SPRINGFIELD, MO.—Undergraduate students currently enrolled in I-CHRIE member hospitality and culinary programs are invited to submit proposals for papers to be presented as poster sessions at the 2013 I-CHRIE Central Federation’s Hospitality Research Symposium. Submissions may address any of the following topics: Sustainability and  Environmental Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry, Culinary Arts (Food Trends, Regional Cuisines, Product Development); and Hospitality Management (Finance, Operations Management, Concept Development, Marketing, Management, Organizational Behavior, and Ethics).Authors from four-year schools must be juniors or seniors and authors from two-year culinary schools must be in their second year of study. Proposals will undergo a review...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced the winning documentaries of the second annual Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program. Selected by the Institute’s Documentary Film Program and Fund with Hilton Worldwide, the feature film Revolutionary Optimists will receive $22,500, as will the in-process category winner, Hungry; Studio H will receive $15,000 for honorable mention; and the short film Jungle Fish will receive $5,000. The prizes will be presented at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at an invitation-only panel discussion with directors of the winning films for Revolutionary Optimists, Hungry and Studio H, with moderator and film writer, David...

SEQUIM, WASH.—Taking the concept of existing-structure “recycling” to heart, Olaf and Charlotte Protze have built a thriving bed and breakfast business out of retired cabooses. The Red Caboose Getaway B&B, located in Sequim, Wash., offers accommodations in six luxuriously renovated train cars that the owners have had transported from various U.S. locations. The couple have three additional cabooses on their three acre property that are currently undergoing renovation.Olaf and Charlotte had long enjoyed visiting B&Bs and eventually fell in love with the idea of staying in renovated railcars. “Most are very rustic,” Olaf says. “I thought we could do...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced a sponsorship arrangement with The Paulson Institute, which is partnering with the China Association of Mayors to enhance urban sustainability practices and policies in China. The collaboration signifies Hyatt’s commitment to furthering China’s sustainable urban growth and underscores Hyatt’s commitment to local contributions that tackle global issues.Jointly developed by The Paulson Institute and China Association of Mayors, the Chinese Mayors Urban Sustainability Training Program, to be launched in 2013, is a three-week intensive training in the United States and China, aiming to provide practical knowledge to Chinese municipal leaders on enhancing sustainability efforts.“The success of...

WILMINGTON, MASS.—Altro, a manufacturer of interior surfaces such as safety flooring, has teamed up with Green Mountain Energy to completely offset 100 percent of the electricity used in all of its facilities in both the United States and Canada. This partnership allows Altro to offset its carbon emissions from its electrical consumption by investing in wind farms across the country.Each wind farm is capable of producing around 150 megawatts of power, enough energy to power 120,000 average U.S. homes. Each megawatt of wind power has the potential to prevent approximately 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The 8th Annual Sustainable Meetings Conference 2013, organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), convenes in Chicago April 7 to 10, 2013 at McCormick Place West Hall. The West Building is the largest new-construction facility in the country to be LEED certified and McCormick Place is committed to initiatives designed to conserve energy, protect vital resources and promote ecologically-efficient policies and procedures.The annual GMIC conference is the pivot point for the thought leaders, decision-makers, and hands-on practitioners who are working to transform the global meetings industry through sustainable meeting practices. The entire event, from education sessions to...

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—As part of its commitment to sustainable development, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has released its first public sustainability report. This report has been produced to inform the global hotel group’s guests and stakeholders about the long-term strategy, goals, initiatives and performance relating to sustainability activities across the group.Over the past three years Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts has established a robust and strategic sustainability framework, culminating in the implementation of a global sustainability strategy and infrastructure. To deliver a systematic implementation of this strategy, a web-based integrated sustainability management system has been deployed in all hotels. To ensure consistent...

Stephen Farrant, Director of International Tourism Partnership, reflects back on 20 years of ITP leading the sustainable and responsible agenda in the hotel industry.It was in the wake of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the original Rio Earth Summit) that the International Hotels Environment Initiative, now known as the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), was formed. Over the last two decades, ITP has grown and evolved as part of the International Business Leaders Forum, a not-for-profit registered in the United Kingdom and United States, and with offices in China, India and Russia.Twenty years on, this is...

PHILADELPHIA—Hersha Hospitality Trust, a self-advised Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), announced that the company was selected to receive NAREIT’s 2012 Lodging & Resorts Leader in the Light Award; the highest achievement for lodging and resort REITs in the 2012 award competition. This national award, presented annually by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), recognizes Hersha and its EarthView program for superior and sustained portfolio-wide energy use practices and sustainability initiatives.Steve Wechsler, NAREIT’s CEO, recognized Hersha’s industry leadership in sustainability and presented Jay H. Shah, CEO of Hersha Hospitality Trust, with the Leader in the Light award...

DURHAM, N.H.—The message coming from top name brands is clear: climate change poses a threat to business in the form of increased costs and risks associated with extreme weather. As a result, companies are prioritizing the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower their carbon footprint. The findings are gleaned from nonprofit Climate Counts’ sixth annual scoring release which rates major consumer brands on their approach to climate change. The latest scoring results show that 66 percent of companies rated have publicly available climate and energy strategies, compared to just 25 percent in 2007, the year the...