PHILADELPHIA—ARAMARK, a professional services organization and leading concessionaire of parks, resorts and hospitality services, has helped secure a $1 million grant to the National Park Foundation as the initial and lead sponsor of the Foundation’s newly unveiled First Bloom project. First Bloom was created in conjunction with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, for children to participate in hands-on natural resource protection activities in national parks. The First Bloom project, honoring the work of Lady Bird Johnson, was launched by the National Park Foundation and Honorary Chair, Mrs. Laura Bush. The donation is the first investment in the First Bloom...

DENVER—Xanterra Parks & Resorts announced that it will install one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the country—and the largest system in the U.S. tourism industry—in Death Valley National Park, the sunniest place in the country. The one megawatt (MW) system will harness the sun’s energy to generate more than one-third of the annual electricity needs for Xanterra’s operations there, comprised of the Furnace Creek Inn, Ranch, golf course and employee offices and housing. Xanterra’s system in Death Valley will be one of the largest privately owned PV energy systems in the country, and easily the largest...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes American Atelier, Inc. (AAI) as a Founding Sponsor. AAI is committed to manufacturing furniture products with the most environmentally friendly technology in an efficient and responsible manner while maintaining high standards of excellence. Four generations of ownership at AAI have demonstrated the company’s commitment to excellence by continuously improving its manufacturing processes since its founding in 1920. AAI sources raw materials through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Its manufacturing process uses water-based adhesives, finishing solvents and stains. The company also uses recycled materials as specified by its customers...

GREENSBORO, N.C.—Built to use 40 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable hotel, Proximity Hotel offers a glimpse of the future while celebrating the past. Sustainable practices, custom-designed furnishings, commissioned art and innovative design await guests in every corner of the 147-room luxury hotel and the adjacent Print Works Bistro. Proximity Hotel’s sustainable design and construction follows the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. With the goal to attain Platinum...

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—The devastation of the recent Southern California fires may have wreaked havoc on the lives of many, but it has not dampened their spirits. It is with that spirit that the California Luxury Collection of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts—including Fairmont Miramar Santa Monica, Fairmont Newport Beach, Fairmont San Jose, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, and Fairmont San Francisco—are coming together to lend a hand by purchasing 500 trees from TreePeople in an effort to assist in regrowth in the various forests. “The devastation in Southern California is overwhelming and our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted,” says...

SAN FRANCISCO—3Degrees announced that it has received a 2007 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Energy for helping to build the market for green power. The annual awards recognize leading national green power suppliers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s green power market. 3Degrees’ impact on the total sales of renewable energy and carbon reductions in 2007 is significant. 3Degrees, which recently purchased the assets of the REC and Utility Partnership Division of 3 Phases Energy, serves more than 150 business customers across its product lines, including 28 U.S. and...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—Outrigger Hotels & Resorts received top honors for its commitment to the marine environment in the Travel and Tourism Business category of the Third Annual Hawaii’s Living Reef Program Awards. Sponsored by the Coral Reef Outreach Network, the award recognized Outrigger’s responsible stewardship of sensitive shoreline areas, and its ongoing collaborations with various government agencies and nonprofit organizations dedicated to preserving Hawaii’s environment. The award was presented to the hotelier at a special ceremony held on September 21, 2007, during which Outrigger was commended for its support of multiple public education efforts about the environment, even though the environment...

NEW YORK—Maxon Holdings LLC (Maxon), a leading energy and environmental development company, announced a partnership with Earthpark, North America’s first center for science literacy and the environment. Maxon will provide $10 million of in-kind financial and technical support toward the completion and opening of Earthpark, scheduled to open on Earth Day, 2011. Maxon will give this support through its infrastructure asset financing operations, part of the company’s asset optimization business. Maxon’s contribution will facilitate ongoing support and involvement with educational and research efforts in the areas of global sustainability and restorative living practices. Earthpark also announced at the 2007 Clinton...

FORT LAUDERDALE—Valley Forge Fabrics, Inc. debuted its second FRESH collection at the Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition & Conference in Miami last month. The two new FRESH collections were created by New York designer Celerie Kemble and Palm Beach designers Mimi McMakin and Brooke Huttig. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality and represents the first environmentally friendly comprehensive fabric program designed specifically and only for the hospitality industry. With these new collections, the FRESH line now spans six volumes and more thant 550 skus of patterns with vibrant colors. “This collection is innovative and beautiful,” says Cliff...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC’s premiere historic luxury hotel, is now powered by 100 percent wind energy. Pepco Energy Services, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. and a leader in renewable electricity, supplies the 332-room landmark hotel with 100 percent wind renewable energy credits, making the Willard the first urban luxury hotel in the United States to be fully supported in this sustainable manner. Pepco Energy Services provides the Willard InterContinental Washington with nearly 7.1 million kilowatt hours of 100 percent wind renewable energy certificates. The Loyalton Group, an energy risk management firm in Washington, D.C., facilitated the contracts,...