The world’s environment is affected primarily by real estate, transportation, and manufacturing. Due to the influence that these industries have on each other, it is clear that designing and operating sustainable buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. Some of the concerns addressed by sustainability practices include inefficient site planning; lack of smart growth; waste of water, electricity, and energy; overconsumption and excessive waste; not using sustainable materials; minimizing transportation; the lack of healthy indoor air quality; increased pollution; depletion of the ozone layer; and climate change. Challenges & Misconceptions The hospitality industry was slow to adopt sustainable operations and design because...

BARRIE, ONT.—Busch Systems, leaders in recycling and waste solutions, is hosting the next program as part of the Green Thinking Webinar Series on September 30, 2021. This free webinar will feature case studies by industry experts on the topic of Incorporating Waste Reduction into Hotel & Resort Operations. As travelers increasingly seek brands that reflect their values, the hospitality industry has taken big steps to embrace sustainability. Recycling remains a bedrock part of any green lodging program, but many corporate and individual properties are discovering other ways that waste reduction practices—from food composting to eliminating single use plastics—can yield a...

NATIONAL REPORT—Appointing the ideal hazardous waste associate can be a challenging task. Waste management is a dangerous and complex task, and the ideal partner should ensure an organization complies with the set regulations fully. When companies ombp (outsourced management of by-Products) their hazardous waste management tasks to the right partner, they can concentrate on critical competencies with minimal stress. Here are some factors that companies seeking to outsource their waste management functions should consider when appointing an associate. Customer Service An organization should determine the associate’s customer service from the way they manage their inquiries. Here are some of the customer service-related...

BOONE, N.C.—Mananalu, actor and environmentalist Jason Momoa’s water brand, has announced a new partnership with Preferred Hotel Group, which represents more than 1,100 hotels, resorts, and residences across 80 countries, to provide an alternative to harmful single use plastic bottled water to its members. The hospitality group, which includes the world’s largest independent hotel brand, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, has put their passion for sustainability into action through a variety of initiatives, including their latest brand launch, Beyond Green—a curated portfolio of properties that exemplify sustainable tourism leadership. This latest initiative based on shared values furthers the group’s efforts to support positive change in travel by...

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries (Shaw) has introduced its first Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold (V3.1) flooring products, representing the latest in the company’s sustainability achievements. The company has long been committed to Cradle to Cradle design and its focus on material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship and social fairness. Shaw’s EcoWorx-backed carpet tile (introduced in 1999) was the first flooring to ever be Cradle to Cradle Certified and was one of the first products from any industry to obtain that achievement. Today, almost 90 percent of the products the company manufactures are Cradle to...

KAWASAKI CITY, JAPAN—In any conversation about green hotels, one of the hotels that deserves a lot of time is the Kawasaki King Skyfront Tokyu REI Hotel in Kawasaki City, Japan. The 186-room property is run by 100 percent renewable energy. Thirty percent of the energy is derived from hydrogen. Seventy percent of the energy is derived from food waste generated renewable energy. Since transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy the hotel has saved more than $15,000 per year. To generate hydrogen, used plastics (household plastic trash plus hotel amenities) are sent to Showa Denko K.K.’s hydrogen production facility where they...

One of the most interesting sustainability-focused megaprojects in the works currently is called GreenCity and is planned for the Richmond, Virginia metro region. The eco-district project will include commercial, entertainment and residential developments. Two hotels are planned for GreenCity, with the first scheduled to be developed in the initial development sequence, and the second to follow as the market dictates. A 17,000-seat arena is planned. Also included will be retail space and a 40-acre, publicly accessible park system. Transit connections are currently under study, but when completed will allow for easy regional access via bus and other systems. Some of...

ROHNERT PARK, CALIF.—World Centric announced that it has expanded its NoTree collection of 100 percent tree-free, bio-based and compostable packaging with 17 new products. Now available across North America, the expanded range provides more sustainable alternatives to traditional disposable foodservice ware for operators. As with all items in the NoTree collection, the new product additions are made of renewable plant fibers like bamboo and sugarcane with bio-based moisture barrier linings instead of petroleum plastic. They are also heat lamp tolerant, warming oven friendly, and are suitable for hot or cold foods. All NoTree items are 100 percent compostable in...

As each week passes as editor of Green Lodging News, I am sent way more article leads or helpful websites that I can write about. I would like to share one of those with you now. Perhaps you too will want to pass the article along. 15 Ways To Reduce Plastic Pollution—This article provides some very good reasons to care about plastic pollution. From the article: Maybe you don’t understand what the hype about plastic pollution is all about. Laura Parker writes for National Geographic. She reports that “Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish...

IBIZA, SPAIN—Palladium Hotel Group commemorated World Environment Day, which is celebrated on June 5, with the signing of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, promoted by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an act with which the hotel group has strengthened its commitment to sustainability. The Global Initiative on Tourism and Plastics unites the tourism sector in a common vision to address the root causes of plastic pollution and enables companies and governments to take concerted action, leading by example in the shift towards circularity in the use of plastic. The...