AIKEN, S.C.—For restaurateurs Chris and Jacquelyn Meyer, becoming one of the first businesses in Boulder, Colo., to divert more than 95 percent of potential waste into compost or recyclables is something they are extremely proud of. After the couple bought The Buff in 1995, the college town restaurant and bar quickly became a Boulder institution known citywide for good food, great Bloody Mary’s and exceptional customer service. What patrons may not know about The Buff is just how strong the owners’ commitment is to the environment. To elevate its sustainable business practices even more, the Meyers are using 100...

A little more than a year after breaking ground on its LEED Silver CAESARS FORUM conference center in Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment says its 550,000 square-foot facility is on pace to open in March 2020. Green Lodging News asked Caesars some questions about the $375 million complex that will feature two of the largest pillarless ballrooms in the world. 1. Please provide a few examples of what has been sourced locally for the construction of the center. At Caesars Entertainment we help local communities flourish through economic contributions, in the form of employee wages and benefits, payments to vendors for...

MIAMI—Carnival Cruise Line announced it is the first large-scale cruise operator to partner with Clean the World. Through this global sustainability program, nearly 40 tons of discarded soap will be collected each year to be recycled into new soap bars and distributed to vulnerable communities worldwide. Clean the World is a global health leader in WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) and sustainability dedicated to saving lives by recycling and distributing soap and other hygiene products to more than 127 countries. As part of the program, Carnival will start collecting discarded soap from guest and crew staterooms throughout the fleet and send...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—The 1 million square meter, experience-packed JA The Resort has been awarded a prestigious sustainability accolade from the Dubai government and has been officially named Dubai’s “Most Sustainable 5 Star Resort.” The DTCM Sustainability awards were measured on five key performance indicators—Waste and Environmental Protection, Water, Energy and Carbon, Responsible Practices, Training and Awareness and Continuous Improvement. JA The Resort was announced as the winner, with the Cluster General Manager William Harley-Fleming crediting the dedicated Green Team for ensuring the smooth running of all sustainability and CSR efforts in the three-hotel experience resort. Highlights of the active sustainability program at...

A big kudos this week to IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) for its commitment to switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities (dispensers) throughout its entire hotel estate of almost 843,000 guestrooms. The transition away from the bathroom miniatures will be completed during 2021. The pledge makes IHG the first global hotel company to commit all brands to removing bathroom miniatures in favor of bulk-size amenities. Last year, Marriott announced that Marriott-managed Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites and TownePlace Suites brands would transition to shower dispensers. IHG’s voco Hotels, EVEN Hotels and avid hotels brands have all offered bulk-size amenities since...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News welcomes FlatwareSaver to its Green Product & Service Directory. FlatwareSaver effectively prevents flatware, ramekins, and other valuables from accidentally entering the trash. The Original FlatwareSaver is not a magnet. It is lightweight yet durable, and operation is quick and easy. The “Original” model reduces costs between 50 and 85 percent. The FlatwareSaver contributes to sustainability by reducing both the mountains of utensils added to the world’s landfills each day and the huge amounts of pollution emitted as a result of transporting replacement items by ship, truck, train, and plane around the globe. For more information,...

LINCOLN, NEB.—With the growing demand for greener practices for in-room hospitality, the demand for more sustainable coffee choices, including packaging, continues to grow. There is no denying single-serve capsules are here to stay, and with that in mind, the Arbor Day Coffee program has taken extra steps to minimize their impact on the planet by providing a recycling program to hospitality locations purchasing shade-grown Arbor Day Coffee. Arbor Day Coffee is well known to be focused on roasting shade-grown coffee, yet what most may not know is their recent efforts in launching a recycling program for single-serve capsules, specifically catering...

ATLANTA—IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, announced that its entire hotel estate of almost 843,000 guestrooms will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities, with the transition to be completed during 2021. Building on its efforts to reduce plastic waste as part of a broader sustainability agenda, this pledge makes IHG the first global hotel company to commit all brands to removing bathroom miniatures in favor of bulk-size amenities. Keith Barr, CEO, IHG, commented: “It’s more important than ever that companies challenge themselves to operate responsibly—we know it’s what our guests, owners, colleagues, investors and suppliers rightly...

NEW YORK—This week Think Coffee is piloting the Huskee Cup Swap program at their 73 8th Ave. location near 14th St. in Manhattan, with all other locations to follow soon. Under this innovative program, anyone who brings in a used Huskee Cup will have their beverage served in a clean, sanitized replacement. Earth-conscious customers who want to avoid single-use cups no longer must worry about cleaning their own travel mug because Think Coffee takes care of the dirty work for them. An estimated 600 billion coffee cups end up in landfills each year because they cannot be recycled. The aim...

FlatwareSaver Save Money & the Environment Our exciting FlatwareSaver is the first truly effective device for preventing flatware, ramekins, and other valuables from accidentally entering the trash. The Original FlatwareSaver is NOT a magnet. It is lightweight yet durable, and operation is quick and easy. Our “Original” model is many times more effective than any other product on the market, reducing costs between 50 and 85%. The FlatwareSaver contributes to sustainability by reducing both the mountains of utensils added to the world’s landfills each day and the huge amounts of pollution emitted as a result of transporting replacement items by ship,...