LAS VEGAS—Las Vegas Sands Corp. announced a new global corporate citizenship commitment, highlighted by signature global partnerships with the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the international nonprofit organization, Clean the World.A premier developer and operator of integrated resort destinations, Las Vegas Sands (LVS), will contribute $7 million to the UNLV hotel college over five years to develop a global professional and executive education program and assist in the construction of a new academic building, as well as $1 million to Clean the World in 2014, the largest corporate...

CHICAGO—An independent panel of foodservice operator experts from across the industry has selected finalists for the third annual 2014 Operator Innovation Awards. The judges have selected finalists in each of five categories: Health and Nutrition, Marketing, Menu Development, Sustainability and Technology. The winners in each category, in addition to the Innovator of the Year, will be announced live in Chicago at the Destination: Celebration gala on Saturday, May 17, during the 2014 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.  “The Operator Innovations Awards finalists demonstrate the business case for innovation by connecting with consumers in new and interesting ways that...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced that it has extended its global soap recycling initiative to all 10 of its Japan hotels. The program supports the company’s commitment to divert waste from landfills through reuse, recycling and donations via its global RePurpose program, and enables Hilton Worldwide to make a significant contribution toward combating hygiene-related diseases in underprivileged communities in Asia.Hilton Worldwide has partnered with Hong Kong-based Soap Cycling, Asia’s first soap recycling nonprofit organization, and JTB Trading, Inc., which sponsors the collection and shipping of the recovered soap to Hong Kong.“We are pleased to extend soap recycling to our hotels...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—Eight Outrigger Hotels and Resorts properties have proved once again that it is easy being green by encouraging hotel guests to join the war on waste. The company’s 2013 eco-friendly efforts amounted to more than 27 tons of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans from guestrooms, up from 20 tons in 2012. Twenty-seven tons is enough to preserve more than 200 cubic yards of landfill space, and if stacked end to end, could go up and down Diamond Head more than 80 times.Outrigger Hotels and Resorts launched its in-room recycling program in 2006 at its two Waikiki beachfront...

CHICAGO—Green Seal, an independent nonprofit providing sustainability certification for products and services, launched a new sustainability standard for restaurants and food services in conjunction with The Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition and The Rosenthal Group.The standard, GS-55, covers retail restaurants and institutional food service operations through rigorous criteria that minimize environmental impact in several categories. These include food sourcing through use of foods produced in a sustainable manner; waste management, including food waste, compostable waste, recycling and water quality management; energy use; water consumption and the use of other environmentally-preferable products and services.GS-55 is the result of a pilot program...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The two hotels in Grande Lakes Orlando—The Ritz-Carlton Orlando and JW Marriott Orlando—are among the first lodging establishments in Central Florida to send food waste to the Central Florida Energy Garden. Owned and operated by Harvest Power and located within the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the recently opened Energy Garden converts organic waste into renewable biogas and natural fertilizers. (See related article.)Twice each week, food waste from the two facilities’ banquet operations is picked up and taken to the Energy Garden. Bob Brown, Chief Engineer for the hotels, says about 20 to 30 tons a month of food...

MADBURY, N.H.—Vertal US Inc., a Madbury, N.H. based company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of urban, on-site, in-vessel composters, is now offering its CITYPOD composters. CITYPOD composters’ offer a complete odor control guarantee and numerous technical patent pending innovations that make on-site composting user and operationally friendly. Consumer expectations for socially accepted on-site,in-vessel composting projects are related to total control of odor emissions, ease of operation and profitability.With its new on-site food waste processing technology, Vertal US provides compliance in line with the many new state regulations banning food waste and other organic materials from landfills.John Clifford,...

NATIONAL REPORT—A series of six webinars with topics ranging from water efficiency to green cleaning to window film will launch on March 26 and wrap up on May 21. In total, there will be 18 different presentations throughout the six webinars that are sponsored by the U.S. EPA. The free webinars are being organized by Dan Ruben of Boston Green Tourism and Peter Cooke of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Those who attend all six sessions will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Completion.The following is the schedule for the webinars:Session 1: March 26, 1 p.m to  2:15...

LYNDEN, WASH.—Pacific Northwest-based furniture artist Greg Klassen is set to premiere his River Collection at the upcoming Architectural Digest Home Design Show. River is a customizable collection of modern handcrafted tables that take their name from their inlaid “rivers” of hand-cut blue glass. Made to order and available directly from the artist, River is intended for residential and hospitality environments.Klassen makes each River Table from salvaged trees that would otherwise be discarded, retaining their live edges and inherent grain patterns. His curated inventory of wood slabs include western maple, walnut, elm and cedar. Tables can be ordered in a...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Pavilion Furniture as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Pavilion Furniture’s new Ecowood line is made from recycled materials. The slats are a high-density polyethylene, UV-inhibited and resistant to weather types. The frames are powder-coated aluminum. Pavilion Furniture is manufactured in Miami. The Ecowood line features a broad selection of styles and designs including dining sets, chaises, benches, bar stools and table. For more information, visit the Pavilion website at www.pavilion-furniture.com or contact Perry Solomon at perry@pavilionfurniture.com. You may also call (305) 823-3480.