PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced it has launched a line of paneling derived from reclaimed cedar and redwood fencing, according to Viridian co-owner Pierce Henley.“Robert Frost’s musing verse, ‘good fences make good neighbors’ was the inspiration for our newest product,” Henley said.  “Our pet project to keep old fence boards from going to the landfill has grown into an extensive recycling operation and a gorgeous new paneling line called Good Neighbor.”Available in Weathered Redwood, Fresh-Sawn Redwood and Multi-Toned varieties, Good Neighbor paneling is lightweight and easy to work with.  Good Neighbor Weathered Redwood has been exposed to years of...

DALTON, GA.—Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett Company, has been Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver (v3) for its ethos modular soft surface products from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The Cradle to Cradle design principles provide for continual improvement and innovation around the economic, environmental and social issues of design and use of products. The purpose of the product certification program is to improve the way we design, make, use and reuse products.Tandus Centiva’s ethos is a backing option for Tandus Centiva modular soft surface product platforms. It was developed in 2010 from recycled PVB, which is an abundantly...

NEW YORK—The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Sustainability Committee has added a session entitled, “Measuring Hotel Carbon Footprints Using HCMI Methodology,” to the lineup of sessions at the Hospitality Leadership Forum which leads up to the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS). The session will take place from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. IHMRS will take place at the Javits Center from Sunday, November 9 through Tuesday, November 11.Pat Maher, partner, The Maher Group, LLC, will moderate the panel discussion that will include:...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, continued to demonstrate its leadership in sustainability best practices in 2013, reducing its operationally controlled asset water usage globally by 16 percent per square foot and its carbon emissions by 13 percent per square foot from the 2010 baseline. In the company’s fourth year of formal sustainability reporting, its 2013 Sustainability Responsibility Report details its strong commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Wyndham Worldwide is one of the first hospitality companies to use the progressive G4 Sustainability Reporting Structure to report its economic, environmental and social performance.“Our...

ST. MICHAEL, BARBADOS—Seven destinations in the Caribbean & Central America region will receive support to enhance the long-term viability of their tourism sectors. The Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas (SDAA) announced its first seven destination partners: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Honduras, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.This announcement was made during the Organization of American States’ 22nd Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism in Barbados.“Sustainable tourism development is considered a driving force for development of the local economy and well-being of Nicaraguan families, as well as for raising awareness of the importance of protection of...

PHOENIX—Lookout Mountain Golf Club at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix has received certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP), an international program administered by Audubon International designed to help landowners preserve and enhance the environmental quality of their property. The plan was developed by Paul Smith, Golf Course Superintendent, who is also recognized for his effort to plan for environmental stewardship.The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses provides an advisory service to help existing golf courses develop effective conservation and wildlife enhancement programs. This worldwide effort is coordinated by...

SAN FRANCISCO—Tens of thousands of Californians, including a pledge of 1,000 California Fairmont Hotels & Resorts colleagues, friends and family members, will volunteer to remove debris from the coast, creeks, rivers, lakes and shorelines all around California protecting wildlife from harm while taking care of the environment. The event, the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, will take place on Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to noon in most locations.In 2013, close to 65,000 volunteers state-wide removed 674,234 pounds of trash and an additional 75,089 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 749,323 pounds or 375 tons...

BONN, GERMANY—Deutsche Post DHL, the leading postal and logistics group, reached another milestone of its environmental protection program GoGreen: More than 60 percent of its global electricity demand is now generated from renewable sources. Over the past two years, the company increased its green electricity share by half—from 42 percent in 2012 to over 60 percent by 2014. Deutsche Post DHL currently utilizes 90 percent green electricity in Germany, the United States, Great Britain, Ireland and France. These improvements are part of a holistic concept of the company with the aim to reduce the environmental impact of its business:...

SINGAPORE—Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announced that the company has joined the fight in reversing the rapid decline in the shark population, signaling its commitment towards sustainable seafood sourcing. Reaffirming its commitment to operate as a responsible business, the company will stop serving shark fin at its leased and managed hotels and food and beverage establishments across Asia Pacific beginning September 1, 2014. This initiative marks the 11th anniversary of Carlson Rezidor’s Responsible Business Month, where its hotels are encouraged to take action by championing activities that benefit the local community and the environment.An estimated 100 million sharks are killed...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—The Hawaiian Islands represent a wide diversity of ecosystems and environments, including areas of breathtaking natural beauty as well as densely populated coastal cities. These unique environments are already changing under the influence of climate change from the effects of increasing temperatures, decreasing rainfall, rising seas, coastal erosion, land use and development changes, and increasing demands on natural resources. What can we expect in the future, and how can we best prepare? A new report titled, “Climate Change Impacts in Hawaii: A summary of climate change and its impacts to Hawaii’s ecosystems and communities,” produced by the University...