SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Related/WestPac announced that the $2 billion 80-acre Snowmass Village, Colo. mixed-use development will combine groundbreaking environmental stewardship with a first-class resort experience. The development includes residential units, world-class hotels, retail, entertainment, and restaurant amenities surrounding the renowned ski area. The Snowmass development seeks to create a new model in community and resort sustainable development and be one of the first and most ambitious projects to be chosen for the new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Pilot Neighborhood Development certification program. Related/WestPac will incorporate LEED’s pilot Neighborhood certification program and plans to augment these efforts by extending...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—Neenah Paper Inc., a premium paper manufacturer, has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). CCX is the world’s first and North America’s only voluntary but legally binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction, registry and trading program. By joining CCX, Neenah Paper has not only committed to tracking and reporting carbon dioxide emissions, but also to achieving a 6 percent reduction by 2010 versus their baseline. CCX’s trading system establishes limits on overall emissions and sets company allowances for members. Businesses with emissions below their allowances can trade the remainder to other companies, whereas businesses that do not achieve their committed...

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO—The San Juan Marriott has joined forces with Sustainable Travel International (STI) on its pioneering TravelGreen program, which will allow it to offer carbon neutral accommodations—the first hotel in Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, to do so. Carbon neutral means the point at which greenhouse gas emissions have been identified, measured, reduced where possible, and 100 percent of the remaining emissions have been offset through high quality renewable energy or energy efficiency projects. TravelGreen allows San Juan Marriott guests the opportunity to do something proactive and help offset greenhouse gas emissions. A typical one-night hotel stay...

NATIONAL REPORT—According to the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., there are approximately 4.4 million guestrooms in the United States. It is pretty safe to assume there is at least one mattress in each room. Assuming a thickness of 12 inches per mattress, the industry’s mattresses, stacked on top of one another, would reach 636 miles into the sky. With mattresses replaced every seven years, on average, it is obvious the lodging industry has a huge waste management issue on its hands. Where do mattresses go when they are no longer useable? Most end up in landfills. Liability and hygiene issues...

AMMAN, JORDAN—In an effort to continuously promote awareness of environmental issues, Marriott Hotels in Jordan have just announced that they have become members of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), an independent voluntary organization devoted to the conservation of Jordan’s natural resources. Managing the natural resources of Jordan is done by setting up protected areas to safeguard the best wildlife and scenic areas, and breeding endangered species to save them from extinction. In addition, conservation includes enforcing governmental laws to protect wildlife, controlling illegal hunting, and raising awareness of environmental issues through educational programs. As members in the...

MIAMI—The Caribbean hospitality industry’s growth, while positive for the countries’ economies, continues to have a major impact on the environment. Sensitizing hotels and fostering a way for them to integrate better social and environmental practices into day-to-day business decisions is a critical first step to preserve the area. Working towards that goal each year, American Express, in association with the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA), recognizes those Caribbean hotels whose efforts stand out and position them at the cutting edge of social and environmental responsibility. “Being environmentally-conscious is not only important to the community, but it also makes good business sense,”...

BUFFALO GROVE, ILL.—Profitability of America’s corporations will be closely tied to proactive sustainability practices and green building principles, according to findings from the new McGraw-Hill Construction (part of The McGraw-Hill Companies) SmartMarket Report: Greening of Corporate America commissioned by Siemens Building Technologies Inc. and Siemens USA. The study shows that most U.S. corporate leaders are interested in sustainability, with the majority looking at proactive ways to make it a consistent part of their mission. According to the study’s findings, 18 percent of responding corporate leaders are in the upper—or market transformational stages—with 15 percent viewing sustainability as a...

BANGKOK, THAILAND—Six Senses Resorts & Spas’ Soneva Fushi, in the Maldives, is the first of the group’s properties to implement a program to offset its guests’ flight emissions. This step will make Soneva Fushi carbon neutral by 2008. The resort has a goal of being carbon free by 2010. The resort is a main contributor to the Six Senses Carbon Offset Fund, which initially will support the Converging World project. This project will establish alternative energy production methods—such as wind turbines—in communities of developing countries before they become dependent on energy from fossil fuels. The first initiative is...

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—In support of a companywide initiative for a Sustainable Summer—a new program that will encourage the company’s colleagues from all corners of the globe to put the concerns of the planet at the forefront on Friday, June 22, 2007—the employees of the Fairmont Newport Beach will do their part by staging a “sleep in” for the inaugural Dream in Green-Summer Solstice Sleepover, 2007. “Southern California and the OC are such a car-driven culture that it would be nearly impossible for some of our employees to consider walking, biking or taking public transportation to work,” says general...

NATIONAL REPORT—“Leading the hospitality industry in promoting education, inter-cooperation, and endorsed policies for environmentally responsible practices, construction methods, materials and environments.” That is the mission of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality’s Sustainability Committee. Formed last year, the committee currently includes 11 members representing design, architecture, purchasing, manufacturing, and hotel asset management. “Two years ago, NEWH recognized the need to get involved in sustainability,” says Jillian Van Dresser, principal, The Van Dresser Co. in Atlanta and the committee’s sustainability adviser. “We identified several initiatives, the first of which is a Resource Directory.” Now available on the...