WASHINGTON, D.C.—Imagine traveling from the mountains and rainforests of western Canada to the beaches of the Caribbean and Cuba, and finally ending up along the U.S.-Mexico border—all within eight hours. Invited guests will do just about that on World Tourism Day, September 27, 2017, when the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) and UN Environment—North America Office co-host a Forum showcasing the importance of the UN’s declaration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The one-of-a-kind event will take place at the UN Foundation in Washington, D.C. “The UN’s international year is important for so many reasons,” says...

NATIONAL REPORT—Glass is 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss in quality or purity. Glass recycling rates vary around the country because of container deposit legislation or how it is collected and recycled. As part of single-stream recycling, glass often breaks, tainting the end product. The contaminated recyclables then end up in the dump. In fact, glass represents roughly 40 percent of landfilled recyclables. Hoteliers can play a part in helping to keep glass out of the landfill by working with their waste collectors and also by purchasing products that utilize recycled glass. Recycled glass has many...

NEW YORK—The Grand Hyatt New York in Midtown Manhattan was presented the Energy Efficiency Leader Award on September 19 by Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand. The award recognizes the hotel’s outstanding commitment to best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability after a retrofit resulted in reduced energy use by 1,352,007 kilowatt hours (kWh) and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 950 metric tons. Grand Hyatt New York’s completion of upgrades improved the hotel’s bottom line, while simultaneously enhancing sustainability. These upgrades demonstrate an outstanding commitment to environmental stewardship...

LONDON—S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI), one of the world’s leading index providers, and RobecoSAM, an investment specialist focused exclusively on Sustainability Investing (SI), recently announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review. Launched in 1999, the DJSI World represents the gold standard for corporate sustainability and is the first global index to track the leading sustainability-driven companies based on RobecoSAM’s analysis of financially material Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and S&P DJI’s robust index methodology. Every year, RobecoSAM assesses the world’s largest companies via its Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), which uses a consistent,...

WALLAND, TENN.—For the first time in 40 years, Blackberry Farm announces a new property, Blackberry Mountain, opening in late 2018. With the creation of Blackberry Mountain, the Beall family is expanding their commitment to preserve the land surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and continuing the tradition of offering legendary hospitality. Uninhibited, dramatic views of beautifully diverse terrain paired with a mountain-inspired wellness program are the focal points of the experience that invites guests outside to seek adventure and explore the property from base to peak. “Breaking ground on Blackberry Mountain is the culmination of many dreams,” said Proprietor...

CALHOUN, GA.—Calhoun, Ga. may be more than 800 miles from Houston, Texas, but that didn’t stop two local companies from partnering to offer a helping hand to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Mohawk Industries and Nature’s Big Springs Water teamed up to donate and deliver more than 100,000 bottles of water to the Houston area. They split the cost of the water and will leverage Mohawk’s fleet to make the delivery once the roads are passable. “When we saw the devastation the hurricane caused, we knew we wanted to help, and we also knew we had the means to do so...

MADRID—In the framework of the International Year on Sustainable Tourism for Development, 2017, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is launching a consumer-oriented campaign aimed at raising awareness of the value and contribution that sustainable tourism can make towards development. The “Travel.Enjoy.Respect” campaign wants to engage tourists in making the sector a catalyst for positive change. The main message of the campaign is summarized by the UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai: “Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, remember to: respect nature, respect culture, and respect your host. You can be the change you want to see in the world. You can be...

NEW YORK—In celebration of September’s National Honey Month, New York Hilton Midtown is welcoming 450,000 adopted bees to the hotel’s fifth floor, 16,000-square-foot green rooftop, five blocks from Central Park’s bevy of nectar. The six buzzing hives were escorted via a vintage yellow taxi to the hotel where hotel team members awaited their colleagues’ arrival. The Italian, Russian and Carniolan honeybee queens—one for each hive—have been named Shelby, Ruby, Phoebe, Suite B, Beatrice, and lastly Connie as a tribute to Hilton founder, Conrad Hilton. As important as VIP guests, theVIBees will quickly become part of the landmark hotel’s ecosystem with...

ODESSA, FLA. & SINGAPORE—September 18, 2017—Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, and Greenview, a leader in advancing hotel sustainability, have released the Green Lodging Trends Report 2017. The second annual report details the results of the Green Lodging Trends Report Survey and is available at no cost by clicking here. The report is based on data from 2,093 hotels in 46 countries and provides industry trends on topics ranging from energy management to communication to—for the first time in its own category—Health & Wellness. The report includes results of 110 best practices in 12 categories. Sponsors this year...

BAAR, SWITZERLAND—Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts recently called on guests and residents to help families in need around the world as it launched its 2017 “Kilo of Kindness” charity drive. This global campaign, which marked the UN International Day of Charity on September 5, asked for donations of food, clothing and educational supplies to help support the communities that are home to Mövenpick properties. Big-hearted guests and visitors were invited to drop off at least one kilo of supplies at any participating hotel, with 46 Mövenpick properties around the globe involved in the campaign. Educational supplies in demand include books, notebooks and stationery...