WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association issued the following statement, in response to the release of the government’s new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: “We support the Dietary Guidelines’ recommendations around a total dietary meal pattern which focuses on increasing consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables,” said Joan McGlockton, vice president for Industry Affairs and Food Policy at the National Restaurant Association. “There has been a growing trend of restaurants offering more whole grains and produce, and we look forward to continuing to work with restaurant operators and chefs to provide even more healthful menu options for adults and...

PORTLAND, ORE.—It’s Game On! as the sixth annual Sustainable Meetings Conference convenes senior level meeting and hospitality professionals from Fortune 500 companies, destinations, hotels and leading green industry associations into an immersive and innovative conference design in Portland, Ore., February 20 to 23, 2011. The international delegates, challenged to solve event case studies in a sustainability context, are now able to take their experience one step further with the announcement of GMIC’s keynote speaker of Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt of The Natural Step International. “The question of reaching sustainability is not about if we will have enough energy, enough food, or...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms, announced that its in-house sustainability system—Green Engage—has been awarded with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) volume precertification established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). IHG is the first hotel company to receive this award for an existing hotels program. The USGBC’s LEED rating system is a program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Volume precertification is a preliminary step that provides a streamlined path to LEED certification for a large group...

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND—On its second anniversary, the Mercure Meetings Carbon Neutral Conference program has offset more than 3,821 tons of carbon emissions, equating to the carbon used to drive drive 1,127 times around Australia or 47 trips to the moon (if you could drive there). To put this into perspective, Mercure has effectively taken 1,803 cars off the road through this initiative over the past two years. Mercure Meetings has committed to offsetting—at a cost to Mercure, not the conference organizer—the impact of every conference held in its hotels. Since introducing the program two years ago, Mercure hotels have hosted...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred program announced that a final rule to initiate a voluntary product certification and labeling program for qualifying biobased products has been published in the Federal Register. This new label will clearly identify biobased products made from renewable resources, and will promote the increased sale and use of these products in the commercial market and for consumers. “Today’s consumers are increasingly interested in making educated purchasing choices for their families,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. “This label will make those decisions easier by identifying products as biobased. These products have enormous potential to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Mandala Research and World Footprints, leaders in travel market research and sustainable tourism, are teaming up with travel industry leaders on a Sustainable Travel and Tourism Study. The research will address the 55 million travelers who the U.S. Travel Association says have growing concerns about environmental issues.  The study will assess the value and impact of sustainability on travelers by understanding their expectations and their propensity to support destinations and travel companies that implement sustainable practices. In addition, the Sustainable Travel and Tourism Study will assess the impact of the new GSA Federal Travel Regulations on destinations, cities,...

SAN FRANCISCO—MindClick SGM, a leader in sustainability performance measurement and consulting, announced the results of a recent study to help hospitality providers understand the growing demand for green hotel rooms. Conducted among corporate travel executives from Fortune 1000 companies, the study found that sustainable purchasing of furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) is among the most important criteria for evaluating hotel sustainability. Sixty-five percent of corporate travel executives responsible for more than $10 million in annual travel budgets are in various stages of implementing green business travel guidelines. Representing a variety of industries—ranging from technology and business services to manufacturing and...

CHICAGO—A broad and diverse coalition of more than 30 organizations active in countries around the world recently announced a Call for Partners for an international alliance advocating for sustainable building practices as a key strategy for combating climate change.  The Global Leadership in Our Built Environment Alliance (GLOBE)—led in partnership by the U.S. Green Building Council together with the World Green Building Council and its members, environmental organizations, and businesses—will work around the world to educate, raise awareness and generate support from global policymakers, financial institutions and U.N. bodies for cost-effective investment in sustainable building practices. With a unified...

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—The Green Hotels and Responsible Tourism Initiative is an education resource that has been developed in partnership with respected tourism sustainability and hotel greening experts, Dr. Sonya Graci and Jacqueline Kuehnel. The project is specifically designed to help hoteliers, travelers, and local communities develop and promote environmental, social, and cultural sustainability by increasing awareness of issues affecting tourism and showcasing best green practices for hoteliers.Spokesperson James Ferguson, who heads up the initiative, commented, “At HotelsCombined.com, we believe there is a moral obligation to conserve the natural environment and give back to the communities where we travel. The guides...

LEAVENWORTH, WASH.—The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced that the nation’s first “electric highway” along Interstate 5 (I-5) will now be extended to include Highway 2—connecting the cities of Monroe, Leavenworth and Wenatchee to a network of public access electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort just announced that it will install its own on-site charging station to help support the use of electric vehicles—such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Ford Focus—along nearby Highway 2. Sleeping Lady is currently the first resort in Eastern Washington to purchase an EV charging station. “Sleeping Lady has always...