SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA—The international consulting firm Bloom Consulting recently conducted a comprehensive study analyzing millions of online searches. The results of the comprehensive investigation identified four key areas where Costa Rica leads as a global benchmark for value-added sustainability. According to the study, Costa Rica ranks number one in the world for online searches related to ecotourism; third in the world and first in Latin America for national parks; fourth in the world and first in Latin America for surfing; fifth in the world and first in Latin America for diving; seventh in the world and second in Latin America for bird watching; and eighth in the world and third in Latin America for...

PARIS—HRS, the leading global corporate lodging platform, announced the addition of Accor properties, a world leading hospitality group, in HRS’ new Green Stay Initiative. This decision provides analytical and time-saving benefits to corporate hotel procurement executives as they increasingly require sustainability data as they consider which properties to include on their list of preferred hotels for 2022 and beyond. “The world’s leading multi-national companies are promoting their aspirations to achieve net-zero operations by 2030 or sooner. These company-wide goals impact managed travel programs, who are tasked to travel more sustainably as they recover from the pandemic,” said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge. “Dozens of...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Barceló Hotel Group, Meliá Hotels International, NH Hotel Group, Radisson Hotel Group, and other leading groups with 25,000 hotels total, have launched an initiative to set common definition of hotel sustainability to drive responsible travel and tourism. In a unique cooperation between the World Travel & Tourism Council, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and leading hotel companies, in consultation with distribution partners and key tourism and travel stakeholders, the hotel industry celebrates a responsible return to business with an initiative to raise the global basic level of hotel sustainability in a clear and transparent manner for all travelers and stakeholders. The...

SAN FRANCISCO—National nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and sustainability-driven hotel brand 1 Hotels announced the 2021 1 Hotels Fellowship class at E2 recently as Climate Week NYC and National Clean Energy Week hit into high gear. This is the fourth year of the annual fellowship, which awards six young business leaders $20,000 each to execute projects that advance sustainability and clean energy and environmental policies in America. This year’s projects include a workforce training program for the transition to a zero-carbon economy, development of a bilingual clean energy curriculum to educate small business owners in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and creation...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—San Luis Obispo (SLO), a city on the Central Coast of California, is the first U.S. destination to launch an urban reforestation sustainability initiative funded by local hotels. Through the new Keys for Trees program, part of the City’s Climate Action Plan, the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District will dedicate 1 percent of annual revenue to planting 10,000 trees throughout the community by 2035. The program is part of a partnership with the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo (EcoSLO), a nonprofit dedicated to protecting SLO’s natural assets. This initiative gives travelers a unique opportunity to offset the impact of their visit and, subsequently,...

RESTON, VA.—Practice Greenhealth announced Shaw Industries’ commercial brands—Patcraft and Shaw Contract—as their latest Greenhealth Approved suppliers. Their resilient flooring and carpeting product lines are the first flooring solutions to obtain the Greenhealth Approved seal. The seal indicates that products meet specific sustainability criteria and enables health care providers to easily identify environmentally preferred products without having to conduct their own ingredient verification. “We worked closely with the Greenhealth Approved team to qualify these products to take the time-consuming product review process out of health care providers’ hands,” said Executive Vice President Kelley Fain, Shaw Industries commercial division. “We are excited...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—With this year’s winter season officially underway, skiers and snowboarders have another reason to celebrate: Vail Resorts’ 34 North American mountains have reached 85 percent renewable electricity—one big step closer to a zero net operating footprint by 2030. Through its operations, as well as by promoting collective participation, Vail Resorts is prioritizing efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Now released, Vail Resorts’ 2020/21 EpicPromise Progress Report tracks the company’s commitment to preserving the environment, addressing the most urgent needs of mountain communities, and supporting employees. Major achievements over the past year include: Vail Resorts is on track to reach...

MIDLAND, MICH.—Dow announced plans for 2022 to launch the world’s first commercially available carbon-neutrality program for silicone materials used for structural glazing, insulating glass, and weather sealing. Selected DOWSIL Materials will include PAS 2060-certified carbon certificates from Dow’s backward integrated siloxane productions and carbon reduction investments. This carbon offset program, whose theme is “Designing with more freedom by engineering less impact,” can help to decrease the environmental impact of buildings and achieve better green building certification ratings. “The commercial introduction of our carbon-neutrality program for DOWSIL Silicones for building facades represents a true evolution in silicone carbon-neutrality,” said Markus Plettau,...

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND—A new coalition will accelerate tourism’s transition to net zero, audiences at COP26 heard this week. Ministers from major tourism destinations and leaders from international organizations have voiced their support to achieve a sustainable travel and tourism industry, through the Sustainable Tourism Global Center (STGC). The STGC is a multi-country, multi-stakeholder coalition established to lead, accelerate, and track the tourism industry’s transition to net-zero emissions, as well as drive action to protect nature and support communities. The tourism industry is highly fragmented, with developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) being most reliant on tourism for their economies. More than 40 million...

Climate Neutral Group (CNG) recently announced the launch of its Climate Neutral Certification Standard. According to CNG, the Standard is the first climate neutral one to target absolute zero. The initiative is open to any organization, product or service that wants to achieve Absolute zero, a state where it no longer produces any greenhouse gases. This goes well beyond net zero, where emissions are still allowed. The standard includes a unique reduction component, requiring companies to meet an annual reduction target with the aim of reaching Absolute zero by 2050. It paves the way for organizations to only offset what they cannot reduce, following the highest quality criteria. The certification standard provides a practical process and tools towards climate neutrality, while ensuring that a company is verified against strict criteria by independent certification bodies. Managing Director at CNG, René Toet, said, “It’s time for...