CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Impact Enterprises as a Founding Sponsor. Impact Enterprises, Inc. has been manufacturing unique custom binder covers, menu covers, presentation folders, sales kits, and table-top accessories since 1987. The company also offers custom signage and custom corporate gifts. Impact initiated a green program in 2003 that has continually been improved upon and expanded, and is now internationally recognized. Impact was the first manufacturer to introduce custom metal binder and menu covers. Its copper, brass, and brushed aluminum are recycled metals. Impact also offers solid wood covers, all from Verified...

SALEM, ORE.—Travel Oregon has launched two new programs that will develop tourism while preserving and protecting Oregon. Under the umbrella brand, “Travel Oregon Forever,” the new Sustainable Business Challenge will incentivize businesses to implement sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. The Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund will give businesses and travelers opportunity to contribute to projects that enhance Oregon’s destinations. Travel Oregon, in partnership with Sustainable Travel International, recently introduced “Travel Oregon Forever” to tourism businesses at an event hosted by Travel Portland. Sustainable tourism is a growing market that Oregon is well positioned to capture. In 2009, nearly 85 percent of...

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND—The buzzword “sustainability” has been much discussed by the tourism industry of late and raises a number of questions. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts conducted an extensive study. In the first part—an online survey of more than 6,000 tourists in eight countries—researchers looked at how travelers define sustainable tourism and whether the topic of sustainability plays a role when people select a holiday destination or book a trip. In the second part, Swiss Kuoni customers were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for “sustainable holidays.” Nearly 30,000 customers of Kuoni and Helvetic...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—ClearWater Tech, LLC, a leading manufacturer of ozone systems for water and air purification, announced the redesign of the ClearWater Tech website that now offers visitors easier page navigation and enhanced content. The new site allows users to access more detailed, up-to-date information on all aspects of the company’s products and applications. The new layout and added features make it easier for customers to contact ClearWater Tech and get information they require on products, services, and ongoing news events. A special addition to the site is the Dealers Page. Visitors can type in their zip code or city...

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—The Bardessono, a LEED Platinum certified hotel in Yountville, Calif., has partnered with Lexus, Tesla Motors, and AV Aerovironment to offer guests the option to use electric and hybrid transportation. The hotel has upgraded two of the existing 240 volt, 50 amp receptacles to the most universal adapter on the market, the type II. This type II connector is more convenient to use as it has a 15-foot cord. It will become the EV industry standard—able to accommodate most EV vehicles on the market today. The Bardessono has also announced a new “Hike the Day Away” package. “We are...

BOWEN HILLS, QUEENSLAND—Ecotourism Australia has released its Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012. “Ecotourism Australia celebrates its 20th birthday this year, and this year’s Green Travel Guide Australia is a tribute to the growth of responsible and sustainable tourism in Australia,” says Kym Cheatham, CEO of Ecotourism Australia. “The 2011/2012 Green Travel Guide Australia features more than 1,000 Australian tourism experiences.” The Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012 also features the newly launch Eco Lodges of Australia brand, a marketing initiative of Advanced Ecotourism Certified accommodation experience in Australia. “Australia is globally recognized for outstanding ecotourism experiences,” Cheatham says. “Eco Lodges of Australia...

GLEN ALLEN, VA.—Just in time for Earth Day, the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center will share a different kind of “green” with its guests traveling in hybrid and electric vehicles. With its new “Go Green, Get Green” package, guests who arrive at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel in a hybrid vehicle and stay for two nights or more through September 1, 2011, will receive a $25 Visa gift card. The Go Green, Get Green package includes deluxe, overnight king- or double-bedded accommodations, a $25 Visa gift card, and wireless high-speed Internet access. The package is based on qualifying...

GLEN ALLEN, VA.—Just in time for Earth Day, the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center will share a different kind of “green” with its guests traveling in hybrid and electric vehicles. With its new “Go Green, Get Green” package, guests who arrive at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel in a hybrid vehicle and stay for two nights or more through September 1, 2011, will receive a $25 Visa gift card. The Go Green, Get Green package includes deluxe, overnight king- or double-bedded accommodations, a $25 Visa gift card, and wireless high-speed Internet access. The package is based on qualifying...

TORONTO—As part of Earth Week, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is making a global commitment to plant 10 million trees as part of its long term efforts to support sustainability. The initiative will now form the cornerstone of the company’s substantial existing corporate social responsibility program. “For 50 years, our company logo has depicted the annual cycle of a tree, and as we look to the future, its symbolism will translate into concrete action,” says Kathleen Taylor, president and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “In cultures throughout the world, trees represent growth, prosperity and longevity. They also play a...

SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS—The Roaming Gnome is hosting a week-long scavenger hunt, where Twitter followers have a chance to win prizes, while finding the “greenest” hotspots from uptown to downtown Manhattan. “The Roaming Gnome Makes Earth Day Sweet Scavenger Hunt” kicked off today, April 18, in New York City. The Roaming Gnome will be posting updates throughout the week, and the first Twitter follower who decodes his Tweeted clues and appears at the right location will win the grand prize. Grand prizes include hotel stays, show tickets and more. The next 100 runners-up will enjoy a green cookie from Sweetery, one of...