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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

ITHACA, N.Y.—The international hotel and restaurant industry has been working toward sustainability in operations, and industry executives are making every effort to report their sustainability results. At the 2012 Cornell Hospitality Research Summit (CHRS), several presenters offered their analysis of both sustainability strategies and related reporting approaches. The sustainability presentations are summarized in a new conference proceedings, “Toward Sustainable Hotel and Restaurant Operations,” by Glenn Withiam. The proceedings document is available at no charge from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, where Withiam is director of publications.Much of the research presented at the CHRS addressed the conflicting messages that...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab released its 2012 Sustainability Report, which highlights how the company helps customers in the food, healthcare, hospitality, energy and industrial markets reduce environmental impacts, operate efficiently and improve safety. The report also details Ecolab’s performance in line with its operating principles, which encompass economic progress, environmental stewardship, safety and social responsibility.“Sustainability is core to Ecolab’s purpose to make the world cleaner, safer and healthier,” said Ecolab chairman and CEO Douglas M. Baker, Jr. “Our true impact is realized by helping customers meet sustainability goals at more than one million locations worldwide. Our team of more than...