CHICAGO—In an effort to maintain its position as one of the world’s leading green certification organizations, Green Seal has retained Chicago-based AlturaSolutions Communications to help promote the company within the professional cleaning (jansan) industry as well as the paint and coverings industry.Green Seal is one of the pioneers in the green cleaning movement and in recent years, has broadened its focus. Today, the organization works to promote not only a greener, but a more sustainable economy, in which all forms of life and natural resources are protected and social needs and values are honored.The not-for-profit organization was founded in...

LAS VEGAS—Green Key Global, the largest international certification body evaluating sustainable hotel operations, has awarded the prestigious “5 Green Keys” rating to four MGM Resorts International properties for its Green Key Meetings Program, including Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino, Mandalay Bay Resort and MGM Grand Las Vegas. The four MGM resorts are the first in the United States to receive “5 Green Keys” for meetings, and among an elite group of only six total in North America.In addition, each of the 11 MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas as well as Reno and in Tunica and...

GAITHERSBURG, MD.—Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center has an energizing offer for guests who arrive in eco-friendly electric and hybrid electric vehicles to celebrate the installation of its new electric vehicle charging station. Gaithersburg Marriott’s Charge Up! Eat Up! Green Up! package highlights its commitment to energy-efficient practices that protect the environment. Available through May 31, 2013, guests who reserve this special package can fuel up with a complimentary breakfast while they charge up their electric vehicles at the new Level 2 charging station recently installed near the hotel’s front entrance.“Protecting the environment is important at every level,” says Sara Moore,...

FAIRFAX, VA.—Omega World Travel, a woman-owned, fast-growing, award-winning global travel management company, announced its recent partnership with EcoKraft. EcoKraft provides its clients sustainable energy and environmental solutions to battle depleting natural resources and climate change with customized carbon asset management solutions. Omega will support EcoKraft’s mission by providing its clients with more sustainable travel management options so they can reach their corporate sustainability goals.  In the United States, federal agencies are required to compile their annual comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and uphold to the emissions standards that are managed by the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the...

NATIONAL REPORT—Just as the lodging industry has made significant strides toward sustainability since 2008, so too have two promotional product companies, each launching in that year and since expanding their green product offerings to thousands of items. The two companies include Green Promotional Items, Danvers, Mass., and Eco Promotional Products, Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill. The two distributors carry pads of recycled paper, pens, USB flash drives, mugs, apparel, water bottles, solar powered calculators, awards/plaques, magnets, name badges and many other items. Each item makes its own unique green statement—whether in a guestroom, at the front desk, during a trade...

DALLAS—The MPI Foundation has completed the third and final phase of its benchmark Thought Leadership research study on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the results of which were presented at IMEX America 2012 in Las Vegas. For meetings and event professionals, the findings will enhance their understanding of CSR and demonstrate ways the policy can be put into practice ahead of consumer demand.The research is based on more than 2,300 surveys representing businesses and delegates from more than 150 countries and 90 interviews.Among the findings: •    80 percent of industry professionals feel that customer expectations for CSR will increase in the...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Green Promotional Items as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Green Promotional Items specializes in eco-friendly promotional products including biodegradable, organic and recycled products, corn plastic, solar powered, and bamboo, eco-friendly apparel and reusable items. Green Promotional Items is certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise. The company will make a donation to a customer’s charity of choice once an order is made. On its website, Green Promotional Items has a blog entitled, “The Green Machine.”For more information, e-mail gerri@greenpromotionalitems.com, call (800) 415-0028, or go to www.greenpromotionalitems.com.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Trade Commission issued revised “Green Guides” that are designed to help marketers ensure that the claims they make about the environmental attributes of their products are truthful and non-deceptive. The revisions to the FTC’s Green Guides reflect a wide range of public input, including hundreds of consumer and industry comments on previously proposed revisions. They include updates to the existing Guides, as well as new sections on the use of carbon offsets, “green” certifications and seals, and renewable energy and renewable materials claims.“The introduction of environmentally friendly products into the marketplace is a win for consumers...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Global nonprofit Sustainable Travel International announced the release of a new website and brand identity in support of its 10th anniversary. The site represents a new chapter for the company, inspired by its first decade in which it helped thousands of destinations and businesses design and implement sustainability programs that contribute to localized economic development, preserve cultural-heritage, and support environmental conservation.With a decade of experience under its belt, Sustainable Travel International has refined the tools and solutions it offers to businesses and destinations; each designed to be scaled for wide-reaching impact. The organization plays an important connector role,...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The Survey Research Institute at Cornell University conducted a survey of a sampling of 2,347 people, with a total success of 329 respondents. The purpose of this study was to identify if there are hotel guests that would opt to stay in an allergy friendly room and be willing to pay a small premium for the room. On average, respondents stayed 12 nights per year in hotels or motels and 41 percent of the respondents had allergy issues. Fifty-five percent of respondents said the availability of allergy friendly rooms would cause them to choose a particular hotel over...