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Sustainability

According to a report issued by the World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Got a great idea about how to turn green into gold? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Sustainability

Home Sustainability
According to a report issued by the World Commission on Environment and Development, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Got a great idea about how to turn green into gold? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Costa Rica Vacation Rental Company Adds Eco Tours

MANUEL ANTONIO, COSTA RICA—In their ongoing pledge to promote sustainable tourism in Costa Rica, Escape Villas announces the availability of eco tours through their 300-acre tract of Manuel Antonio rainforest that was purchased as a carbon offset project. In 2008, former President Oscar Arias declared his intentions for Costa Rica to become the world’s first carbon-neutral tourist destination by 2021, and since that time, the government has fast-tracked multiple strategies to reach that lofty goal.Escape Villas has adopted a multi-faceted approach to reducing their impact on the country’s natural resources. The company has been offering Costa Rica vacation rentals...

Robinson Students to Study Sustainability at Melia Hotels

ATLANTA—For five weeks this summer, a group of hospitality students from Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business will intern at three Meliã Hotels International resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Designed for students interested in resort operations, this internship will allow 11 students the opportunity to understand how to integrate sustainable principles into business operations in an international environment.“Within the hospitality and tourism industry we are seeing an increased focus on applying sustainable ‘best practices’ to affect the bottom line,” says Debby Cannon, director of the School of Hospitality. “By examining how to be environmentally responsible and its...

Electric Shuttle Van: A Viable Option for Guest Transportation?

NATIONAL REPORT—Gasoline-powered passenger vans have been the norm for transporting guests for a long time. Unfortunately, these types of vehicles are environmentally inefficient. They consume gasoline, produce air and noise pollution, require oil and transmission fluid for upkeep, and are particularly disadvantageous while idling. While the world’s automakers have been rolling out electric automobiles the last few years—the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, etc.—few companies are making electric passenger vans.In the past few months, Zenith Electric, through its Zenith Motors, has begun producing an electric shuttle van in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Zenith is owned by William Yung III, who also...

NSF Verifies EPD for Mannington Carpet Styles, Colors

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF Sustainability, a division of global independent public health organization NSF International, has verified an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for a broad variety of nylon carpet styles and colors manufactured by Mannington Commercial and backed with their rEvolve modular backing system. EPDs are transparent product environmental attribute reports used by government purchasers, green builders and owners, architects and interior designers to help make more informed product decisions in selecting products that meet their environmental purchasing goals.“As one of the first companies in their industry to release a third-party verified EPD, Mannington is demonstrating their commitment to environmental...

Westin St. Maarten Adds Solar PV System

PHILIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN—The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa is not only the first Westin hotel or resort in the world—but also the only major resort in the Caribbean—to install and utilize solar panels to replace its energy consumption throughout the resort. The resort’s owner, Columbia Sussex Corporation, enlisted the expertise of Anthony Prall Jr.’s Caribbean Energy Store to design a system to facilitate its 317 guestrooms, restaurants, restrooms, laundry facilities and spa.“There are hotels and resorts utilizing solar power for specific areas, such as heating pools and water, bungalows or, if it is a small property,...

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Keynote October Sustainability Conference, Expo

DALLAS—Plans are quickly coming together for the Lodging Green + Sustainability Conference + Expo being planned by Lodging Magazine in collaboration with EcoGreenHotel. The October 1 to 3 event will be held at the LEED Gold certified Omni Dallas Hotel. The three-day event will feature a tour of the Omni Dallas Hotel and a keynote address by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Kennedy is a professor of environmental law at Pace University School of Law and serves as co-director of the school’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. He also serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney...

MGM Resorts Partners with NRG Solar on 6.2-Megawatt Solar PV Project

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International and NRG Energy, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary NRG Solar, announced the planned installation of one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic arrays in the world at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas. The 6.2-megawatt installation will be MGM Resorts’ first commercial solar project in the United States and will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1,000 homes.The announcement was made at a news conference in Las Vegas featuring U.S. Senator Harry Reid and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in advance of the National Clean Energy Summit 6.0...

Sustainability Awareness Pushed at Futuregreen Forum

NEW YORK—The second annual Futuregreen Hospitality Forum brought together hotel brands, hospitality designers and furnishings suppliers for a one-day brainstorming session to tackle the possibility of hotel design as a catalyst for positive change for the future, and to discuss how technology can affect the future of hospitality. Sixty-five high-level delegates gathered in New York’s Crosby Street Hotel on May 31.“Our goal was to elevate social and environmental sustainability to the top of the hotel industry’s agenda,” said Michael Suomi, principal and vice president of interior design at hospitality design firm Stonehill & Taylor and founder of Futuregreen. “Through...

Sustainable Tourism Gets Green Light in Langkawi, Malaysia

LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA—A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been signed which details two exclusive and innovative green developments in Langkawi, Malaysia. The MOA was signed between the Langkawi Development Agency and Pekan Artisan, a tourism resort and high-impact attraction developer based in Malaysia that specializes in eco-tourism and projects that demand a high level of cultural and historical integrity. Pekan Artisan is the sister company to U.S.-based Artisan Design, a tourism and attraction design and development company founded by Robert Wyatt.The high profile launch event was witnessed by senior Malaysian government officials and covered extensively by Malaysian media.Langkawi, an archipelago...

Appuga Releases Carbon Footprinting Tool

MADRID, SPAIN—Appuga, the newly created company that offers environmental technology solutions, has recently released CO2 Pro, a tool which seeks to make it easier for any organization to perform a carbon footprint calculation. It is a mobile application, or app, which is available for the iOS and Android operating systems.The application requires the user to consider seven categories which make up the lifecycle of a company’s activities and which can have an impact on the environment.The resulting calculation makes it possible to know the environmental situation of a company, and as such, to set better objectives and establish policies...