FIJI—Six Senses Fiji will feature 24 one- and two-bedroom pool villas all with private pools, decks and outdoor showers. The property will offer a range of culinary and beverage options including two restaurants and a café, plus an outdoor pizzeria and grill and two bar options. Reservations are being accepted at Six Senses Fiji following confirmation that the property is on track for its scheduled opening. The hosts of Six Senses Fiji look forward to welcoming guests on April 14. Sustainability is reflected throughout the resort which will be 100 percent solar powered by the largest microgrid in Fiji using...

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo, the direct-to-consumer and omni-channel leader in both flooring and decking, has launched seven new bamboo floors, including two made for herringbone style installations. All new floors feature a solid Fossilized bamboo construction—Cali’s proprietary manufacturing technique yielding the world’s hardest floors with Janka hardness scores of up to 5000+. The two new Herringbone styles—Riverwood and Outer Banks—both bear a smooth wood grain, with Riverwood wrapped in a subtle storm cloud gray and Outer Banks glowing from a calming palm brown. Outer Banks also comes in a traditional 6’ length plank with tongue-and-groove milling. The four additional new colors—Bourbon...

SAN FRANCISCO—Visa announced its commitment to use 100 percent renewable electricity across its global operations by the end of 2019. As part of this commitment, announced in conjunction with this week’s Climate Leadership Conference in Denver, Visa is joining the RE100 initiative, a collaborative, global platform developed by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP to increase demand for and delivery of renewable energy. “We are proud to play a role in driving the adoption of renewable energy,” said Al Kelly, CEO of Visa Inc. “For Visa, this announcement is an example of our longstanding commitment to operate as a responsible, ethical...

NEW ORLEANS—The construction of an eco-friendly green roof over the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center was the topic of a scientific exercise conducted during the 50th annual American Geophysical Union Fall Conference held recently. The exercise drew members of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX), and officials from the New Orleans Convention Center. Discussion revolved around ideas for how best to help the earth using the 1.8 million square feet of roofing the Convention Center plans to replace in the coming years. The scientists were asked, “When is a roof more than a roof?” Raj...

ATLANTA—UPS announced it plans to deploy 50 plug-in electric delivery trucks that will be comparable in acquisition cost to conventional-fueled trucks without any subsidies—an industry first that is breaking a key barrier to large scale fleet adoption. The company is collaborating with Workhorse Group, Inc. to design the vehicles from the ground up, with zero tailpipe emissions. “Electric vehicle technology is rapidly improving with battery, charging and smart grid advances that allow us to specify our delivery vehicles to eliminate emissions, noise and dependence on diesel and gasoline,” said Carlton Rose, President, Global Fleet Maintenance and Engineering for UPS. “With...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels spend about 6 percent of their operating budget on energy. Smaller lodging establishments will probably spend less in absolute terms, but roughly the same amount when measured as a percentage of overall operating costs. Energy efficiency projects and solar panels can both reduce these energy costs by a substantial amount, and each offers different savings and costs. When deciding whether to pursue a solar energy system or an energy efficiency project, it’s important to always consider your budget, goals, and business needs. It’s generally more expensive to invest in a solar energy system than it is to invest in...

LONDON—The Green Hotelier Awards, which seek to discover the world’s most sustainable, environmentally friendly and socially responsible hotels, has launched for 2018. This year the Awards unveil a new look which changes the winning categories. In previous years hotels have been grouped geographically. This year hotels across the world will compete to win in categories which examine their carbon footprint, their water stewardship, their waste reduction, their community impact and their role as a responsible employer. The new look aims to align the Awards with the industry call to action of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) for hotels to focus...

NORWAY—In collaboration with Arctic Adventures of Norway, Asplan Viak and Skanska, Snøhetta has designed “Svart,” the world’s first Powerhouse hotel, at the foot of the Svartisen glacier that runs through Meløy municipality in northern Norway. The hotel is situated just above the Arctic Circle and has a planned 2021 opening. “Svart” is the first building to be built after the energy positive Powerhouse standard in a Northern climate. Not only does this new hotel reduce its yearly energy consumption by approximately 85 percent compared to a modern hotel, but it also produces its own energy—an absolute “must” in this precious arctic...

STOCKHOLM—Vanessa Butani has been appointed new Director of Sustainable Business at Scandic Hotels. Vanessa has broad experience from working with sustainability, corporate strategy and business development, most recently at Electrolux and before that with Plan International and Accenture. She will start her new position at Scandic Hotels in March. Scandic is known for its sustainability initiatives and has had a great influence on the hotel industry when it comes to reducing environmental impact. “I’m excited to be able to take Scandic to the next level of leadership within both environmental and social sustainability,” Butani says. Scandic has worked with a clear...

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Leading global innovation company with textile, specialty chemical and floor covering manufacturing expertise, Milliken & Company, has been named a 2017 “Gold Supplier” by office and home furnishings giant Herman Miller, Inc. This annual award honors key suppliers for excellence in service to the company, community and environment. To qualify, suppliers must meet rigorous performance standards in the areas of product quality, on-time delivery, cost savings, diversity, sustainability, business compliance and company culture. With its long-standing corporate commitment to responsible manufacturing, eliminating waste and delivering innovations that do good, Milliken scored high marks across all categories. “Milliken is fortunate to work...