MONTEREY, CALIF.—Attracting travelers to Monterey County has always been the mission for the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) and ensuring that these visitors treat the destination responsibly is also a top priority. “Sustainable Moments” is the MCCVB’s responsible tourism initiative designed to educate travelers on how to make the most of every moment in Monterey County while at the same time, being safe, respectful to the environment and communities and understanding how to travel responsibly. “We challenge our guests to grab life by the moments when visiting our home, beautiful Monterey County,” says Tammy Blount, MCCVB President and CEO....

HONG KONG—Swire Hotels announce recent measures dedicated to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly hotels at EAST Hong Kong, Beijing and Miami. Swire Hotels is committed to making a positive impact on the environment through implementing new and innovative programs to strengthen the priority given to the sustainable operation of its hotels. These measures form part of the new sustainable development strategy launched by Swire Properties, Swire Hotels’ parent company. Swire Properties developed this new strategy with vision of becoming the leading sustainable development performer in its industry globally by 2030. Under this new strategy, Swire Properties identifies and manages the...

HANCOCK, MASS.—In 2007, when Jiminy Peak installed a $4 million 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine on the western flank of its mountain, many thought the 70-year-old resort was taking a huge financial risk. Last month, 10 years after the switch was thrown, Brian Fairbank, Chairman of The Fairbank Group that runs the resort, looks back at a risk worth taking. The 253-ft. high turbine paid for itself in seven years, and today, combined with a 12-acre 2.3 megawatt (MW) solar field and 75 kWh cogeneration unit at the slopeside Country Inn at Jiminy Peak, the resort can claim to be...

MALE, REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES—Moosa Zameer, Minister of Tourism, joined Chairman of Singha Estate Public Company Limited, Chutinant Bhirombhakdi; Director, Chairman of Executive Committee, Chayanin Debhakam, D.B.A; CEO, Naris Cheyklin; and the company’s Chief Investment Officer, Thiti Thongbenjamas, at an official groundbreaking ceremony at the Maldives’ Emboodhoo Lagoon, set to be a multi-island integrated leisure and recreation destination resort concept, designed to significantly expand the Maldives’ appeal as a multi-faceted tourism destination. Speaking at the official ceremony, Moosa Zameer, Minister of Tourism said, “We are delighted to attend the official ceremony to mark the start of construction on this new world-class...

HOPLAND, CALIF.—Danny Fetzer, owner of the Jeriko Estates Resort and Winery in Hopland, Calif., recently installed two redwood pergolas with Humboldt Redwood’s FSC certified redwood. The large one is outside the main tasting room, while the second is attached to one of the casitas located on the property. The entire property is surrounded by redwood forests, nearby lakes and the Mendocino Coast. Fetzer chose redwood because it’s durable, reliable and attractive; and also because it’s local and sustainable—sourced from the nearby FSC certified redwood forestlands. HRC grows more redwood trees each year than are harvested while protections are in place around...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) and social enterprise Clean the World announced a first-of-its-kind service in Las Vegas to help homeless people. The Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers Powered by Clean the World is a traveling hygiene unit that visits locations serving the homeless to provide showers, hygiene supplies and other resources. LVS contributed more than $200,000 to Sands Cares Fresh Start Mobile Showers, which was unveiled in Las Vegas on July 27, and will offer approximately 250 showers per week. To reach people in need, Clean the World and Las Vegas Sands have partnered with four Las...

LONGMONT, COLO.—Sielo announced the introduction of turtle friendly LED upgrades for retrofit of existing step light and decorative light fixtures. The turtle friendly upgrades are available in three lengths, 4”, 6”, and 8”. These fixtures are typically found in hotel pool and patio spaces, oceanfront walkways, coastal multifamily, and higher education facilities. “The turtle friendly upgrades provide a simple and cost effective upgrade for owners of oceanfront properties,” said Matthew Sallee, Director of Strategic Marketing for Sielo. “Even cast-in-place step lights can be upgraded without a major engineering project—protecting hatchling turtles at a fraction of the cost of installing a new...

LONDON—Ethical Corp. has published a briefing which explores the business case for advancing social purpose using insight and evidence from Erin Meezan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Interface and Franz Paasche, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at PayPal— which can be accessed here. Focusing on Interface’s Climate Take Back program and PayPal’s Working Capital, this briefing offers six pages of expert response and analysis to provide comprehensive insight into the social purpose business case including these key issues: How to convince your leadership team on social purpose; How sustainability is driving revenue; and The benefits of social purpose on your...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts, Inc. announced that the company will aggressively pursue a comprehensive sustainability commitment, called “Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint”. This ambitious undertaking, announced to employees at a companywide event, commits to zero net emissions by 2030, zero waste to landfill by 2030 and zero net operating impact to forests and habitat. “Everything we do at Vail Resorts is driven by the spectacular natural surroundings where our employees, guests and communities live, work and play,” said Rob Katz, Chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts. “The environment is our business, and we have a special obligation to protect it,” “As a growing...

NORWALK, CONN.—Metroflor Corp. has shared a video series of the panel its Chief Sustainability Officer Rochelle Routman moderated at the Sustainatopia May 2017 conference in San Francisco. Entitled “The Voice of New China”, the discussion features panelists Simon Xia, Metroflor’s Shanghai General Manager and Factory Sustainability Coordinator, and Jin Song, General Manager of Elegant Plastics, a primary factory of Metroflor’s LVT floors. The panel covers a wide array of subjects regarding the manufacturing environment in today’s China including sustainability and transparency, energy and water efficiencies, and the factory workers’ experience, as well as an audience question and answer session. The...