Ashley Halligan, an analyst who regularly reports on sustainability issues, recently published an article defining and breaking down the idea of net zero building. Beginning with an agreed-upon definition from experts she interviewed, she explains, "Net zero indicates that a building has generated at least as much power as it has consumed over a 12-month benchmarking period--which allows for seasonality to be factored into the measurement." She interviewed several experts including, Brian Anderson, Founding Partner of Anderson Porter Design, Dru B. Crawley, former Commercial Buildings Team Lead for the Department of Energy and current Director of Building Performance at Bentley Systems,...

LAS VEGAS—For the second consecutive year, Caesars Entertainment Corp. is sponsoring Dartmouth College’s Big Green Bus tour across America. The converted Greyhound bus, operated by students, will run on recycled waste vegetable oil (WVO) as it travels the country educating individuals on best sustainability practices. The 11-week, 12,000-mile journey will take the 13 students across 24 states and will make refueling stops at Caesars resorts including Harrah’s Cherokee Casino (June 26), Harrah’s Tunica Casino (July 1), Harrah’s New Orleans Casino (July 3), Harrah’s Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino (July 14), Flamingo Las Vegas (July 19), Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Casino (July 24),...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced the introduction of a new range of reclaimed old-growth Douglas-fir flooring, according to Viridian co-owner Joe Mitchoff. Available in four varieties—nail-edge, mixed-grain, vertical (VG) and rustic—Viridian’s Doug-fir collection is reclaimed from beams salvaged from abandoned warehouses, docks and old gymnasiums, among other sources, and is derived from some of the company’s most mature raw-material sources.“This old-growth Doug-fir is in a class by itself, with very tight grain—new lumber cannot compare,” Mitchoff said. “Even our mixed-grain Doug-fir gets mistaken for what passes for today’s vertical-grain. Architects and designers who want the old-growth look but demand...

NATIONAL REPORT—As posted on Green Lodging News last week, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with 23 leading global hospitality companies, launched a methodology to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings in a consistent and transparent way. The methodology, called “HCMI 1.0,” is expected to be primarily used by the meetings industry, according to Christopher Brophy, vice president-corporate sustainability, MGM Resorts International.Not included in the announcement about HCMI 1.0 was the methodology itself.“Anyone who wants the methodology can currently request it through either the World...

RIO DE JANEIRO—At the RIO+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Marriott International, Inc. and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) announced a partnership to support new environmentally-sustainable hotel development in growth markets in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The partnership stands to generate millions of dollars in OPIC financing for Marriott hotel projects internationally, demonstrating a shared commitment to the environment and investment in these emerging economies. According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently concluded between the two parties, OPIC will make long-term loans to the third-party owners of the hotels,...

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—The GBTA Foundation, the education and research foundation of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), announced the expansion of Project ICARUS, the first global travel management sustainability body, representing the interests of the global travel and meetings industry. Project ICARUS will include recognition and awards programs highlighting leading organizations in sustainability and a Global Advisory board with representatives from buyers, suppliers, academics and subject matter experts from Europe, North America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand and Latin America to provide expertise, leadership and guidance on sustainability.“Sustainability is an issue of strategic importance for corporations and organizations in the business travel...

AKRON, OH—GOJO Industries, Inc. has introduced its new GOJO LTX touch-free soap dispenser. LTX is a dispensing system designed using life cycle assessment principles. The LTX Dispensing System for GOJO soap and next-generation PURELL Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer is engineered to be a reliable and easy-to-service touch-free soap dispenser while offering sustainable design and operation. Life Cycle Assessment calculates and tracks the environmental impact of a product throughout its life. The decisions GOJO made when designing the LTX touch-free soap dispenser led to a reduction in life cycle impacts, including reduced smog emissions by 62 percent, global warming gases by...

LONDON—The International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), in collaboration with 23 leading global hospitality companies, today launched a methodology to calculate and communicate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings in a consistent and transparent way. The group saw an opportunity to improve how the hotel industry communicates its impacts. Currently, approaches to measuring and reporting on carbon emissions vary widely. This can lead to confusion amongst consumers, particularly corporate clients, looking to understand their own potential carbon footprint and meet their own goals/targets in this area. In addition, the number of methodologies...

LAS VEGAS—Crystals at CityCenter has earned the VIVA “Best-of-the-Best” designation by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Crystals is one of only three 2012 VIVA (Vision, Innovation, Value and Achievement) award winners in the world.“The VIVA ‘Best-of-the-Best’ award honors and recognizes the most outstanding examples of shopping center design and development, sustainability, marketing, and community service worldwide,” ICSC said in a statement.“Crystals is an integral part of CityCenter and was created with a vision to bring a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip,” said...

SAINT-GEORGES, QUEBEC—Victor, Designtex, and Steelcase announced a collaborative effort with Unifi to initiate a program to recycle textile industry waste back into fiber and yarn that will be used in first quality fabrics, creating a closed loop process. In an effort to drive sustainable innovation, these companies are establishing a program whereby fabric waste from pre-approved Victor products at Steelcase’s Athens, Alabama panel manufacturing facility will be segregated, collected, and sent to Unifi’s REPREVE Recycling Center in North Carolina to be recycled into fiber and yarn. This yarn will be sent to Victor to be woven into new products...