MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced an initial three-year commitment with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to reduce its impact on the environment. As Hilton’s signature environmental partner, WWF will work with the company to evolve its global business practices. The collaboration also will further WWF’s mission to protect and conserve the Earth’s life-supporting resources by making the hospitality industry more sustainable.Hilton Worldwide properties around the world already contribute to the company’s waste reduction and water conservation targets through thousands of on-property projects. The collaboration with WWF builds on existing efforts in these areas and leverages the company’s initial work on sustainable...

ATLANTA—The Sustainable Tours part of the upcoming Sustainable Meetings Conference has been announced. The tours will take place on Friday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday is the final day of the Atlanta conference that begins on Wednesday, June 17. Tour options will include: Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta Streetcar Adventure, Center for Civil and Human Rights, Georgia World Congress Center, Hands On Atlanta, Museum of Design Atlanta, Southface Eco Office, and Westin Peachtree Plaza. One can register for the tours as part of the conference registration process.This year’s Sustainable Meetings Conference, with...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the signing of a management agreement with Diamond Developers to launch the second Hotel Indigo in the U.A.E. Hotel Indigo is IHG’s boutique brand and each Hotel Indigo property is designed to reflect the local neighborhood it is located in. From the design of the building to the hotel’s artwork and locally-inspired menus, each Hotel Indigo property is unique to its surroundings, so no two properties are the same. In addition, guests can look forward to immersing in stories of the neighborhood through creatively crafted spaces reflecting the area’s heritage—a key cornerstone of...

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.—Pilot Pen has developed the Bottle to Pen (B2P) Line of writing instruments, which are the world’s first pens made from recycled plastic water bottles. The plastic from one bottle can be used to create approximately two B2P pens.“Although most Americans drink bottled water, they really do feel guilty about it,” said Ariann Langsam, Director of Marketing for Pilot Pen. “It’s our shared responsibility to be good stewards of our planet and do our part to protect the environment. A simple way to do this is working to recycle more often and using products that leave a greener...

PARIS—Every year on Earth Day, Accor’s 180,000 employees worldwide organize actions to support the 21 commitments protected in CHARTER 21—the group’s sustainable development program—and share their environmental achievements and progress. Inspired by Agenda 21, which was adopted by 173 Heads of State at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, CHARTER 21 is an action plan with the principle goal of protecting the planet, its people and their environment.Arnaud Herrmann, Accor’s Sustainable Development Director, explains: “Results for 2014 showed global improvement and progress made on all of Accor’s commitments under the CHARTER 21 program. That is encouraging for...

BETHESDA, MD.—As part of its global sustainability strategy to address climate change, Marriott International announced the company’s global energy intensity decreased cumulatively by 2.6 percent over 2013, 13.1 percent compared to a 2007 baseline.Across the majority of the company’s four global regions, energy results continued to decline. In The Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, energy intensity for managed hotels decreased over 2013 by 3.0 percent, 0.7 percent and 1.3 percent respectively. In the Middle East and Africa, energy intensity increased by 1.2 percent over 2013 as the region stabilized and travel increased.“Our global decrease in energy intensity demonstrates the...

KENNESAW, GA.—The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved the naming of the Michael A. Leven School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality at Kennesaw State University. Michael Leven, a veteran hospitality industry executive and President and CEO of the Georgia Aquarium, made a commitment of $5 million to name Kennesaw State University’s School of Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality. The gift represents the largest single contribution from an individual in the University’s 52-year history.In addition to naming the School, Leven’s philanthropic gift will be used to support an endowed faculty chair as well as scholarships for culinary sustainability and...

NEW YORK—W Hotels Worldwide, part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., announced a new partnership with global music artist and entrepreneur will.i.am and The Coca-Cola Co. to shake up the hotel industry, one guestroom at a time. Together, they are bringing the EKOCYCLE brand to W Hotel rooms around the world, changing sheets and changing minds. W Hotels will soon begin re-making their beds with new EKOCYCLE branded sheets, which are made in part with rPET (polyester partially made using recycled plastic). Rolling out into W Hotels in North America first with global properties to follow, each king size...

BURBANK, CALIF.—Disney published its 2014 Citizenship Performance Summary. The summary focuses on Disney’s FY14 performance against its Citizenship targets. Highlights include progress against environmental stewardship commitments, including a 31 percent decrease in net emissions from 2012 levels and the first disclosure of Disney’s water usage companywide.In addition, Disney achieved 82 percent visibility into facilities producing Disney-branded products, up from 58 percent in 2013, as part of increased oversight across Disney’s global supply chain.Disney met and exceeded several targets ahead of schedule, including the donation of 18 million books as part of Disney’s long-standing tradition of storytelling and fostering imagination.Disney...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The world’s only large-scale recyclers of hotel soap have combined their operations and charitable efforts. Clean the World and Global Soap have contributed to a 30 percent reduction in pre-adolescent deaths from hygiene-related illnesses since 2009. Now consolidated under the Clean the World banner, they join forces to improve even more lives through an integrated social enterprise. The blended organization capitalizes on strengths developed separately by each group over the past six years. Under the new operating structure, Clean the World Foundation manages all soap and plastic bottle collection and recycling in North America, while Clean the World Asia...