CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has just added a new case study to its website. The case study focuses on Shaw Hospitality Group’s carpet recycling program—an effort that has resulted in more than 1 million pounds of carpet being reclaimed since 2009. Through key partnerships with major hoteliers such as La Quinta Inns & Suites, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Marriott and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, this 500 tons of reclaimed carpet has been diverted from U.S. landfills.The case study specifically addresses La Quinta Inns & Suites’ partnership with Shaw which since 2009 has resulted in 800,000 pounds of old carpet...

NORWALK, CONN.—HEI Hotels & Resorts chairman Gary Mendell announced the addition of a corporate social responsibility initiative to their Managers-In-Training (MIT) Program. As part of the comprehensive training program, the managers-in-training will complete a project focusing on one of the key areas of HEI’s corporate social responsibility platform.“To HEI, hospitality means much more than just providing a comfortable and enjoyable experience for our guests,” said HEI chairman Gary Mendell. “We passionately believe in actively supporting the communities in which we work, caring for our associates, building meaningful relationships with our partners, and reducing our impact on the environment. As...

OCEAN CITY, MD.—Executives at Real Hospitality Group (RHG), one of the nation’s largest third party hotel management firms, announced the launch of their Corporate Responsibility platform. Recently, RHG become the first hotel management company in the United States to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct with ECPAT, USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies to protect sexually exploited children.“As a leader in the hospitality industry, Real Hospitality Group is proud to use our sphere of influence to do whatever we can to protect the most vulnerable,” says Rick Day, COO at Real Hospitality Group. “Responsibility to our...

NATIONAL REPORT—At the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif., wood from reclaimed Claro walnut and Bay laurel trees form desks and doors. At the new Jekyll Island Convention Center in Jekyll Island, Ga., reclaimed pine from South Georgia was used to create the flooring in the Ben Porter Salon event room. When the Hotel Vermont opens next April in Burlington, Vt., the hotel lobby will feature reclaimed antique red oak flooring. Using reclaimed wood in flooring, furniture and for other uses is becoming increasingly common in projects as more suppliers collect and revitalize this wood from sources ranging from deconstructed barns...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has formally removed shark fin from all of its hotel menus in Asia, effective immediately. The move, which also spans the luxury hotel brand’s global culinary operations, is in line with Fairmont’s commitment to environmental stewardship and supports an earlier pledge to offer sustainable seafood choices in an effort to conserve precious marine species.“We’re proud to be at the forefront of the movement to stop serving shark fin,” said Jean Michel Offe, Fairmont’s vice-president, food & beverage. “It’s a logical step for Fairmont, given our decades long work in greening our hotels...

VIENNA, VA.—Irene Lane, founder of the eco-travel site Greenloons, announces the launch of Greenloons Consulting Services to guide tourism businesses to third-party-certified green status. This is an extension of Greenloons that provides information about and access to third-party-certified sustainable vacations around the world.Greenloons Consulting Services will help clients meet a set of 37 minimum standards developed by the U.N. Foundation’s Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) of which Greenloons is a member. These universally accepted criteria serve as the basis for most eco-certification standards worldwide and have effectively established the GSTC as the global authority on sustainability in tourism. “Out...

MARIETTA, GA.—The Mohawk Group has named Rochelle Routman director of sustainability. Routman has almost three decades experience driving sustainability programs in both private industry and the public service sector.Routman comes to the Mohawk Group from Southern Company and Georgia Power, where she served as chair of the Sustainability Working Group and environmental specialist. She previously held sustainability leadership positions with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. She is a member of the Georgia Solar Energy Assn. and membership chair for the Green Chamber of the South.“Rochelle has a strong track record in sustainability culture development...

MADRID, SPAIN—World Tourism Day (WTD) 2012 will be celebrated under the theme “Tourism & Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development,” inviting everyone involved in tourism—from governments to businesses and tourists themselves—to learn more about the sustainable energy initiatives in place in the tourism sector, debate what more should be done and advance the use of sustainable energy in tourism.“Tourism is leading the way in some of the world’s most innovative sustainable energy initiatives,” says United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, in his official WTD message. “Energy efficient upgrades to aircraft, the shift to renewable fuel for aviation...

CHICAGO—A multi-hotel complex and convention center planned for development near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport aims to set the standard for eco-friendly architecture and design in the hospitality industry, and boost the city’s efforts to be a global leader in the green movement. A Chicago Convention Center development promises to be the world’s first zero carbon platinum LEED convention complex, aiming for zero carbon emissions and a 100 percent allergen-free structure. Plans call for the greenest building standards, including state-of-the-art technology that supports “guestrooms of the future,” equipped with high-tech amenities that encourage sustainable behavior. Business guests will be able...

LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. will release the first Environmental Report in the gaming industry to be formally verified by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). GRI is the most prominent reporting standard used today and provides a practical method for breaking down reporting requirements such as management approach to economic, environment and social sectors.The Environmental Report is an integrated study of the company’s green building designs, environmentally responsible operations, green meetings and stakeholder engagement. The report will be launched during an event being held at The Venetian Las Vegas.Las Vegas Sands has spearheaded environmental sustainability practices across the hospitality...