NEW YORK—Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, a pioneer and leader in sustainable luxury hospitality, is embarking on an era of expansion, announcing five new-build properties across five countries. All are scheduled for completion by 2016. The new additions will include the brand’s Western Hemisphere debut, with properties under development in St. Lucia, Dominican Republic and Colombia; its first presence in Bhutan, and the opening of Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain, China at the end of 2013.The significant growth of the distinctive brand comes to fruition under new leadership, with Wolf Hengst as executive chairman and Neil Jacobs as CEO...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has joined forces with Clean the World Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used soap and bottled amenities from hotels, to offer AH&LA members an exclusive additional 5 percent discount per room.More than 1,700 hotels across North America currently participate in the program. Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 12 million bars of soap to homeless shelters and in countries suffering from high death rates due to acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease, the top killers of children under the age of five.Properties that participate...

VANCOUVER, CANADA—Led by the Sustainable Tourism Unit and with the support of Small Planet Consulting, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism recently launched their first-ever birding tourism development plan. The preparation of the plan was championed by Earlston McPhee, head of the Sustainable Tourism Unit. McPhee is well known for his work for more than 25 years in promoting sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean and around the world.The Bahamas depends heavily on its natural environment and has taken many steps to protect it. The country is one of the first in the world to establish a Sustainable Tourism Unit...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its lists of the top organizations within the Green Power Partnership using the most renewable electricity. In the Top 50 there is just one lodging company represented—Hilton Worldwide at No. 14. Ninety-four percent of the electricity purchased annually by Hilton is green power (315,000,000 kWh). Hilton’s green power resources include small-hydro and wind.Intel Corp. continues to hold the first spot on the list as the largest single user of green power and has increased its green power usage by more than 300 million kWh annually. With this increase, Intel Corporation now...

SPRINGFIELD, MO.—Undergraduate students currently enrolled in I-CHRIE member hospitality and culinary programs are invited to submit proposals for papers to be presented as poster sessions at the 2013 I-CHRIE Central Federation’s Hospitality Research Symposium. Submissions may address any of the following topics: Sustainability and  Environmental Responsibility in the Hospitality Industry, Culinary Arts (Food Trends, Regional Cuisines, Product Development); and Hospitality Management (Finance, Operations Management, Concept Development, Marketing, Management, Organizational Behavior, and Ethics).Authors from four-year schools must be juniors or seniors and authors from two-year culinary schools must be in their second year of study. Proposals will undergo a review...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute announced the winning documentaries of the second annual Hilton Worldwide LightStay Sustainability Award program. Selected by the Institute’s Documentary Film Program and Fund with Hilton Worldwide, the feature film Revolutionary Optimists will receive $22,500, as will the in-process category winner, Hungry; Studio H will receive $15,000 for honorable mention; and the short film Jungle Fish will receive $5,000. The prizes will be presented at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at an invitation-only panel discussion with directors of the winning films for Revolutionary Optimists, Hungry and Studio H, with moderator and film writer, David...

SEQUIM, WASH.—Taking the concept of existing-structure “recycling” to heart, Olaf and Charlotte Protze have built a thriving bed and breakfast business out of retired cabooses. The Red Caboose Getaway B&B, located in Sequim, Wash., offers accommodations in six luxuriously renovated train cars that the owners have had transported from various U.S. locations. The couple have three additional cabooses on their three acre property that are currently undergoing renovation.Olaf and Charlotte had long enjoyed visiting B&Bs and eventually fell in love with the idea of staying in renovated railcars. “Most are very rustic,” Olaf says. “I thought we could do...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced a sponsorship arrangement with The Paulson Institute, which is partnering with the China Association of Mayors to enhance urban sustainability practices and policies in China. The collaboration signifies Hyatt’s commitment to furthering China’s sustainable urban growth and underscores Hyatt’s commitment to local contributions that tackle global issues.Jointly developed by The Paulson Institute and China Association of Mayors, the Chinese Mayors Urban Sustainability Training Program, to be launched in 2013, is a three-week intensive training in the United States and China, aiming to provide practical knowledge to Chinese municipal leaders on enhancing sustainability efforts.“The success of...

WILMINGTON, MASS.—Altro, a manufacturer of interior surfaces such as safety flooring, has teamed up with Green Mountain Energy to completely offset 100 percent of the electricity used in all of its facilities in both the United States and Canada. This partnership allows Altro to offset its carbon emissions from its electrical consumption by investing in wind farms across the country.Each wind farm is capable of producing around 150 megawatts of power, enough energy to power 120,000 average U.S. homes. Each megawatt of wind power has the potential to prevent approximately 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The 8th Annual Sustainable Meetings Conference 2013, organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), convenes in Chicago April 7 to 10, 2013 at McCormick Place West Hall. The West Building is the largest new-construction facility in the country to be LEED certified and McCormick Place is committed to initiatives designed to conserve energy, protect vital resources and promote ecologically-efficient policies and procedures.The annual GMIC conference is the pivot point for the thought leaders, decision-makers, and hands-on practitioners who are working to transform the global meetings industry through sustainable meeting practices. The entire event, from education sessions to...