SAN FRANCISCO—For the eighth consecutive year, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts of the Western U.S. and Hawaii will participate in Earth Hour, a global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF,) to raise awareness about climate change. On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 p.m. (local time) Fairmont Hotels & Resorts around the planet will participate by turning off their lights for one hour.“Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for Fairmont colleagues and guests to participate in the world’s largest global climate change initiative,” says Thomas Klein, Regional Vice-President and General Manager, Fairmont San Francisco. “Earth Hour is on its...

TROY, N.Y.—Environmental nonprofit Audubon International announces the first global Golf Course BioBlitz, a free program for golf courses, which will run the week of Earth Day, April 19 to 25, 2015.BioBlitz is a species counting competition designed to create awareness among golfers and the community about the environmental value of the habitats supported by golf courses. The program, sponsored by the United States Golf Assn., is open to any golf course worldwide including those unaffiliated with Audubon International.“How many species can you count? When we’re done, we’ll have a great idea about the wildlife, plant-life, and ecosystems that golf...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The five winners of the 2015 National Geographic World Legacy Awards were announced last week during an awards ceremony held at ITB Berlin. A partnership between the National Geographic Society and ITB Berlin, the World Legacy Awards showcase the leading companies, organizations and destinations—ranging from hotels to ecolodges and from small islands to entire countries—that are driving the positive transformation of the travel industry based on National Geographic’s work of inspiring people to care about the planet.More than 150 entries were received, representing 56 countries across six continents. Winners and finalists in five categories were selected by 18...

SPOKANE, WASH.—Ecova announced that it has obtained accreditation from CDP as a silver software partner for the fourth consecutive year. The accreditation reflects Ecova’s continued commitment to helping its clients meet the highest standards of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accounting while simplifying the process for calculating and reporting with the use of Ecova’s Carbon Management Solution.“Ecova’s Carbon Management Solution is a valuable resource for companies reporting to CDP,” said Paul Robins, CDP’s head of corporate partnerships. “Alongside calculating GHG emissions, their software houses business analytic tools for forecasting, scenario modeling and project tracking, and we are delighted that they...

AMSTERDAM—BookDifferent has begun to publicize the carbon emission figures for 591,000 hotels. According to BookDifferent, it is the first OTA to do this. The carbon footprint of each accommodation is shown by a footprint icon containing the number of kilos CO2 emission per night stayed. Hotels with a green footprint have a low carbon footprint and are therefore a better choice than the hotels with a red one.“By showing the carbon footprint icons we give consumers a voice by enabling them to choose to stay in a hotel with a small carbon footprint,” said Lonneke de Kort, Director of...

LOS ANGELES—EcoChic Lifestyles’ colorful, weather-resistant new outdoor line is available now at its online store. The creator of upscale, sustainable furniture is offering free worldwide shipping on any of its one-of-a-kind furnishings through March 2015.EcoChic Lifestyles’ new outdoor line comprises the same reclaimed teak wood and iron from bridges as its original line. Consumers will find that the larger coffee-table sizes they’ve been requesting are in place. Okeanos (large) and Samudera (medium) coffee tables complement the company’s Oceanic (small) coffee table. The new Backshore (large) and Breakwater (medium) coffee tables offer fans of EcoChic Lifestyles’ Beach Buoys (small) coffee...

SAGINAW, MICH.—Duro-Last announced that it has achieved gold certification under the NSF American National Standard for Sustainable Roofing Membranes—NSF/ANSI 347. Certified by UL, this standard represents that Duro-Last manufactures a product that is third-party verified as sustainable, durable, and high performing. The certification applies to 40, 50 and 60 mil, white, gray, dark gray, tan, and terra cotta Duro-Last membranes.NSF/ANSI 347 was written by NSF International and, according to their website, is based on lifecycle assessment principles. NSF/ANSI 347 employs an easy-to-use point system to evaluate roofing membrane products against established prerequisite requirements, performance criteria and quantifiable metrics in...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—The new Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel has checked in its first guests. Among the 200 new Haitian hotel workers who welcomed them were young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Haitian-Americans who want to share their hospitality skills to help boost Haiti’s tourism economy. The stories of these new associates include Luccardo, who was recruited to work at the hotel’s front desk from the Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs orphanage, and Hermine, who was part of the hotel’s intern program and will be an entry-level supervisor. In addition to members of a Haitian-American executive team, the Haiti Marriott is led...

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—The majority (57 percent) of European-based companies have sustainability initiatives written into their company’s travel policy, according to a recent study on sustainability in travel programs by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Assn. (GBTA).This marks a significant increase from 39 percent in 2012, and is largely attributable to the financial benefits, and safety and security enhancements delivered by the programs. The study also found that more U.S. companies are incorporating sustainability programs into contracts (from 11 percent in 2011 to 19 percent), but they continue to lag behind European counterparts.“Overall,...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has achieved World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Climate Savers Program targets, reducing its operational CO2 emissions by 20 percent below 2006 levels. In doing so, the luxury hotel brand known for its industry leading sustainability programming becomes the first hotel brand to meet this ambitious environmental goal.WWF’s Climate Savers Program was designed to inspire companies to change their thinking about climate solutions, while also encouraging them to transform themselves into low-carbon leaders. This leaves member companies better placed to avoid carbon-related risks while realizing opportunities within their long-term business strategies. Fairmont joined Fortune...