Executive Inn and Best Western Loyal Inn, both in Seattle. “We are saving water and electricity, and keeping thousands of small...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Renaissance Hotels & Resorts is making it easier for travelers to be “green” and save some green, by offering complimentary parking to all guests who drive hybrid cars. Current hybrid cars can get up to 60 miles to the gallon and generate lower greenhouse gas emissions than vehicles with standard gas-powered engines. Effective now through December 31, 2006, guests staying, attending a meeting or dining in a restaurant at a participating Renaissance can park their hybrid for free. “We think this is a fun and constructive offer to our guests who are helping the environment by driving...

SHARON, MASS.—The Green Restaurant Assn.(GRA), a national nonprofit organization now 250 restaurants strong, is helping restaurant operators around the United States take a big bite out of energy and other costs through its Certified Green Restaurant program. The Sharon, Mass.-based nonprofit provides consulting services to restaurateurs interested in helping the environment while cutting costs at the same time. GRA was first established in 1990. In addition to consulting services, it provides education and public relations support. The core of its operations is its Certified Green Restaurant program. To become certified, participants join GRA and then undergo an assessment to determine...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The 226-room Hilton Vancouver, Washington, will know later this summer if it will become one of the United States’ first hotels to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is a building rating system established by the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C. The hotel, which is owned by the city of Vancouver, is managed by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Hilton Hotels Corp. It was designed by Portland, Ore.-based Fletcher Farr Ayotte (FFA). The design incorporates myriad sustainable design strategies, including sensors that adjust the climate control systems when rooms and hallways are vacant,...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—In less than half a year, FreshStay—lodging’s fastest-growing online network of smoke-free properties—has united 247 nonsmoking hospitality establishments located in 192 cities in nine nations. Most recently, FreshStay welcomed the 21c Museum Hotel as a member—making Kentucky the 48th state to join the FreshStay organization. “Now that the 21c Museum Hotel—a one-of-a-kind boutique property in Louisville featuring original artwork throughout it—has joined FreshStay, our members represent 48 of the 50 states,” says Ray Burger, founder of FreshStay. “Once smoke-free properties in Arkansas and Mississippi join our online union—and we’re working on those two now—we’ll have a...

TURNER, AUSTRALIA—Green Globe, the worldwide benchmarking and certification program that facilitates sustainable travel and tourism for consumers, companies and communities, has launched a new Web site. The site comprises three main pages. The Program page provides an overview of the Green Globe program for the tourism industry and for those wanting to know more about the organization’s background, credentials, networks and resources. There is a Travellers’ page to assist environmentally conscious travellers to find Green Globe Benchmarked and Certified businesses and destinations. The third page is a Participants’ page to permit customers to log in and find all...