OTTAWA, ONT.—Latest results from the 2012 HAC Canadian Travel Intentions Survey show that 42 percent of business travelers (up 5 percent from 2011) said environmental initiatives such as water recycling and energy efficiency are important to them. Thirty six percent of leisure travelers and 34 percent of business travelers said it is important for hotels to have green products. Twenty-five percent of leisure travelers and 31 percent of business travelers said a hotel with an environmental certification program is important to them.  Nineteen percent of business travelers and fifteen percent of leisure travelers said the ability to purchase carbon...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) is rolling out a wide-ranging professional education roadmap that puts practical resources behind the drive for green meeting standards. The announcement by the GMIC comes just a week after the official publication of eight new standards for sustainable meetings, released after years of development by the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and ASTM International. “This is our moment,” said GMIC president Paul Salinger, vice president-marketing at Oracle Corp. “Corporations and associations have been asking for a recognized standard to help define what makes a meeting more sustainable. Meeting professionals, facilities, and destinations have...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.—The Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat’s only full-service luxury ski-in/ski-out resort and conference center, announced that its Green Team has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives to help make the resort as eco-friendly as possible.The Sheraton Steamboat has partnered with Clean the World, a charitable organization that recycles discarded hotel soap and bottled shampoo products, sending them to communities in need worldwide to help prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses. Since the partnership began in June 2011, the Sheraton Steamboat has recycled 691 pounds of bottled amenities and 504 pounds of soap, which have been used to...

HORSHAM, PA.—Green Key Global, the operator of the Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key), announced that Green Key is participating in Sabre Holdings’ new eco-certified hotel program. Sabre’s eco-certified hotel program addresses travelers’ growing desires for environmentally responsible accommodations by providing clear and easy access to sustainable hotels throughout Sabre’s portfolio. Green Key, which is the world’s largest green hotel certification program with more than 2,700 member hotels, provides Sabre with its list of Green Key member hotels that have earned a 3-Key Rating or higher for participation in the program and the Eco Certified designation. These hotels are then...

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA.—A collection of eight new ASTM International standards will provide meeting and event planners and their suppliers with specific guidelines and performance measurements for creating environmentally sustainable or “green” events.The standards have been in development since 2007, when Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality, part of ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability, partnered with the Convention Industry Council through its Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative to address the tremendous need for uniform standards that measure environmental performance in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. APEX promotes development of industry-wide accepted practices to enhance efficiencies throughout the meetings industry.“This is...

SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS—Sabre Holdings, a global technology company for the travel industry, announced the launch of its Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program, a program that provides clear and easy access to sustainable travel offerings throughout Sabre’s portfolio. The program addresses travelers’ growing desire for environmentally responsible accommodations and includes more than 4,700 hotels certified by globally-recognized certification programs.The Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program builds upon Travelocity’s Green Hotel Directory, launched in 2009, and extends the program company-wide to recognize hotels that are certified as sustainable according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s guidelines. Travelocity is still the only major online travel company...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced the winners of the newly launched Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program, which includes $25,000 for one feature film and one in-process category winner. The prizes will be presented at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival this week. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide will screen the winning feature film, The Island President, at a special private event during the Festival. A Q&A session with director Jon Shenk will follow the screening. The Island President will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on March 28. “Our partnership with Sundance Institute provides a platform for filmmakers to tell...

LOS ANGELES—MindClick SGM and Expedia.com announced the results of a study of 5,000 consumers conducted in early January 2012 that measures awareness, expectations and the impact of hotel sustainability efforts. The study revealed that consumers applaud such efforts, but need to better understand the tangible impact to their travel lives.Over the past decade, hotels have implemented and promoted sustainability programs including energy efficiency, water conservation and recycling, and green building through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program. With operational sustainability awareness levels at 80 percent among consumers surveyed, the industry has succeeded in telling at least part...

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—Event organizers can now report on sustainability issues like impacts on communities, natural environments, and local and global economies, thanks to new guidance just published by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) helped developed the guidance as part of a multi-stakeholder Working Group and Advisory Group.The events sector is diverse: its activities range from business meetings, conferences, and exhibitions to sports and cultural festivals—all of which have impacts on the economy, environment and society. These impacts need to be considered, measured and shared in order to improve the sustainability performance of the...

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN—Green holidays website Greentraveller.co.uk and the West Sweden Tourist Board have published a Guide to Green Holidays in Gothenburg & West Sweden to show how travelers can make the most of the region in a way that has a low impact on the environment and a positive impact on biodiversity conservation and on the local economy. The guide features green hotels and B&Bs, the best places to find local food and a range of outdoor activities—from sea kayaking in the Fjällbacka and Koster Archipelago to a day hunting for fresh lobster on the Skagerrak strait. Included in the guide...