NATIONAL REPORT—On September 14, 2010, ISO 26000, which gives organizations guidance on implementing social responsibility (SR), was approved for publication as an ISO International Standard. Its target release date is November 1, 2010. The publishing of ISO26000 will prove to be a tipping point in worldwide implementation of SR practices. Up until now there has been no “official” definition or framework for social responsibility. So what does it all mean for the hotel industry? For those hotel groups that already have SR or corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs in place, it offers a definitive guideline for benchmarking and gap analysis....

GUANGZHOU, CHINA—The official 2010 World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations held in Guangzhou, China, underscore the need for increased action by the global tourism sector—as one of the world’s leading economic activities—towards the preservation of biological diversity. Jointly organized by UNWTO, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) and Guangdong Province, WTD celebrations brought together government representatives from around the world, leading biodiversity researchers, and private industry representatives. A High Level Dialogue on Tourism, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development was convened as the central event of WTD, under the 2010 WTD theme “Tourism and Biodiversity,” to coincide with the UN International Year of...

SAN FRANCISCO—The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) joined California business leaders earlier this month to launch a 2010-2012 Zero Net Energy Action Plan designed to help California commercial building owners take advantage of the latest technologies and financial incentives to help reduce building energy use to “net-zero” through greater efficiency and on-site clean energy production.“This is an innovative action plan to transform the state’s commercial buildings into clean energy powered, energy-efficient structures by 2030,” said CPUC commissioner Dian M. Grueneich. “Zero net energy isn’t just a big, bold goal—it’s a reality today. By tapping into the innovation and entrepreneurialism...

BLOOMINGTON, IND.—The Ashkin Group, which has long been a leading advocate for green cleaning and sustainable practices in the professional cleaning industry, announces the launch of their new company website. The site, www.AshkinGroup.com, was built under the direction of Elizabeth Crosbie, marketing director for The Ashkin Group. According to Stephen Ashkin, the Ashkin Group’s president, the new site is a reflection of the industry’s evolution from green cleaning to an increased emphasis on sustainability.  “As we did with green cleaning, we are increasing our emphasis on sustainability so we can play a leadership role in this evolution as well,” said Ashkin. According...

NEW YORK—Savvy travelers looking for sustainable vacation options in Latin America and the Caribbean can now find them by logging on to SustainableTrip.org, an online search engine launched by the Rainforest Alliance. SustainableTrip.org is a database of hotels, tour operators and other businesses (such as restaurants) in Latin America and the Caribbean that have been certified by a sustainable tourism certification program, verified by the Rainforest Alliance, or recommended as being sustainable by a reputable organization. The site is available in three languages—English, as SustainableTrip.org; Spanish, as ViajeSostenible.org; and French, as VoyageResponsable.org.  “SustainableTrip.org is a valuable, unique resource in that it...

ITHACA, N.Y.—Putting sustainable ideas into practice will be a top focus of the Cornell Hospitality Research Summit (CHRS), scheduled for October 6 to 8, 2010, on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, N.Y. Breakout sessions will cover both sustainable design and sustainable operation, with a focus on the specific areas where sustainability can be most effective. Presenters will share their first-hand experiences with sustainable hospitality practices. Building on his firm’s 150-plus years of experience in innovation, Paul Hamilton, Schneider Electric’s senior vice president for Energy Efficiency, will focus on the immediate and long-term risks and challenges to implementing energy saving...

BANGKOK—Soneva Fushi’s 70-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant system has achieved eight months of successful operation. It is the largest renewable energy plant currently operating in the Maldives, a country that has brought international attention to the issue of global warming and rising sea levels. Soneva Fushi is Six Senses’ flagship resort. “This is a significant first step in achieving our commitment of a net zero carbon footprint for Soneva Fushi by 2012 as well as supporting the carbon reduction goals of the Maldives government,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and chairman of Six Senses. “We are hoping that our example...

NEW YORK— Recognizing that climate change is at a critical juncture, Designtex has cemented its commitment to operate as a carbon-neutral company. The New York-based textile and surface solutions company announced that it has reduced the greenhouse gas footprint of its operations to net zero. “I am pleased to say that we have reduced or offset 100 percent of the CO2 emissions from all of our facilities,” said Tom Hamilton, president and CEO of Designtex. “In addition, we are offsetting all of Designtex’s business travel, employee commuting, and all product shipments into and out of our warehouse.” Since the mid-1990s, Designtex...

TORONTO—The Carbon Accounting Company has officially launched Green Hotels Global, a standardized, comprehensive online source of information on the environmental performance of hotels worldwide. Standardized metrics and data on participating hotel properties are available free of charge to meeting/event planners and corporate travel professionals. Each hotel property receives an online portal to enter monthly data from utility and fuel bills, water usage, waste disposal, air-conditioning fugitive gases, employee travel and commute, and supplier purchases. Using international environmental protocols, the online tool then automatically calculates that hotel’s current environmental metrics on a per-room-night and square foot basis, and provides that data...

COHOES, N.Y.—Mohawk remains one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 50 Green Power Partners, currently ranking as No. 32 on the list, as well as ranking number nine on the list of 100 percent Green Power Purchasers. Mohawk joins other leading renewable energy purchasers such as Intel Corp., Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Inc., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force, and City of Dallas.  EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 partner organizations to voluntarily purchase green power, reducing the environmental impacts of conventional electricity...