ISLANDS OF LORETO, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO—When the Danzante Golf Course opens at the Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto on February 14, it will operate with the least amount of environmental impact possible. The 7,400-yard Rees Jones-designed course on the Islands of Loreto, Baja California Sur in Mexico, was designed to work with the natural beauty and serenity of its surrounding environment. Where possible, plants that were removed during the construction of the course were transplanted and relocated throughout the golf course to maintain native landscaping. Those plants that were unable to be transplanted were used...

FRANCONIA, N.H.—The Gale River Motel, located in Franconia, N.H., has completed the installation of a photovoltaic roof-top array which will provide energy to satisfy the year-round electrical demand of the property. The 52-panel system has a peak power of 13.8 kW and is expected to produce a yearly total of 15,220 kW.The system will be directly wired into the power grid by means of an AC inverter that will allow electricity to flow to and from the power grid as necessary. During periods when the energy produced exceeds the demand of the motel, power will flow into the grid...

NEW YORK—With hotels filled to capacity as families celebrate the holiday season and new year in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that 16 major hotels are joining the NYC Carbon Challenge, another significant expansion of the partnership between the City and private and institutional sector leaders who have committed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their buildings by 30 percent or more in the next 10 years.This expansion marks a major commitment by the city’s hotels to help New York City reach its goal of dramatically reducing emissions from buildings (which make up nearly three-quarters...

LAS VEGAS—The city of Las Vegas and NV Energy announced a new partnership that has potential to take the city to a new level of environmental sustainability by becoming a leader in renewable energy. Upon approval of a filing to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and ratification by the Las Vegas City Council, this partnership will dedicate to city operations a portion of energy produced by a local solar facility that is currently in development. The energy dedicated from this solar facility, coupled with the power the city receives from NV Energy that already satisfies Nevada’s renewable portfolio...

LAS VEGAS—Caesars Foundation, a private foundation funded by resorts owned or operated by the Caesars Entertainment company group, in collaboration with Clean the World, the largest global recycler of hotel amenities, announced the successful distribution of soap to 1,000 families across Guatemala in December 2015. The soap was hand-delivered to families by three Caesars employee contest winners, who were chosen to participate in the trip after being recognized for their leadership in community service.The contest winners returned from the week-long trip on December 5, during which time they distributed soap to families at community centers and home visits in...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) welcomes the agreement reached following COP21 in Paris, which binds the world’s governments to report openly on their plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. While this agreement does not set specific targets it does oblige governments to be transparent about the policies they put in place to address the challenge of climate change.  The travel and tourism sector has long been acknowledging its responsibility to ensure its growth is sustainable and inclusive. WTTC estimates travel and tourism to grow by 3.5 percent in 2015,...

CINCINNATI—The Procter & Gamble Co. released its 17th annual sustainability report, detailing the progress it is making to reduce its environmental footprint and improve social conditions for those in need.The report reinforces the company’s commitment to operating sustainably and details the progress against the company’s long-term vision of producing products that consumers love while maximizing the conservation of resources, powering all its plants with 100 percent renewable energy, using 100 percent renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging and having zero consumer and manufacturing waste go to landfill.The report highlights P&G’s recent efforts to address climate change,...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide announced it has been named to The Climate “A” List by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for its actions on mitigating climate change in this past year. Wyndham Worldwide raised its Climate Disclosure Leadership Index performance score—a measure of a company’s transparency on climate-related disclosures—to an all-time high, receiving a score of 98. This is the company’s second consecutive year recognized as a performance leader.The CDP is the world’s largest global environmental disclosure system and evaluates how companies are managing and reducing their carbon footprints.“Our progress continues to earn us industry distinctions that recognize our diligent...

Name: Andrea PinabellTitle: Vice President Sustainability, Global Citizenship Company: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Years with Starwood: Four Primary responsibilities: “My primary role is to reduce Starwood’s overall impact while helping to support the business. Additionally, it is my role to find best practices and scale them around the world.” Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “One of the most significant has been our 30/20 by 2020 program. We were the first company to include a franchise portfolio within its impact reduction goals.” Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge moving forward: “Finding innovative and creative financing vehicles as we...

STAMFORD, CONN.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced another step in the company’s journey to be more sustainable by launching new, easy-to-use guides to help associates select from a wide variety of pristine catch that protects their local communities and the environment while maintaining and even enhancing the culinary experience for guests at restaurants and food and beverage services around the world.  Created in partnership with the New England Aquarium, and through collaboration across Starwood’s global business units, the back-of-house poster, purchasing pocket guide and supplemental instruction materials guide associates to species they should avoid in their region and...