ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which serves as the purchasing arm of the U.S. government and oversees more than $60 billion in purchased goods and services annually, now requires Gold Level certification to NSF/ANSI 140 Sustainability Assessment for Carpet for all broadloom (wall-to-wall) carpet and carpet tile purchased through the GSA. Current GSA carpet suppliers have until January 1, 2012, to certify their products to NSF/ANSI 140 Gold Level in order for their carpets to be considered for purchase through the GSA. NSF International, an independent organization committed to protecting human health and the environment,...

QUARRY BAY, HONG KONG—Shangri-La Asia Limited released its first sustainability report outlining the company’s progress in the areas of environment, health and safety, employees, supply chain and stakeholder relations for 2010. The report will be issued every two years to track improvements in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Titled “Enhance, Enrich, Embrace,” the report shows Shangri-La’s commitment to environmental protection and resource management, a focus on social development through investments made in the welfare of colleagues and business partners and Shangri La’s Care for People Project committing each hotel to education and health projects in local children’s organizations over...

DENVER—Xanterra Parks & Resorts has completed its fourth Environmental Sustainability Report detailing both its environmental challenges and accomplishments. The report also outlines the company’s future goals for serving its clients while providing high-quality services to visitors of its properties in the most sustainable ways possible.  The report, which follows the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)’s reporting guidelines to the extent possible, is a comprehensive, 52-page publication detailing the company’s environmental initiatives across all the properties and their related operations. GRI is a network-based organization that pioneered the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework. The company’s award-winning environmental program, Ecologix, was developed...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, an industry leader on environmental sustainability and responsible tourism for more than two decades through its Green Partnership Program, announced that it will further its commitment to greening with the introduction of a new Sustainable Design Policy. Establishing a formalized, worldwide policy, which addresses highly recognized environmental certifications such as the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for new development projects and renovation programs, also supports the brand’s larger pledge to reduce operational CO2 emissions as a member of World Wildlife Fund’s Climate Savers program. “When it comes to greening...

NEW YORK—Last week, Earth Week, marked Designtex’s second year of carbon neutral operations. Designtex has continued its partnership again this year with NativeEnergy, a leading provider of carbon offsets, renewable energy credits, and carbon footprint consulting. NativeEnergy assessed Designtex’s total operational footprint for 2011 according to the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocols. The resulting footprint of 4075 tons of CO2 emissions this year includes all Designtex facilities’ energy use, business travel, freight (inbound and outbound shipments), employee commuting, and waste. A summary of the report is available on Designtex’s website. Of the total footprint, the majority (3341 tons...

AKRON, OHIO—GOJO Industries, Inc. underscored its strong commitment to following sustainable business practices and made public its new GOJO Sustainability Policy. The policy commits to sustainable business practices as they relate to social, environmental and economic well-being. GOJO has a long history of sustainable business practices in the skin-care industry. In 1952, founders Goldie and Jerry Lippman invented the world’s first portion-control hand-cleaner dispenser to reduce waste. In 1983, GOJO developed liquid soap dispensing systems using GOJO SANITARY SEALED refills, a more hygienic alternative to bar soap or bulk dispensers. More recently, the company created GOJO GREEN HYGIENE Solutions, the...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Endurance Wind Power as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Endurance Wind Power offers wind turbines for any rural lodging to produce their own supply of clean energy. The company’s wind turbines are suitable for lodgings from small B&Bs to international hotel chains. A wind turbine can demonstrate a commitment to sustainable energy to guests while insulating a business from rising energy prices. Call (888) 440-4451, e-mail info@endurancewindpower.com, or visit www.endurancewindpower.com for more details. Also be sure to check out the company’s Fountain Prairie Inn &...

TORONTO—As part of Earth Week, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is making a global commitment to plant 10 million trees as part of its long term efforts to support sustainability. The initiative will now form the cornerstone of the company’s substantial existing corporate social responsibility program. “For 50 years, our company logo has depicted the annual cycle of a tree, and as we look to the future, its symbolism will translate into concrete action,” says Kathleen Taylor, president and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “In cultures throughout the world, trees represent growth, prosperity and longevity. They also play a...

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN—St. Maarten recently established its first national marine park—the Man of War Shoal Marine Park. The aquatic area is the first step St. Maarten has taken towards preserving the area known as the Proselyte Reef, the island’s most important underwater habitat. “The development of the marine park has been long in the making and we are pleased to have begun the first and most crucial phase of the process,” said Honorable Franklin Meyers, Minister of Economic Affairs, Tourism, Transportation and Telecommunications. “By creating the marine park, St. Maarten is taking steps to preserve the local environment as well...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Planeterra, a leading nonprofit foundation dedicated to sustainable community development and environmental conservation through travel, are collaborating to develop a set of criteria that will help international voluntourism providers plan and manage their programs in a responsible and sustainable manner. An increasing number of travel companies are adding volunteer opportunities to their tour itineraries worldwide, and the trend, which is now commonly known as voluntourism, is growing rapidly. The 2008 Condé Nast Traveler/MSNBC poll, for example, stated that the number of regular volunteer vacationers has doubled since 2002, and the number of those...