SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA—More than 200 journalists, advocates, and world leaders in ecotourism came together in November for the Fourth Annual International Conference on Sustainable Tourism. Hosted by the Costa Rica National Chamber of Ecotourism (CANAECO) and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), the P3 event (Planet, People, Peace) covered environmental issues for the future of tourism and sustainable practices. Held in San Jose, Costa Rica, P3 brought together members of the media and 25 experts in the fields of technology, tourism, sustainability, conservation, and environmental studies. “The major goal of the conference,” said CANAECO president, Glenn Jampol, “was to convene...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added a Verdafero case study to its Vendor Case Studies section. The case study details the implementation of the MyVerdafero—Utility Optimization Software Platform at the Hilton Concord in Concord, Calif. To help hotel management gain greater transparency into the impact of their sustainability initiatives, Verdafero, a San Francisco provider of SaaS software and services, worked alongside Hilton Concord management and Hotel Sustainability Solutions, Inc. (HSSI), to implement their software platform at the hotel. HSSI, a consulting firm providing comprehensive expertise and management of integrated sustainability systems, technologies...

HONG KONG—In recognition of Shangri-La Asia Limited’s corporate sustainability leadership, the company has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). It is the only hotel group to be included in the index component within Asia Pacific and it is the first time Shangri-La has been made a constituent.Launched in 1999, the DJSI track the financial performance of leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide. The annual DJSI, compiled by Dow Jones and RobecoSAM Group, assess a company’s corporate sustainability performance from the economic, environmental and social development aspects. This year, DJSI reviewed 2,500 companies around the world and 333 companies...

TROY, OHIO—The Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS), a nonprofit, industry-wide forum supporting the foodservice industry’s drive for sustainable equipment and design, is currently accepting applications for its annual $5,000 sustainability grant. The 2013 HCFS grant recipient was Duluth Grill in Duluth, Minn. The grant, now in its seventh year, is awarded to the individual or organization judged to have the best-executed foodservice or grocery sustainability project of the year. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. ET on February 28, 2014, and the recipient will be announced in mid-April. The grant application form as well as rules and conditions...

CARTERSVILLE, GA.—Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has installed solar panels on the roof of its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Ga. The installation is expected to produce approximately 1.4 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of power annually—enough to power approximately 100 homes in Georgia each year. Feeding into the Georgia Power electric grid, Shaw will use this renewable energy to help power its Plant 15 (also known as Plant X), a facility that produces carpet tile for the commercial market.“Within Shaw’s holistic approach to sustainability, we continually explore opportunities to improve energy efficiency and employ renewable and alternative energy sources,”...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Sustainable Travel International announced collaboration on a platform for sustainable destinations worldwide. The new joint program includes networking opportunities through the GSTC’s Destination Membership, and Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Destination Leadership Network (SDLN). These programs, which are now available at a combined price, provide destinations with an opportunity for learning, idea sharing, advocacy, and collaboration on a global scale. “Collaboration is the essence of sustainable tourism,” stressed Mauro Marrocu, CEO of GSTC. “Partnering in areas of common interest and responsibility will increase each organization’s ability to achieve its mission, and will increase...

LONDON—InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced its Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) results, charting substantial improvements in both its Disclosure Score and Performance Rating. The CDP results, which were released in October 2013, saw IHG achieve an overall score of 85B in the Climate Change submission for 2013—a significant rise from its 2010 score of 54C.  IHG’s substantial improvements this year have been driven primarily by the success of IHG’s Green Engage program, an online system that tracks the use of energy, carbon, water and the management of waste in properties along with the associated costs. It comprises more than 200...

LAS VEGAS—Green Chips, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing Nevada's sustainability identity, has launched a Community Web Portal to inspire collaborative initiatives among Southern Nevada's businesses, municipalities, organizations and citizens. The site will also function as a resource for individuals and businesses looking to be informed on, and connect with all areas of sustainability.“Sustainability is a multifaceted subject and all areas need to be represented to help our community grow,” said Rick Van Diepen, Executive Director of Green Chips. “We have developed this community portal, with underwriting from the Caesars Foundation, to become the pre-eminent resource for businesses and individuals...

NEW YORK—At the 2013 Boutique Design New York (BDNY) Conference, MindClick Global, a leader in supply chain sustainability performance and sourcing solutions, and Marriott International announced the next phase in their partnership to green the hospitality industry supply chain. “We are excited to announce a 50 percent increase in supplier participation of the MindClick Global Sustainability Index program in just two months, which places us on target to achieve Marriott’s goal of spending 75 percent of our furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) dollars by yearend 2013,” said Dave Lippert, vice president, Architecture  & Construction Procurement, Marriott International. “With the...

NEW YORK—Designtex announced that Susan Lyons, president of Designtex, will be honored as a Legacy Innovator at the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s inaugural Innovation Celebration event, which will be held in New York on November 15 to recognize leaders in product design innovation as they create better products for our world.This award recognizes Lyons’s pioneering role as a passionate but practically minded advocate for environmental sustainability in textile design. In 1993, Lyons, then Creative Director of Designtex, began to research the possibility of developing a collection of ecological fabrics. But at that time no one knew exactly...