WASHINGTON, D.C.—In one respect, this year has been a good one for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Energy Star for Hospitality and Entertainment program. In another respect, the year has not been so impressive. According to the EPA’s most recent report on Energy Star hotel benchmarking activity, as of July 2010 there were 5,262 hotels using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark their energy performance. That is up from 3,123 buildings in 2007, 3,685 buildings in 2008, and 4,920 in 2009. Participating hotels are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and...

PARK RIDGE, N.J.—The Hertz Corporation, the world’s largest general use airport car rental brand, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced a joint partnership to bring in Hertz Global EV, a program developed by Hertz using 100 percent electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, to key Starwood select-service hotels in North America. Starwood’s select-service portfolio includes the Element Hotels, Aloft Hotels and Four Points by Sheraton Hotels brands. “Hertz’s partnership with Starwood is a natural step in the development of our Global EV program,” said Mark P. Frissora, Hertz chairman and CEO. “As we expand our EV network, we are...

PHOENIX—The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AzHLA), in partnership with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), has officially launched the state’s first “Certified Green Lodging” program, which streamlines the requirements for Arizona hotels to designate themselves as environmental stewards. This new program was conceptualized by AzHLA and was developed due to the demand from hotel members and visitors looking for a consistent application that could measure green hotel efforts. After conducting extensive research of other statewide green lodging programs, AzHLA selected a model that provides a workbook where hotels accumulate a certain...

SAN FRANCISCO—Community Marketing, Inc. has released the results of its CMIGreen 2nd Annual Green Traveler Survey Report. A total of 2,768 adults across the United States were surveyed from July 15, 2010 through August 31, 2010. The report focuses on the 951 respondents who consider themselves to be “extremely” or “very” eco-conscious and who took at least one overnight vacation in the past year. The survey provides a wealth of information on attitudes toward green travel, green hotel practices, marketing and green meetings. The survey included questions that appeared in the first survey in 2009 as well as new...

ENGLEWOOD, COLO.—Destination Hotels & Resorts, a hotel and resort management company, announced it has selected the Green Key Eco-Rating Program (Green Key) as the green certification of choice for its 30-plus properties. The announcement followed an extensive due diligence process whereby the Destination Hotels & Resorts sustainability task force reviewed several programs before selecting Green Key. Prior to making its selection, Destination Hotels & Resorts piloted the program at the Embassy Suites at the Chevy Chase Pavilion in Washington, D.C. The Embassy Suites, which had previously implemented a number of green operating practices as part of the Destination Hotels &...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Greenwise Bankcard unveils its new, patent pending solutions that help retail merchants, accepting credit and debit cards, improve their bottom line, reduce carbon footprint, and raise donations supporting socially worthy causes and charitable organizations through the point of sale. Greenwise Bankcard combines credit card processing services, the Green Receipt “paperless-receipt” solution, and the point of sale fundraising program called Donate Wise Now into one easy package called the Green Suite. Combining proprietary technologies certified to a broad base of hardware and software solutions makes it easy to integrate into most merchant locations.  Greenwise, a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo...

NEW YORK—The Israel Ministry of Tourism entered into a new partnership last month with ASTA, the American Society of Travel Agents, as the exclusive travel destination sponsor of the association’s Green Program. The partnership comes shortly after Israel launched its One Hundred Years of Green tourism campaign promoting eco-friendly tourism sites around the country. ASTA’s Green Program consists of educational and promotional resources that enable travel agents and suppliers to increase their knowledge of travel’s impact on the environment and highlight their commitment to keeping travel an environmentally friendly business to consumers.  “We are excited to enter a partnership aiming...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed revisions to the guidance that it gives marketers to help them avoid making misleading environmental claims. The proposed changes are designed to update the FTC’s Green Guides and make them easier for companies to understand and use. The changes to the Green Guides include new guidance on marketers’ use of product certifications and seals of approval, “renewable energy” claims, “renewable materials” claims, and “carbon offset” claims. The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until December 10, 2010, after which it will decide which changes to make final. “In recent...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), on September 30, 2010, issued GSA Bulletin FTR 10-06. The purpose of the bulletin is to provide guidance to employees of agencies subject to the Federal Travel Regulation to enhance travel cost savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The bulletin includes suggestions regarding green lodging and green meetings. The guidance will improve management of agency travel programs, save money on travel costs, better protect the environment, and conserve natural resources. According to the bulletin, when managing travel programs, sustainability and protecting the interests of taxpayers must be among the prime considerations...

PORTLAND, ORE.—MeetGreen announces the release of their updated calculator. In response to advancements in sustainable meetings practices such as the release of APEX/ASTM Green Meetings and Events Standards, British Standard for Sustainable Events, and increased awareness of social responsibility and community engagement, MeetGreen has launched an updated version of what was already a robust benchmarking calculator. MeetGreen has advanced the calculator to incorporate a higher level of sophistication to meet the industry’s desire to benchmark their efforts. The MeetGreen Calculator was originally released in 2007. Developed by MeetGreen and reviewed by a technical advisory committee comprised of individuals with extensive...