IBIZA, SPAIN—Palladium Hotel Group commemorated World Environment Day, which is celebrated on June 5, with the signing of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, promoted by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an act with which the hotel group has strengthened its commitment to sustainability. The Global Initiative on Tourism and Plastics unites the tourism sector in a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution and enables companies and governments to take concerted action, leading by example in the shift towards circularity in the use of plastic. The...

SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—The California Energy Commission (CEC) took a major stride toward zero-carbon emissions buildings in the 2022 update of the statewide building energy code it just adopted. Energy use in buildings is responsible for a quarter of California’s climate pollution, and seven times more toxic nitrogen oxide air pollution than all the state’s power plants. CEC’s new code follows the lead of the 48 California Cities and Counties that have so far adopted local building energy codes that transition new homes and other buildings off fossil fuels. The state building code sets energy requirements such as minimum efficiency of walls, windows, and heating and...

There will be those who deny it, even in our own industry, but climate change is the most important issue of our time and now is the time to take action to limit it. (What is your hotel or group of hotels doing about it?) I am sure many of you caught the news, but the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report was released on August 9 and what IPCC reported was frightening—with a small dash of hope. For this column I would like to share the entire IPCC press release: Scientists are observing changes in the Earth’s...

NEWPORT BEACH, FLA.—Preferred Hotel Group—the family-owned company that manages and operates global travel and hospitality brands including Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Historic Hotels of America, Historic Hotels Worldwide, PHG Consulting, and Beyond Green Travel—announced the launch of Beyond Green last November. This hospitality brand debuted with a global portfolio of 24 founding member hotels, resorts, and lodges that exemplify sustainable tourism leadership. Born through a synergy between the Ueberroth Family, the owners of Preferred Hotel Group, and ecotourism pioneer and global sustainability expert Costas Christ, the founder of Beyond Green Travel, which Preferred acquired in February 2020, Beyond Green brings together forward-thinking properties around the world...

SOLON, OHIO—Tarkett North America, a worldwide leader in innovative and sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions, has introduced two new ways for providing even greater transparency in the sustainability specifications of its products. Termed the Tarkett Floorprint, a set of 12 documents has been created—one for each major category of the manufacturer’s product collections—detailing all pertinent data and certification information in one convenient location. According to a recent survey conducted by the The American Institute of Architects, 79 percent of architects (97 percent of millennials) would like to specify more sustainable materials than they do today, but 43 percent said they...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Anact to the Linens & Towels category of its Green Product & Service Directory. Anact is founded on the belief that we are all equal and are all deserving of a good life and that you can be sustainable without a sacrifice. Our founder, an industry veteran, has seen first-hand the ethical dilemmas that exist in the textile industry. By sharing these typically unknown realities and providing a positive solution, we help to create good for everyone. What is our solution? Towels made using hemp and organic cotton. Our towels—the only product like them...

CANADA—GreenStep Solutions and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) announced the launch of the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge. The Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge is a new initiative that encourages tourism businesses and destinations across Canada, and globally, to commit to measuring and improving their sustainability performance each year between now and 2030. Developed in Canada by GreenStep, the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge offers a free online assessment and sustainability score, helping tourism businesses and destinations self-assess on a broad range of sustainability criteria. This creates a common framework and benchmark from which tourism businesses and destinations can create action plans to make ongoing...

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF.—Melissa, a leading provider of global data quality and address management solutions, announced its Global Green initiative, a cohesive program of sustainable work practices implemented at its corporate locations across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and India. “With our global presence, we recognize the opportunity for positive impact on the broad regional areas we serve,” said Greg Brown, Vice President, Global Marketing, Melissa. “Our offices reduce, re-use, and recycle—in alignment with our overall values and corporate mandate to help businesses reduce mail waste and eliminate returned shipments. We are also expanding our existing pre-pandemic policies to include...

TORONTO—1 Hotels, the mission-driven, sustainable, luxury hospitality brand has opened 1 Hotel Toronto, the sixth property in its portfolio, in partnership with Mohari Hospitality. To mark its Canadian debut, the hotel hosted a ceremonial tree planting with Tree Canada whereby 2021 native trees will be planted throughout the city. “1 Hotel Toronto sets a new standard for responsible luxury hospitality and serves as a city escape where guests can connect with nature,” said 1 Hotels Founder and CEO & Chairman of Starwood Capital Group, Barry Sternlicht. “1 Hotels embraces the idea that living well includes protecting the natural beauty around us...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a major new report which reveals how destinations can grow responsibly, using the Destination Stewardship model. The report was launched in partnership with the Travel Foundation and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) at NHL Stenden University, in the Netherlands. ‘Towards Destination Stewardship: Achieving Destination Stewardship through scenarios & a Governance Diagnostics framework’ lays out how destinations can balance the needs of visitors and residents, with the involvement of both the public and private sector. Destination Stewardship is based on the responsible use of shared or “common pool” resources, which provide diminished benefits if...