More than 34 million tons of food waste are sent to landfills annually and the hospitality industry is a significant contributor. The recent trend of jurisdictions implementing food waste restrictions and bans is making sustainable alternatives no longer just a social responsibility; but a mandatory requirement. The good news is some successful back-of-the-house programs can help increase profitability and subsidize the front-of-the-house improvements. The hospitality industry consumes a large volume of food and beverage through in-house restaurants, catering, buffets, and guestroom services. In some cases, hotel guests have been known to produce approximately two pounds of food waste per night...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The ultimate holiday viewing experience will come to life at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte this year, as a brilliantly colorful winter wonderland is set to occupy the entire hotel lobby level beginning Thanksgiving Day. Highlighted by a larger-than-life, often edible series of seven Holiday Sweet Scenes, the vibrantly walkable tour of every child’s holiday fantasies will feature the world’s largest croquembouche pastry tree standing eight feet in edible height; a 12-foot-tall holiday tree made of 8,000 hand-crafted French macarons; a whimsical 10-foot-tall gingerbread house offering its own charming clock tower; two glistening, eight-foot-tall upside-down trees suspended from the lobby...

BELLEVUE, WASH.—Republic Services announced the addition of 14 new compressed natural gas (CNG) solid waste and recycling trucks to serve customers throughout the greater Puget Sound area. This addition brings the total number of CNG trucks operated by Republic in the area to 109. The new CNG trucks replace older diesel-powered trucks, and represent a significant local investment in cleaner, safer and more efficient vehicles.“The Pacific Northwest is known for its pristine environment and considerable natural beauty, and we believe in doing our part to preserve this for future generations,” said Mike Huycke, Area President of Republic Services. “We...

BANGKOK—Green tourism has become an important trend in recent years, with travelers and hospitality operators alike all doing their best to minimize the impact that tourism can have on the environment.Centara Grand Beach Resort &Villas Krabi, which is set directly on the beach in a small bay that can only be reached by boat or along a pathway through the national park that surrounds the resort is especially aware of its environmental responsibilities. Last year it was awarded EarthCheck Silver Certification for its environmental management programs.As part of the resort’s ongoing commitment towards environmental responsibilities, Centara Grand Krabi has...

NEW YORK—The Waldorf Astoria, New York Hilton Midtown, and Carlton hotels have been honored for their environmentally friendly initiatives as recipients of the first ever Sustainability Awards, presented yesterday by the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show held at the Javits Center.The Hotel Association of NYC’s Sustainability Committee offered awards in three categories: Environmental Protection, awarded to the New York Hilton Midtown for its comprehensive green building efficiency program; Social Responsibility, awarded to the Carlton for its engagement with the community; and Holistic Strategy for Sustainable Hospitality, awarded to the...

ATLANTA—The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) was recently awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system for the design, operation and maintenance of green buildings. The GWCC is now the world’s largest LEED certified convention center. With 3.9 million square feet, the GWCC is also the 14th largest LEED certified building in the world.The facility, located in downtown Atlanta, first opened in 1976 with a total of 750,000 square feet. The fourth and final phase of construction of the building was completed in...

CHICAGO—Marriott International has honored Cintas Corporation with its 2014 Supplier Sustainability Award. The annual award recognizes the Marriott supplier that has made a significant impact on its guests and properties through innovative ideas that help Marriott meet its environmental goals.“We’ve established aggressive sustainability goals, so we need suppliers that can partner with us to achieve those targets,” said Denise Naguib, Vice President of Sustainability and Supplier Diversity, Marriott International. “From helping us reduce water and energy consumption to diverting landfill waste with innovative apparel programs, Cintas has been a true partner in assisting us with reducing our environmental footprint.”Marriott...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Honeywell announced they are working together to deepen facility sustainability by integrating USGBC’s new LEED Dynamic Plaque, a near-real-time monitoring tool with integrated building automation technology from Honeywell to measure and provide performance feedback to help optimize operations.The LEED Dynamic Plaque assesses facility performance in the categories of energy use, water consumption, waste output, occupant transportation and human experience, aggregating data to provide an overall performance score that reflects the LEED rating system—the world’s most widely utilized green building rating system and recognized standard for leadership in sustainability. The plaque is...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—The UnWallpaper Company introduces Rollerwall, an alternative to wallpaper. The tool consists of a roller having a pattern embossed on the surface. Paint is transferred from a foam roller to the pattern roller which transfers the design to the wall. The design can also be applied to floors, ceilings, furniture, fabrics, curtains, drapes, lamp shades, sheets, tablecloths, indoors, outdoors, even garage doors. It even works on cinder block and textured walls which cannot be wallpapered.There are dozens of designs to choose from including florals, geometrics, woodgrain, classics, modern and oriental designs. Each pattern can be applied in one...

CALIFORNIA—Over 700 California Fairmont Hotels & Resorts colleagues accompanied by friends, family members and recruits scoured the state’s inland waterways and beaches for litter late last month as part of the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Working with the Coastal Commission Fairmont led five drop-in cleanup sites (Newport Beach, Santa Monica, San Jose, San Francisco and Sonoma) across the state where volunteers hauled off everything from plastic backyard pools to artificial Christmas trees.Hardworking Fairmont volunteers picked up 6,487 pounds of trash and recyclables; lending strength and stability to the Coastal Cleanup Day Program. Committed sustainability stewards from hotels...