DALTON, GA.—J+J Flooring Group marked continued progress towards its environmental performance goals according to the company’s fifth annual corporate sustainability report. Titled Building Momentum, the report covers the company’s environmental and social responsibility investments and progress during the 2016 fiscal year. Highlights from the report include a 23 percent reduction in the company’s energy consumption since 2010—an achievement that exceeds J+J’s 20 percent reduction goal four years ahead of the company’s 2020 deadline. The milestone follows the company’s 2014 achievement of Zero Waste to Landfill Certification, six years ahead of its 2020 goal. The milestones are part of J+J’s 20/20 Vision,...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has received a €460,000 grant from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to implement a project to increase the Caribbean tourism sector’s resilience to natural hazards and climate related risks. “Global climate change and its impacts, including the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, pose a significant risk to the Caribbean region and threaten the sustainability of Caribbean tourism,” the CTO’s Secretary General Hugh Riley said. “The CTO is pleased to have the support of the CDB to implement this project which will contribute to enhancing the resiliency, sustainability and competitiveness of the...

NEW YORK—A new report released by international animal welfare organization World Animal Protection reveals that more than three quarters of nearly 3,000 elephants used in tourist entertainment in Asia are kept in severely cruel conditions. Riding an elephant is one of the most popular tourist activities in Asia. World Animal Protection investigated the conditions endured by 2,923 elephants at tourist venues in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Laos and Cambodia, and found that 77 percent of them were treated appallingly. Thailand uses twice as many elephants in tourism as all the other Asian countries combined. Tourism to Thailand doubled from 15.9...

DALLAS—Kimberly-Clark Corp. published its annual report on sustainability, providing the first update on the company’s global progress toward its Sustainability 2022 goals. Introduced last year, Sustainability 2022 is the company’s framework to address social and environmental challenges with programs designed to create social, environmental and business value. In its first year, Kimberly-Clark surpassed three of its five sustainability targets, and is on track to meet or exceed all of its goals by 2022. “At Kimberly-Clark, our vision is to lead the world in essentials for a better life, and through our commitment to sustainability, we are proud to demonstrate our values through proactive...

MIAMI—Gencom, a leading Miami-based international luxury hospitality and residential real estate investment and development firm, announced a more than $100 million investment toward a major transformation of Peninsula Papagayo, a 1,400-acre premier residential and resort destination in the Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica. Beginning in December 2017 with the debut of the re-imagined Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, this investment will signal the launch of a long-term plan to connect and celebrate the sprawling peninsula from end to end for the first time, bringing an unprecedented new level of meaningful eco-luxury and transformative experiences to the Americas. “We are...

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND—There are hundreds of millions of individual buildings in the world, each presenting multiple and diverse energy needs. Even though most countries have introduced policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in buildings through measures to improve energy efficiency, these policies have not resulted in a significant reduction in emissions. Thanks to a new ISO standard, determining and reporting a carbon metric of an existing building, associated with the operation of the building, will become easier and will help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ISO 16745, Sustainability in buildings and civil engineering works—Carbon metric of an existing building during use stage, Parts...

MALDIVES—Gili Lankanfushi announced that its new marine biology center opened on June 8—World Oceans Day. Gili Veshi, which translates as Gili Environment in the local Dhivehi language, will become the island’s primary marine research facility and the central hub for all sustainability and conservation issues, as well as offering a host of new guest experiences. Nature lovers will have the opportunity to get involved through participating in monthly reef clean efforts to remove oceanic litter, coral watch dives to check on new specimens and Crown of Thorns eradication dives to remove the invasive starfish species. Guests can also opt to...

PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS—Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas recently completed a successful two day harvesting and out planting of corals to three coral reefs off New Providence that were destroyed last year by Hurricane Matthew. As part of Atlantis’ established commitment to the flourishing Bahamian ecology, this effort continues to expand the sustainability of one of the nation’s natural resources, the ocean. This ongoing project, an initiative of the nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization—Atlantis Blue Project Foundation (ABPF)—helps rehabilitate damaged coral reefs by growing small coral fragments to repopulate reefs that have been eliminated through disease, hurricanes, or bleaching. Since...

PHOENIX—Hotels4Humanity.com, an American hotel and lodging supply company that focuses on win-win bottom lines and community engagement, this week received word that their latest donation of hotel-sized body wash bottles was put to good use for children, teens, and domestic violence victims in the greater Arizona area. Having contributed a plethora of differently sized, durable bottles, Hotels4Humanity.com was able to help the Dream Center in Phoenix, the Salvation Army’s homeless teen outreach and domestic violence shelter, the Canyon State Academy Youth Village in Queen Creek, the Department of Child Safety, one mission church in Chandler, and one church that helps...

ATLANTA—Showcasing the private sector’s power to create a climate fit for life, Interface unveiled a first-of-its-kind prototype carbon negative carpet tile. Interface’s “Proof Positive” tile proves that with new approaches to materials sourcing and manufacturing, it is possible to make a product with the potential to reverse global warming. After the tile is made, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than if it had not been manufactured in the first place. “We created this Proof Positive tile to inspire our customers, our industry, and the world to think more broadly about taking on the climate challenge in a...