TACOMA, WASH.—The environmental benefits of North American wood products are presented in a new guide from APA – The Engineered Wood Association. Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Future, Form F305, contains facts and figures related to the sustainability of the forest resource, forest certification, life cycle assessment, and Environmental Product Declarations. The guide also compares energy consumption in the manufacture of wood, steel and concrete products, and provides a comparison of the net carbon impact of the building materials. Sustainable Buildings, Sustainable Future also includes an in-depth look at how sustained demand for wood products fosters a cycle of growth in North...

PARADISE ISLAND, THE BAHAMAS—Hon. Obie Wilchcombe, Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), chaired his first meeting of the Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners since being elected Chairman last September, resulting in positive discussions on best practices, funding cooperative regional activities and hosting the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference on Building Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism for Development next November. The Council of Ministers meeting took place during the recently completed Caribbean Travel Marketplace on Paradise Island, Bahamas. As the policy-making body of the CTO, the Council of Ministers worked as a team during the January meeting to...

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—Duralee Contract introduces the new FR Woven Drapery Collection. Designed with a goal of minimal environmental impact in mind, Duralee Contract partnered with a local manufacturer that is less than 100 miles from their warehouse to develop this “Made in the USA” product line. Where similar goods are commonly produced overseas, Duralee Contract is aware of their carbon footprint, and the sustainability of staying local. Sixteen diverse designs make up this 44 SKU book of large scale looks with a distinct artistic flair. These designs are complimented by open, poised and tranquil style that will evoke the feeling of...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earth Hour is scheduled for Saturday, March 25 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. It is a lights-off event organized by WWF that now has the participation of individuals and groups in almost 180 countries. Earth Hour was started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Lights will be dimmed in homes, offices, hotels and landmarks as a reminder to work toward greater efficiency, a sustainable future and to slow and stop man’s impact on climate change. The Earth Hour website features a “How Your Hotel Can Join the Earth Hour Movement” guide. It includes...

LAGRANGE, GA.—It was more than 20 years ago that Interface, the maker of carpet tile, set a very ambitious goal: to have no negative impact on the planet by the year 2020. It called its decades-long project “Mission Zero.” With less than three years to go until 2020, Green Lodging News spoke with Interface’s Mikhail Davis to learn how close the company is to reaching its goal. Davis, based in San Francisco, is Director of Restorative Enterprise and a Certified Biomimicry Specialist. Davis says two of Interface’s key metrics are energy use per unit of production and how much of...

PARIS—Sustainable procurement programs are more integral and widespread than ever before, but face a critical juncture as they scale to reach the next level of maturity, according to the results of the new EcoVadis/HEC Sustainable Procurement Barometer. “Sustainable procurement is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s an integral business function responsible for protecting and improving brand reputation, driving revenue and mitigating business risk,” said Pierre-François Thaler, co-CEO of EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains. “In order to scale up, the mature programs are investing in embedding sustainability into processes across their procurement organizations....

SYOSSET, N.Y.—Emerald Brand and WNW Hospitality Management have announced a partnership which offers WNW hotel properties nationwide a unique competitive advantage by converting to Emerald’s full sustainability program. WNW Hospitality Management is a hotel management company. “We specialize in strategically positioning hotels in local markets, while also creating product differentiation, to gain a significant competitive advantage,” says Marc Soblick of WNW Management. “Emerald’s unique sustainable disposable and cleaning solutions will be the perfect addition to further differentiate WNW hotels from their national competitors.” Emerald Brand specializes in providing innovative sustainable solutions at cost neutral or better, while measuring meaningful environmental savings...

Green Lodging News recently featured Pranav Jampani, Director of Sustainability, Las Vegas Sands Corp., in its Personnel Profile section. During my conversation with Pranav, he said the following, “On a daily basis, we proactively try to reduce our environmental impact. Our goal is to align with science-based targets.” In an article posted on Green Lodging News last August, Caesars Entertainment Corp. was also mentioned as committing to science-based carbon reduction goals. What exactly does science-based mean? According to the Science Based Targets website, targets adopted by companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are considered “science-based” if they are in...

ATLANTA—UPS announced plans to significantly escalate its investment in solar energy as an owner/operator of solar assets starting with at least eight of its facilities in the United States. The installations will be completed by the end of 2017. The estimated $18 million investment will provide a nearly five-fold increase in the amount of power generated from solar at UPS facilities today. With more than 2,580 UPS facilities worldwide, UPS is ideally positioned to expand its investment in renewable energy. UPS expects additional solar deployments to occur over the next several years as it identifies suitable opportunities. The completion of these...

LAS VEGAS—The company’s commitment to providing women-owned businesses with opportunities for economic participation and growth is among the reasons MGM Resorts International was named one of America’s Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises in 2016. The honor comes from Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a national leader in women’s business development and certification. The annual “Top Corporations” list is the leading national award program honoring corporations for supplier diversity initiatives that reduce barriers and drive growth for women-owned businesses. “Earning this recognition is a great honor for our company,” said Phyllis A. James, Chief Diversity and Corporate Responsibility Officer for...