FAIRFAX, VA.—Crestline Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest independent hotel management company in the United States, announced an expansive sustainability initiative that is scalable and inclusive across all of the branded and non-branded hotels in the company’s portfolio. Crestline manages 70 full and select service hotels, resorts and conference centers throughout the United States. “EarthPact is a comprehensive green initiative that uniquely addresses sustainability across multiple disciplines including administration, food and beverage, facility management, conferences and meetings, owner relations, public relations and rooms operations,” says Dave Durbin, president and CEO of Crestline Hotels & Resorts. “In designing EarthPact we...

CHICAGO—After becoming just one of five hotels in Chicago to be awarded the coveted Green Seal Certification, The Talbott Hotel has been added to the 2008 Green Power Leadership Club by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This award was in recognition of its exemplary environmental leadership. In particular, the luxury, boutique hotel is being honored for its efforts to operate a 100 percent carbon neutral property by purchasing renewable wind energy credits that offset the hotel’s entire carbon footprint. The hotel not only met the minimum requirements for the EPA’s Green Power Partnership, but reached the 10-fold...

NATIONAL REPORT—For those who specify and/or purchase fabric for items such as furniture and draperies, options that include recycled content have been around for a long time. Over the last year, however, fabric suppliers have increased the number of “green” options they offer. Today, it is easy to find polyester fabric made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. Sustainable fabric made from natural fibers is also quite common. While the price point for some sustainable fabrics can be higher, some vendors are able to offer sustainable lines at the same price as traditional fabrics because of the high...

MADISON, WISC.—Leonardo Academy, respected for its work on sustainable buildings and climate change, has provided third-party carbon negative certification for the global operations of Milliken & Company without purchased offset credits. The Leonardo Academy Draft Standard for Trial Use LEO-5000 provided the criteria used in this pilot program. “Milliken is providing great leadership in sustainability actions,” said Michael Arny, founder and president of the Leonardo Academy. The draft standard covers emissions inventories, offsets and reduction credits. The international textile and chemical manufacturer previously applied this standard to all of its operation in the United States. Milliken has now...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Spearheading the hospitality industry’s efforts in Montgomery County, Md., to be increasingly environment conscious, the Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre has launched its environmental program by integrating greener hotel products, cleaner energy, and enticing its guests to live green while traveling by participating in its Turn On service to offset the carbon footprint of their stay. “We are proud of our commitment to both traditional hospitality and contemporary environmental responsibility,” says Eric Siegel, executive vice president of Cohen Companies, the owner group of The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre. “We are introducing our 100 percent recycling policy and hope...

NEW ORLEANS—Leading global distribution system (GDS) provider Travelport GDS has announced a global marketing alliance with The Hotel Carbon Index Company Limited, creator of CarePar. CarePar is an industry standard system for measuring carbon emissions within the hotel and lodging industry. The announcement was made at the recent Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) Conference. As part of the agreement, Travelport will include CarePar hotel carbon emission data in Travelport GDS products, including Travelport Carbon Tracker. The integration of CarePar hotel data into Carbon Tracker in the future will give corporations and their travelers an even more complete view of...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—LSI Wallcovering announced it will pick up freight costs to bring used vinyl wallcovering back to its Second-Look Recycling Center in New Castle, Ind. The Louisville, Ky.-based wallcovering manufacturer made the move to ensure that rising fuel costs don’t discourage specifiers from recycling wallcovering. Second-Look accepts all makes of vinyl wallcovering and covers freight from any location in the continental United States and Canada. Second-Look is the first program to recycle post-consumer vinyl wallcovering and has diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds from the landfill since it began operations in 2005. Effective immediately, the free freight program is available...

ATLANTA—Softscribe Inc., an Internet public relations firm that drives sales for companies targeting green tourism and hospitality, green government and related markets, announced it will provide marketing and Internet public relations services to Hawaiian Mahogany Inc., a U.S.-based, 12-year-old certified provider of verifiable carbon offset credits for environmentally responsible Fortune 1000 firms and companies in hospitality, travel and other industries. “Carbon credits are a growing channel for businesses that want to go on record for effectively helping to stop global warming,” said Michael Squires, president of Softscribe Inc. “Carbon offset credits are mandated by many countries today; I expect to...

ST MARTIN, CARIBBEAN—Carlson Hotels Worldwide has opened the 1,000th hotel in its worldwide portfolio, the Radisson St Martin Resort, Marina & Spa, dedicating the achievement of this growth landmark to a global initiative of environmental sustainability and responsible business. At opening ceremonies, top company officials joined with representatives of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign and The Carbon Neutral Company to officially dedicate this $80 million resort. The company is planting 1,000 trees worldwide and making a financial donation to the UNEP program plus partnering with The CarbonNeutral Company to offset the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A new National Restaurant Association survey of more than 1,600 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—reveals that nutrition and philosophy-driven food choices will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2009. Local produce, bite-size desserts, organics, healthful kids’ meals, and new cuts of meat top the list of nearly 210 culinary items in the third annual “What’s Hot” chef survey. Rounding out the top 10 trends are kids’ vegetable/fruit side dishes, super fruits (including acai and mangosteen), small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum, artisan liquor and sustainable seafood. “Creativity has always been a hallmark of professional chefs,” said...