ATLANTA—The Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia recently announced its certification by Green Globe, a leading international brand for sustainable travel, tourism and related green businesses. Green Globe traces its roots back to the United Nations Earth Summit of 1992, and uniquely looks at a hotel’s effects on the environment as well as its impact on the community. Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer said he welcomes Crowne Plaza Perimeter at Ravinia into the select group of certified hotels that have chosen to have their green achievements verified against international sustainability standards. “Green Globe recognizes that true...

ITHACA, N.Y.—More than 25 hotel industry leaders gathered on October 29 to 30 at Cornell University’s Statler Hotel for a Sustainability Roundtable. The Roundtable was sponsored by Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research. Roundtable participants discussed the following topics: “The Role of the Sustainability Department in Hotel Companies,” “The Impact of Emerging Codes, Laws and Regulations,” “Guest Engagement and CSR (corporate social responsibility),” and “Carbon.” In the first session on “The Role of the Sustainability Department in Hotel Companies,” David Jerome, senior vice president, corporate responsibility, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), said sustainability is about helping people understand what’s possible. “It is...

SNOWMASS, COLO.—Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has unveiled Green Footstep, a free online carbon calculator for reducing carbon emissions in building construction and retrofit projects. While many carbon calculators are available online, none address multiple building emissions over the building lifetime. “Green Footstep makes it easier for design professionals to set the design targets they’ll need to achieve a carbon neutrality that includes not just operation, but also embodied carbon and others,” said Victor Olgyay, AIA, principal at RMI. “Just as a life cycle cost analysis of a green building design shows the operating costs you are saving over time,...

EUGENE, ORE.—Sustainable Foodservice Consulting (SFC), publisher of www.sustainablefoodservice.com, announced the launch of its new blog, The Sustainable Shift Drink. The blog, accessible at www.sustainablefoodservice.com/blog, covers a variety of topics concerning sustainability in the foodservice industry, including local and organic food, energy efficiency, green foodservice products, innovative restaurants, industry trends, national news and more. The blog offers commentary on current issues, advice on foodservice operations, features guest writers and allows readers to post their comments. “There are literally thousands of food blogs out there and quite a few people writing about the foodservice industry, but this will be the only...

HONG KONG—Winners of the Sustainable Hotel Awards were presented at the 20th annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), held October 14 to 16, at the InterContinental Hong Kong. HICAP is hosted by Horwath HTL and Burba Hotel Network (BHN). The 56-room Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi in Koh Yao Noi, Phang-nga, Thailand, was the winner in the Sustainable Project Design category. The hotel is owned by Six Senses Resorts & Spas/EHY Company Limited and operated by Six Senses Resorts & Spas. The hotel was recognized for its use of recycled and natural materials, sensitivity to the surrounding natural...

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA—In celebration of World Tourism Day, September 27, the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization, released the results of a study that examines whether tourism businesses in Latin America benefit from applying sustainable practices to their operations. The study, titled “A Cost and Benefit Analysis of Best Practice Implementation in Tourism Businesses,” was conducted earlier this year with 14 tourism businesses in Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Ecuador. The data shows that businesses working with the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable tourism program gained tangible benefits from the application of best management practices for environmental and social...

AVON, COLO.—Colorado’s Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa announced that it has been awarded Silver Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Westin Riverfront is the first hotel in Colorado to achieve this coveted green accolade and only the ninth hotel in the country to earn Silver LEED status. The Beaver Creek resort, which opened a year ago this week, is also the first Silver LEED Certified hotel in the Westin brand, which includes more than 160 hotels around the world. “East West Partners is proud to have been a leader in...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—Vail Resorts announced that concurrent with its announcement of its leadership role in the Hayman Restoration Partnership, the company would not be renewing its three-year commitment to purchase wind energy offset credits. “Our Company is very proud of the leadership stance we took on alternative energy and climate change in August of 2006,” said Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts. “We are very pleased to see all of the progress that has followed us both in terms of new corporate commitments to clean energy and the political progress our country has made on climate change. As a...

ATLANTA—“It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” is often used to explain the less-than-comfortable temperatures in Florida. With that in mind, there seems to be no better place to discuss ASHRAE’s winter’s conference theme: “Building Sustainability from the Inside Out.” Whenever the temperatures outside are too hot or humid to handle, ASHRAE ensures that indoor environments are comfortable and, most important, sustainable. ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference will be held in Orlando from January 23 to 27 at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, held in conjunction with the Conference, will run January 25 to 27....

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries, Inc., through its division Shaw Hospitality Group, and La Quinta Inns & Suites have partnered to keep more than 30 tons of carpet from landfills during five La Quinta hotel renovations in Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. Shaw Hospitality Group, a manufacturer of sustainable, reclaimable carpets for public spaces and guestrooms, was specified earlier this year to re-carpet La Quinta guestrooms during a large-scale renovation project. Instead of sending tons of the old hotel carpet to landfills, Shaw Hospitality Group worked with La Quinta to reclaim the carpet and divert it to Shaw Industries’ Evergreen Nylon...