PHILADELPHIA—In October of 2018, Hersha Hotels and Resorts announced that EarthView, their corporate sustainability program, will provide support to Waterboys, the hallmark initiative of The Chris Long Foundation, through the sale of EarthView water bottles at Hersha hotels. EarthView bottles are made from 100 percent recycled materials, and for each bottle sold, Hersha donates $1 to support Waterboys’ clean water projects in East Africa. Since the launch, EarthView water sales have surpassed expectations. Hersha hotels from coast to coast were empowered to significantly contribute to the cause through water sales—from Maryland’s Annapolis Waterfront hotel selling 4,511 bottles to Hotel...

NAPA VALLEY, CALIF.—Global environmental non-profit Green Seal held its inaugural Hotel Sustainability Workshop in Napa Valley, Calif., in partnership with the California Green Business Network (CGBN) and Napa Green, to bring advanced resources and training to the region’s hospitality industry and capitalize on Napa Valley’s potential to grow its international recognition as a sustainable travel destination. The workshop leveraged Green Seal’s globally recognized expertise in setting rigorous science-based health and environmental standards and CGBN’s and Napa Green’s local reputation and community relationships to provide hospitality leaders with the tools and training they need to bolster Napa Valley’s competitiveness with other...

NANTUCKET, MASS.—GSN Planet (GSN) announced the winners and runners-up of the 2019 Sustainability Awards. The 2019 Transformation in Sustainability Award was given to companies and individuals that/who utilize sustainable practices that are healthy for people and planet, save or preserve natural resources, utilize sustainable materials, and/or implement innovative and groundbreaking techniques, services, or programming. The Awards dinner and ceremony took place during GSN’s 2020 Congress at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The Sustainability Awards recognize the innovations and outstanding accomplishments related to transformation in the field of sustainability within the wellness industry. An independent judging...

NEW YORK—Humanscale has been recognized by the 2019 SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Business Sustainability Awards, celebrating the company’s leadership, transparency, and commitment to sustainable business practices. The Environmental Initiative Award granted to Humanscale recognizes specific environmental and sustainability initiatives evaluated on impact metrics, innovation, sharing of insights and investment leads. Since founding Humanscale over 35 years ago, Founder and CEO Bob King has navigated with purpose and a respect for the planet that is evident throughout every aspect of the company. While many manufacturers aim to reduce their negative impacts, King knows that the challenges facing our planet...

NASHVILLE, TENN.—The Renaissance Nashville Hotel is moving forward into 2020 with a continued focus on sustainability after being recognized for its efforts, recently winning the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association 2019 Stars of the Industry Award—Good Earth Keeping Award Lodging Property as well as the Tennessee Hospitality & Tourism Association 2019 Stars of the Industry Award—Good Earth Keeping Award Lodging Property. The Good Earth Keeping Award recognizes properties that have developed a culture toward integrating environmental management practices with everyday operations, while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations. “The Renaissance is extremely honored to be recognized for its sustainability efforts by...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc., a global leader in water, food safety and public health technologies and services, has been named to the Water Security List, with an A rating by CDP, the nonprofit global environmental disclosure platform. This year’s CDP Water Security A List recognized 71 companies globally for their sustainable water management initiatives. “Ecolab’s inclusion on the A List is recognition of our work to advance sustainable and strategic water management with our customers and in our own operations,” said Emilio Tenuta, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab. “As we enter this new decade, we are expanding our capabilities to...

ATLANTA—UPS said its venture capital arm, UPS Ventures, has completed a minority investment in Arrival, which makes electric vehicle (EV) platforms and purpose-built vehicles that offer a highly competitive value proposition when compared with both traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as existing EVs. Along with the investment in Arrival, UPS also announced a commitment to purchase 10,000 electric vehicles to be built for UPS with priority access to purchase additional electric vehicles. UPS will collaborate with Arrival to develop a wide range of electric vehicles with Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS). The technology is designed to increase safety and...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands has again been recognized by CDP, the international nonprofit environmental disclosure platform, on the Climate Change A List. This is the company’s fifth year in a row to attain a leadership position for Climate Change, a distinction shared by only 2 percent of disclosing companies. “The CDP provides a comprehensive framework that continues to inspire us to become leaders in our industry and provide guidance for strategic direction,” Katarina Tesarova, Senior Vice President of Global sustainability at Las Vegas Sands, said. “Among the thousands of companies that were scored this year, Sands is one of a...

ATLANTA—Interface Hospitality announces the launch of its latest carpet collection, Guest Rooms, designed for the hospitality segment. The collection was created based on how texture, pattern and color impact a person’s experience with a space and has 19 versatile patterns in square and plank styles. Assembled into color palettes that evoke the four distinct shades of nature—Painted Light, Windswept Terrain, Winter Chill and Morning Haze—these carpet styles create a home away from home for guests through the integration of diverse textures, patterns and custom colors. The carpet can be installed in a variety of ways—wall-to-wall, in combination with other...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announced the release of the GSTC Destination Criteria v2.0, which had been under development for most of 2019. GSTC Criteria serve as the global baseline standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. The Criteria are used for education and awareness-raising, policy making for businesses and government agencies and other organization types, measurement and evaluation, and as a basis for certification. To date, two sets of GSTC Criteria have been developed: Destination Criteria and Industry Criteria. They are the result of a worldwide effort to develop a common language about sustainability in tourism. They are arranged in...