BELLEVUE, WASH.—To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Expedia.com, the leading online travel agency, announced that it has greatly expanded the company’s Green Hotel program. The new program now offers more than 1,700 green hotels to travelers who prioritize environmental sustainability. These hotels are certified by a cross-section of organizations, including Green Seal, Green Key, LEED and STEP. “At Expedia.com, we realize that green travel is an important offering to a dedicated, passionate set of travelers,” said Tim MacDonald, senior vice president and general manager, Expedia.com. “By offering green-certified hotels, carbon offset options for flights and environmental travel tips,...

ATLANTA—Simmons Hospitality Bedding, a division of Simmons Contract Sales LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simmons Bedding Company, is making public its findings from a November 2007 survey aimed at gauging the interest of hotel guests in eco-oriented hotel elements and programs. The survey, which Simmons originally conducted for internal research purposes only, involved more than 300 respondents who are members of different hotels’ frequent guest programs. The results show that hotel environmental responsibility gained traction among guests, with 93 percent of respondents aware of hotel programs geared toward conserving water or energy. Simmons’ research also illustrates how hotel eco-elements potentially...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Sonoma Soap Company has added something to its all-natural line of Sonoma Soap Products. Beginning this month, the Sonoma brand began carrying the Clean the World logo on its packaging. The co-branded natural bar soaps are part of a unique marketing effort with the nonprofit, Clean the World. In addition to the awareness generated by the new packaging, Sonoma will donate a portion of the proceeds of each co-branded bar purchased to help in its mission of saving lives and recycling soap. “We are proud of this alliance with Clean the World to generate funds and awareness to help...

BOSTON—As part of Earth Month, the Seaport Hotel will begin offering its overnight guests who arrive in hybrid or electric vehicles access to a complimentary charging station and a complimentary night of valet parking through the end of 2010. The charging station will be the first available at a Boston hotel, yet another first for eco-friendly Seaport. “We hope that many guests will take advantage of this new amenity,” said Jim Carmody, vice president and general manager for the Seaport Hotel. ”So many people are driving hybrid vehicles now, and that will only increase in the months...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association has launched the pilot of Greener Restaurants—a new national program to recognize restaurants’ environmental sustainability efforts. A limited number of restaurants have signed on to participate in the pilot that will open to industrywide participation in the next few months. Greener Restaurants will show operators how to save money while “going greener” and share their successes with guests. “We listened to what our members have told us they wanted: a flexible, effective and affordable program to help them do the right thing for the planet and for their business, and worked closely with them...

BOSTON—The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) has added a green tourism section to its website. Called “MAGREEN,” the section includes information on traveling without a car, a list of green certified hotels and restaurants (37 listed as of April 6, 2010), information on state parks and other natural attractions, rural offerings, and places to go to see solar and wind installations. Also available are tips on how to reduce one’s environmental impact while traveling. For hoteliers, links to information on rebates, energy conservation, water conservation, waste management and green meetings are also provided. Hotels holding LEED,...

ORLANDO, FLA.—RezHub.com has launched its Hotel Green Audit, a fully validated self-auditing system allowing hotels within its system to list and manage their environmentally friendly amenities. The Hotel Green Audit by RezHub.com allows hotels and other properties to list and manage their sustainable and environmentally friendly practices to become a part of the Green Travel Hub’s green hotel directory. “Hotels have a strong desire to be listed as eco-friendly on RezHub.com due to its unique tools and marketing capabilities to the traveling public,” says Erik Folgate, social media and marketing coordinator. RezHub.com was the first online travel agency (OTA) to identify...

PHOENIX—The Arizona Hotel & Lodging Association (AzHLA) has not made a big splash about it yet but it is in the process of rolling out a Certified Green Lodging Program throughout “The Grand Canyon State.” According to Kristen Jarnigan, vice president of communications for AzHLA, seven properties have been certified and one other certification is pending. The Westin La Paloma in Tucson and the Enchantment Resort in Sedona are two of the properties that have completed the certification process. Jarnigan says the program has been introduced to AzHLA members but a more aggressive public relations/marketing push will not occur...

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C.—Kiawah Island Golf Resort announced that its second annual Earth Day celebration will take place on April 24, 2010 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Night Heron Park. The Kiawah Island Earth Fest features local vendors selling eco-friendly products, artists showcasing works based on the environment, and live entertainment. The event includes the Trashformation Station, where guests can spark their creativity by using clean recyclables and various donated items to construct pieces of art. Trashformation judging and a grand prizewinner will be announced at the end of the festival on the Night Heron Park Stage. Recycling...

NEW YORK—FoodBizSupply.com has become the first nationwide, online source for the GreenBox pizza box, environmentally friendly pizza to-go packaging available to pizzerias, restaurants, cafeterias, and foodservice companies. Designed by e.c.o. Inc. the patented GreenBox has received extensive traditional and social media coverage, including a positive review on Twitter from actor Ashton Kutcher and a YouTube video with more than 800,000 viewings. The GreenBox is made in America from 100 percent recycled post-consumer content. The box top perforates into four rectangular “plates,” eliminating the need for paper plates or the energy/water usage from cleaning regular plates after the meal. The...