CHICAGO—Day after day, Washington, D.C’s Teaism would trash pounds of broccoli stems, trimmings from florets served in the fast-casual’s bento boxes. Eyeing the waste, co-owner Michelle Brown would demur to Chef Alison Swope: “It’s a shame we can’t do anything with all those stems.” Challenge accepted. Swope’s “Broccoli Tots” combine ground broccoli stems with goat cheese and seasonings, balled together and then breaded with panko and fried. A favorite at the three Teaism locations, the dish is featured in the “Trash or Treasure” section of the restaurant’s menu, which highlights items made from ingredients that would otherwise be wasted. This...

SANTA FE, N.M.—La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel has been named “Sustainability Champion” in the Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide 2018 Awards of Excellence. Each year, the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence honor the most exemplary historic hotels, hoteliers, and leadership practices in multiple categories. The winners were chosen from more than 200 nominees. “Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These 2018 winners represent more than 400 years of history and include the finest legendary and iconic historic...

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA—As of February 1, 2019, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) will eliminate all Styrofoam from 19 Sandals and Beaches Resorts across seven major Caribbean islands—from Jamaica and the Bahamas to Grenada and Turks & Caicos—in a continued effort to protect the environment. “As we enter the New Year, it’s incredibly important to our Sandals family that environmental sustainability remains a key priority,” said Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International. “After eliminating plastic straws, stirrers, laundry bags and gift shop bags last year, we’re choosing to eliminate Styrofoam from our resorts. We’re proud that many of the islands...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added a Quipworks Inc. video to the Vendor Videos section of its website. The video explains the many benefits of the GLSand—a compact glass bottle crusher that reduces bottles in volume by 10:1 to a safe to handle sand like product. The machine is designed for waste reduction, cost reduction and sustainability for the food, hospitality, and leisure Industries. The GLSand will provide a positive impact on a property’s waste reduction goals, and create a usable commodity for landscaping, pavement patching, pool filtration and other uses. The GLSand is quiet and easy to operate....

MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA—Cannúa, a first-of-its-kind, 18-room boutique hotel set within a protected forest in Antioquia, Colombia, is scheduled to open in April 2019. Rooted in permaculture design principles and taking a holistic approach to sustainability, this 27-acre mountain-side property intends to forge a new era of experiential travel within the region. Guests of Cannúa will be among the first to explore this renewed, flourishing destination—one of the most biologically diverse and temperate in the world—through exquisite accommodation, natural encounters, and excursions designed to build a sense of community among neighbors, partners and visitors. “As Colombia continues to evolve as a destination of natural and cultural wonders, we’re proud to be...

DENVER—Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center officially opened its doors as the largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado. Just 10 minutes from Denver International Airport, the resort is the fifth Gaylord Hotels property and one of the largest resorts in the world to debut under the Marriott International brand this year. Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center has 1,501 rooms, 485,000 square feet of convention center space and an extensive indoor/outdoor water park on an 85-acre site. Numerous steps have been taken at the complex to reduce its environmental impact: Straw-less drinks: As part of the Marriott initiative to eliminate plastic straws and stirrers from...

HOUSTON—Waste Management released its 2018 Sustainability Report. Titled “Change for the Better,” the report highlights progress toward reducing Waste Management’s (WM) greenhouse gas footprint, recycling viability, technology utilization and helping employees, customers and communities to be safe, resilient and sustainable. “The world is changing more rapidly than ever,” said Jim Fish, President and CEO of Waste Management. “To sustain and succeed in the face of this change requires agility, adaptability and, above all, a resilient spirit. We see these qualities tested and proven countless times each day by our employees who manage the environmental needs of our customers. This year’s...

HOUSTON—Benchmark, a global hospitality company, is addressing one of the most critical issues—the approximately eight million tons of plastic products that annually pollute our oceans, rivers and coastlines, endangering wildlife, littering beaches and releasing toxins into the water. Many of those products, known as “single use plastics,” comprise a significant part of those eight million tons and they are very heavily used by hotels and restaurants. Benchmark is initiating an ambitious program to reduce use of plastics in all 80 of its luxury hotels, resorts and conference centers, starting in 2019. The project, Single Use Plastic Reduction, will combine...

PARIS—Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, a leading brand within the AccorHotels Group, announces the release of its 2018 Sustainability Report Update, “Made with Sustainability in Mind”. This report covers the brand’s strategies and actions to continuously improve its sustainability performance throughout the years of 2015, 2016, and 2017. Previous Sustainability Reports were issued in 2012 and 2015. The 2018 Sustainability Update provides insight as to how Swissôtel tackles areas which are most important to its internal and external stakeholders based on materiality assessments conducted by the brand’s sustainability management team and third-party experts. The report includes updated performance data, recent case...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News welcomes BioBag Americas, Inc. to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Cleaning & Maintenance/Bags” category. BioBag compostable liners can alleviate cleanliness issues that come alongside collecting organic waste and reduce landfill tipping fees. BioBags: • Reduce labor costs, keeping containers clean; • Offer a very high penetration barrier against bacteria, viruses, spores and mold; • Are Star sealed for extra strength and durability; • Manufactured in the USA with resin sourced from Italy; • Non-GMO Project Verified; • Certified Compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute, meet the US Standard ASTM D6400; and are available in different sizes. Call (727) 789-1646...