TROY, OHIO—The Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability (HCFS) has awarded a $5,000 grant to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, in recognition of foodservice sustainability initiatives that educate and benefit visitors to the conservatory as well as the Pittsburgh community. This marks the fifth year for the HCFS grant, which is awarded to a business or organization judged to have the best-executed foodservice sustainability project. “It’s very encouraging to hear about sustainability projects taking place across North America in foodservice operations of K-12 schools, colleges and universities, businesses, healthcare facilities, and community and nonprofit organizations,” said Rick Cartwright, vice...

LAS VEGAS—NEWH Inc.—the Hospitality Industry Network is partnering with the 2012 Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) to bring a series of green programming to the annual tradeshow at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, May 15 to 17.The premier event is the Green Voice Luncheon: The Sustainable Design Competition Awards and Green Panel Discussion with the Experts, which will take place on Tuesday, May 15, from noon until 1:30 pm. Panelists include Herve Houdre, general manager, Intercontinental Barclay, New York, a noted author and speaker on sustainable lodging practices; Kathryn Fernholz, executive director, Dovetail Partners,...

CANMORE, ALBERTA—Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, based out of Calgary with properties located in Canmore, Kicking Horse and the Okanagan Valley, officially joined the EcoStay Program. Guests now have the opportunity to completely neutralize the impact of their stay on the environment. Bellstar Hotels & Resorts, with a collection of unique boutique condo resorts, is one of the fastest growing resort management and development companies in Western Canada. EcoStay is a national initiative that helps hotels measure their carbon footprint, identify and fund reduction strategies and balance off their greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsetting. Under the program, Bellstar’s...

ORLANDO—Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, announced the launch of the Wyndham Million Trees Project, an initiative to plant one million trees throughout national forests in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees.As part of the Wyndham Green sustainability program to reduce the company’s environmental impact around the globe, owners, guests and associates at more than 150 Club Wyndham and WorldMark by Wyndham resorts and 10 corporate offices are being encouraged to contribute to the cause.“The Wyndham...

SHELBURNE, VERMONT—Using data on 46,000 U.S. hotels provided by Northstar Travel Media, and building energy data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, sustainability technology company Brighter Planet has applied its own lodging model to determine the best and worst performing hotel chains when it comes to energy efficiency and carbon footprints. Brighter Planet’s model predicts natural gas, fuel oil, district heat, and electricity use based on local climate, number of rooms, number of floors, construction year, and air-conditioning coverage, and adjusts for the presence of various amenities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, and minibars.Matt Kling, science analyst for...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces the release of their Criteria for Destinations. The criteria are a set of guiding principles and performance indicators designed to lead destination managers, communities, and businesses on a path to sustainability: maximizing social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits while minimizing negative impacts. The Destination Criteria complement the existing GSTC Criteria for Hotels and Tour Operators, which have become a worldwide standard for tourism sustainability.“While many destinations have been impacted by unsustainable development in the past, more and more destinations are now realizing the importance of sustainable tourism and are seeking outside...

ITHACA, N.Y.—A new tool from the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration gives hotel operators specific strategies for explaining their sustainability efforts to customers, employees, investors, and other stakeholders. The hospitality industry has taken great strides toward sustainability, but in many cases those initiatives go unnoticed, or (worse) unheeded. The new tool offers a framework for creating a communications strategy to publicize and promote a hotel’s green operations. The tool, “Telling Your Hotel’s ‘Green’ Story: Developing an Effective Communication Strategy to Convey Environmental Values,” co-written by Daphne Jameson and Judi Brownell, contains...

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA—Trinidad and Tobago will host the next Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in 2013, the CTO has announced. In a symbolic passing of the “baton,” Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Tourism, Raye Sandy, received the CTO Sustainable Tourism Mahogany Scroll from Guyana’s Tourism Minister, the Honorable Irfaan Ali at the closing of STC-13 on April 18, confirming Trinidad and Tobago as host of the 14th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development (STC-14). “We are truly honored to host STC-14 in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Raye Sandy. “We look forward...

PARIS—With 40,000 new rooms created every year, Accor intends to combine development with growth that respects the environment and local communities, by involving all of its hotels and customers in a new sustainable development program—PLANET 21. The name is a direct reference to Agenda 21, the environmental action plan signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and reminds one of the urgent concerns that face the planet in the 21st century and the need to change methods of production and consumption patterns to preserve human beings and eco-systems.With PLANET 21, Accor is making 21 commitments and the same...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced the introduction of  “American Classics,” a new line of reclaimed red oak, white oak and rustic oak solid-plank hardwood flooring, according to Viridian co-owner Joe Mitchoff. Like Viridian’s other flooring lines, the oak is derived from industrial shipping crates. These domestic hardwoods are reclaimed from the southeastern United States and are milled in Portland, Ore.“This red and white oak provides a uniquely sustainable option for classic North American species, with a hint of character to let you know its reclaimed,” Mitchoff said. “And the rustic option provides a vintage look with saw marks, nail...