LOS ANGELES—The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, to be held here in Los Angeles from January 22 to 24, will include a green hotels session entitled, "Is it Finally Time? How to Address Environmental & Sustainable Issues and Still Satisfy the Customer and the Financial Stakeholders." The January event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel. Session leaders will include Lyndall De Marco, executive director, The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum Tourism Partnership; Phil Hayward, editor, Lodging Magazine; and Jeff Senior, senior vice president, marketing & sales, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. For more...

Building managers find that effective recycling programs reduce waste management costs. Strong recycling programs also advance sustainability by reducing the need for new resources and the environmental impacts of landfills. Recycling turns the ‘waste’ stream into a resource stream than can be mined for materials. Recycling services, the prices paid for recycled materials, and the demand for recycled materials are growing. Facility managers can take advantage of the continually evolving recycling market by reducing waste disposal costs through recycling and by getting paid for recyclable materials. There are widespread recycling markets for paper, cardboard materials, HDPE and PET plastics, aluminum and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild conference, the largest green building conference and expo in the world, has selected Los Angeles as the location of the 2007 show. Greenbuild will be held at the L.A. Convention Center from October 17-19, 2007. The theme of next year’s conference is “Accelerating Green Communities,” which also coincides with USGBC’s 2007 educational agenda. “We’re expecting next year to be the Greenbuild conference’s biggest year yet and L.A. is the perfect place for it,” says Peter Templeton, vice president of education & research, USGBC. “Not only is L.A. renowned for...

LAGRANGE, GA.—The Commonwealth of Massachusetts presented Milliken Contract and its Framingham, Mass.-based service provider State Contract Carpet with a 2006 Business Environmental Purchasing and Sustainability Award for exceptional sustainable practices. The business awards recognize leadership and creativity in promoting sustainable products and practices beyond the contract obligations for statewide contractors. Nominees were reviewed on criteria extending beyond recycled content, including background on initiatives for greenhouse gas emission reduction, waste minimization, Design for the Environment, Life Cycle Assessment and other sustainable practices. “Milliken’s rich eco heritage and leadership in sustainable practices across the board were quite impressive,” says...

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CALIF.—The Furnace Creek Golf Course in Death Valley National Park has received certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), a program administered by Audubon International. The ACSS helps landowners preserve and enhance the environmental quality of their properties. “The Furnace Creek Golf Course is home to a variety of wildlife, and we believe it is our responsibility to maximize our ability to coexist with the wildlife and help preserve the natural environment,” says Chris Bessette, superintendent of the Furnace Creek Golf Course for Xanterra Parks & Resorts, operator of the Furnace Creek...

ATLANTA—The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has released the ASHRAE GreenGuide: The Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable Buildings. The organization says it will help teach designers how to participate effectively on design teams charged with producing green buildings. “This is a design guide for mechanical engineers who are interested in advancing integrated, high performance/green concepts and applications on building design projects,” says Malcolm Lewis, Ph.D., a member of ASHRAE’s technical committee on building environmental impacts and sustainability, which wrote the book. “The guidance will help building professionals analyze system design options and point...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that it has partnered with the World Heritage Alliance, a joint initiative of the United Nations Foundation and Expedia Inc., to promote conservation, sustainable tourism, and economic development for communities located in and around World Heritage sites. This endeavor marks the latest in a series of high profile efforts by the company to strengthen its Green Partnership program, the company’s comprehensive commitment to environmental stewardship. “We are excited to welcome Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to the World Heritage Alliance,” says Kathy Bushkin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the U.N. Foundation....

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF.—Bentley Prince Street announced that all of its standard broadloom and carpet tile products have achieved Scientific Certification Systems’ (SCS) Sustainable Choice Gold/Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) certification under the new Sustainable Carpet Assessment Draft Standard, NSF-140. This new draft standard for sustainable carpet replaces the previous EPP standard, to which all of Bentley Prince Street’s standard products were certified. In addition, all of the company’s standard broadloom products are certified to the stringent “California Gold” standard required for State of California carpet purchases. Also achieving California Gold certification are broadloom products using the optional Prestige...

PORTLAND, ORE.—The Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference will take place February 6-8 at the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center—Lloyd Center, Portland, Ore. The event is being organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council, which is based in Portland. The event is geared toward meeting planners who have been implementing green practices or those interested in starting such programs. The conference will include exhibits, educational sessions and networking opportunities. Industry leaders will be on hand to share their insights on industry issues and environmentally responsible approaches to processes such as registration, site location, marketing, and exhibiting. The...

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—Royal Philips Electronics has been rated the top climber among the "Leading 50" companies in the latest biannual survey of leading practice in corporate sustainability reporting. Philips now ranks number 12 in the survey, up from 39 in 2004. Philips earned top scores in reporting on governance and strategy, illustrating that its efforts to embed sustainability throughout the organization are taking hold. In what it calls “The Corporate DNA test,” Tomorrow’s Value explains that “Philips describes how its business strategy links to work it is doing in different markets, and how it is innovating to improve...