SAN FRANCISCO—The InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco has been named a San Francisco Green Business, making it the largest hotel by square footage and second largest building in the city to receive the recognition. Under the direction of Chief Engineer Shane Caldwell, the hotel spent more than two years working alongside the San Francisco Department of Environment to audit its existing practices and implement new programs and procedures to become a more sustainable property focusing on the areas of waste management, pollution prevention, conservation, water management, and energy efficiency. To date, the hotel has replaced more than 8,000 lightbulbs...

LAS VEGAS—Yesterday, MGM Resorts International, in partnership with Three Square Food Bank, announced a new standardized program for safe collection, preservation and service of surplus banquet food that will help reduce hunger in Southern Nevada. This new program, in which MGM Resorts donates surplus (prepared but unserved) hot banquet food to Three Square, is expected to provide 800,000 nutritious meals by 2020 to people combating hunger. Food insecurity is one of the most serious public health challenges in the United States, according to statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture. One in seven Americans is unable to meet their...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added Resort Energy Ventures to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Consultants/Energy” category. Resort Energy Ventures was founded to assist the hospitality industry and other organizations located in high energy cost regions meet their energy needs with responsible, sustainable, and economically viable solutions. The company provides corporate renewable energy deployment strategies, portfolio analysis, and individual project development services for renewable energy, battery, and microgrid systems. Resort Energy Ventures’ approach is to maximize return on investment while meeting sustainability objectives. In resort locations, particularly islands, Resort...

REDONDO BEACH, CALIF.—Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has been named the world’s most sustainable hotel group for the second year running by certification body Green Globe. The international hospitality firm has also been hailed a “global sustainability leader” in the ‘Green Globe Report 2017’, with more than 50 percent of its certified properties worldwide achieving the entity’s prestigious ‘Gold’ status—an accolade bestowed on hotels and resorts that have achieved Green Globe certification for five years or more. These properties have been independently audited across 385 performance indicators and consistently met or exceeded the standards and criteria this rigorous certification process entails. “This year...

NEW YORK—Duravit has joined forces with Kansas-based Studio 804, Inc. to promote the benefits of innovative, adaptive architecture and design. Studio 804, Inc. is a not-for-profit that annually builds and designs a home that represents sustainable, affordable, and inventive building solutions. Duravit will donate a variety of bathroom products for the 2018 house, highlighting the impact of forward-thinking, modern bathroom design. “Our partnership with Studio 804 is a testament to the value of their program,” states Duravit USA President Tim Schroeder. “The effort, research, and care that goes into every Studio 804 project is something Duravit is incredibly proud to...

BEVERLY, MASS.—Olive Designs, LLC has released its new book, “One Green Deed Spawns Another: Tales of Inspiration on the Quest for Sustainability.” The book is a chronical of author David Mahood’s 20-year effort to better understand the importance of sustainability and the environment. The author’s quest for sustainability led him on a wide ranging and introspective journey that included encounters with a diverse group of people. From turtle rescuers to hemp designers, from foresters to worm farmers, from renowned ecologists to Seneca historians, his 20-year journey is chronicled in a story of environmental compassion and awareness. In an effort to...

3 Pillar Solutions, LLC An Award-Winning Sustainable Development Professional Kathy McGuire is an award-winning Sustainable Development Professional (ISSP-SA), LEED Green Associate and Climate Reality Leader with a proven track record of implementing sustainability projects to reduce costs, engage stakeholders, and increase brand awareness. Specializing in hospitality, meetings and events of all types, 3 Pillar Solutions will design a program that will align your core business goals with sustainable practices operating as one cohesive unit. This ensures the best possible performance outcomes. Call (561) 748-6750. 3 Pillar Solutions, LLC » Email for Details »     GreenLuxe Your Sustainable Hospitality Experts Amy and her team have traveled the world...

NATIONAL REPORT—Newsweek has released its Green Ranking 2017 report. The publication considers it “one of the most recognized environmental performance assessments of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.” Newsweek sorts its list into several sub-lists: U.S. Top 10, Global Top 10, U.S. 500, Global 500, Best in Industry U.S., and Best in Industry Global. The methodology for the report can be found here. In brief, the U.S. 500 consists of an assessment of the sustainability performance of the 500 largest publicly-traded companies headquartered in the United States by revenue as of December 31, 2016. The Global 500 consists of an...

Name: Claire Cutting Title: Director, Sustainability Company: Marriott International, Inc. Years in Position: One Primary Responsibilities: “My whole focus is on integrating Marriott’s and Starwood’s sustainability programs. We are trying to make one and one equal three. For example, we both had housekeeping and seafood programs but putting them together can be a real challenge. We are combining the best of both worlds. Each company had its own set of goals. It is like matching apples to oranges.” Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “Launching Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, Marriott’s new Sustainability and Social Impact Platform. Our goals are huge. It was...

DALTON, GA.—Go Green Synthetic Lawn Solutions announces a major initiative to shift its manufacturing focus to more sustainable and environmentally friendly products. This change began with the inception of including a soy-based backing system on their artificial grass landscape and golf products. Universal Textile Technologies, innovators of BioCel and pioneers using recycled and bio-based materials to produce state of the art technologies in the textile industry for over 20 years, provides Go Green products with an exceptional backing system that adds more value and a better choice for the consumer. The BioCel system utilizes plant-based polyols derived from renewable natural oils...