NATIONAL REPORT—The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte in North Carolina has one. So does the Hilton San Francisco Financial District, Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco-Union Square, and Boston’s Seaport Hotel. All Element Hotels properties have them. A TownePlace Suites by Marriott being constructed in Frederick, Md., will soon have one, as well as the Sleeping Lady Resort in Leavenworth, Wash. What these properties all have or will have is at least one electric vehicle (EV) charging station. EV charging stations are still extremely rare at lodging properties but they are beginning to pop up across the United States as an increasing number...

HOUSTON—Choice Energy Services, a retail energy consultant and broker, announced it has completed a two-year contract to provide the new Trump SoHo Hotel with 100 percent green power. The contract offsets the hotel’s carbon footprint and delivers substantial cost savings for the newest property in the Trump Hotel Collection. Opened in February 2010, the luxury property did not have substantive historical usage data to inform the procurement process. Even without a detailed usage profile, Choice was able to tap its network of more than 20 suppliers in the New York City region and leverage its extensive knowledge of the wholesale...

ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Gap Adventures, and Planeterra have partnered to assess the underlying costs and benefits of sustainable tourism for the country of Belize. The partnership kicks off with a project involving a team of Cornell graduate students in the Sustainable Global Enterprise Immersion program, who are working with the Belize Tourism Board to measure the social, economic, and environmental costs of tourism development. “Tourism brings large financial resources to countries around the world, but it is without a true understanding of the capital and operating costs to make...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—With the prices of cotton continuing to rise dramatically around the world, Valley Forge Fabrics announced that it would lock in pricing for its Tencel+Plus through the end of the year. There have been several factors that have influenced the cotton price surge including flooding in Pakistan and China, stockpiling from cotton yarn suppliers in China, and the emerging middle class economies in Asia, India and South America. Valley Forge has been able to secure long-term fiber contracts with Lenzing Fibers of Austria; the sole producer of Tencel+Plus Lyocell fiber from Eucalyptus. These long term contracts ensure more...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood is switching off on March 26—but just for one hour, and for a great cause. The global hospitality leader will once again join the worldwide movement of people and businesses planning to turn off the lights for Earth Hour 2011 in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common—our planet. This year will mark Starwood’s third annual participation in Earth Hour, making it one of the biggest companies to create a statement with a voluntary hour of darkness. Hundreds of hotels in the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. portfolio will take part...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC), is a one-of-a-kind annual conference focusing on sustainable business strategies and solutions that inspire innovative change in the global tourism industry. This year, the ESTC is co-hosted by the Hilton Head Island (Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau) and being held on Hilton Head Island, S.C., from September 19 to 21, at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. Organized by TIES (The International Ecotourism Society), a 20-year-old leading industry association dedicated to promoting tourism as a viable tool for sustainable development, the ESTC serves as an industry-wide platform to...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte became the first urban hotel in the Southeast to offer a permanently-installed Level II charging station for use by guests driving electric vehicles. The new multi-power station is located in the front drive of the LEED Gold-certified property, is complimentary to hotel guests, and supports the hotel’s commitment to environmentally-friendly practices and operations. The launch of the new Ritz-Carlton plug-in charging station was highlighted by the on-site presence of a Li-Ion Motors Inizio all-electric supercar, designed and built in nearby Mooresville, N.C. Li-Ion Motors is also the creator of the all-electric Wave II, which was on...

TORONTO—Keeping with its commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will participate for the fourth consecutive year in Earth Hour, a global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about climate change. On Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 8:30 p.m. local time, all of Fairmont’s 64 world-class hotels and resorts will participate by turning off their lights for one hour. “Climate change impacts us all and is an issue we must address collectively,” said Chris Cahill, president, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. “We continually encourage our hotels to be innovative with their energy conservation...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Greenview as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Greenview provides expertise to organizations interested in publishing a sustainability report. The company can advise on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, manage the reporting process, analyze and format data, write the report, and engage stakeholders as well. Greenview’s goal is to advance sustainable development within the hospitality industry by increasing the presence of sustainability reporting, measuring, and metrics. According to Greenview, sustainability reporting is becoming more important. Environmental and social issues are increasingly considered by clients and guests...

MADRID, SPAIN—Produced in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism chapter of the United Nations Environment Program-led (UNEP) Green Economy Report demonstrates how investing in environmentally-friendly tourism can drive economic growth, lead to poverty reduction and job creation, while improving resource efficiency and minimizing environmental degradation. Tourism is one of the most promising drivers of growth for the world economy, according to the report, but its development is accompanied by sustainability-related challenges. An investment of 0.2.% of global GDP ($135 billion at current levels of GDP) per year between now and 2050 would allow the tourism...