DEATH VALLEY, CALIF.—In keeping with its “pillars of sustainability,” the AAA Four Diamond Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park has enacted a series of initiatives designed to minimize the impact of its operations and of its guests. The resort has put in place programs to reduce waste and water usage, generate electricity and offer sustainable choices to its guests.Those efforts are working as the resort reports solid waste has been reduced by 44 percent, water usage has dropped 19 percent and electricity use is down 18 percent since 2010. In that same time period sustainably sourced food...

NEW YORK—The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Sustainability Committee has added a session entitled, “Measuring Hotel Carbon Footprints Using HCMI Methodology,” to the lineup of sessions at the Hospitality Leadership Forum which leads up to the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS). The session will take place from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. IHMRS will take place at the Javits Center from Sunday, November 9 through Tuesday, November 11.Pat Maher, partner, The Maher Group, LLC, will moderate the panel discussion that will include:...

KA‘ANAPALI, MAUI, HAWAII—Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is celebrating its LEED Silver EBOM (Existing Building Operations and Maintenance) certification, awarded as a result of a long term commitment to environmental sustainability. This certification is the first of any building in the state of Hawaii. The property recently completed renovations throughout the resort, including the pool area, Drums of the Pacific Luau, and dining outlets. Throughout the renovation process members of the Hyatt Regency Maui operations team worked closely with property owner Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. and with third-party consultants Green Building Hawaii to make the necessary environmentally...

LOS ANGELES—Energy and environmental enthusiasts are increasingly calling businesses to take green action and implement sustainable initiatives. Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City is continuing to make great strides and is one of the few Green Seal Silver certified environmentally conscious lodging facilities in California. The hotel executives understand sustainability as the ability to meet present needs without comprising that of future generations.The property is committed to energy conservation, waste minimization and executing an environmentally friendly operation. By doing this, the hotel is not only helping to reduce the greenhouse emissions that impact global climate change and save energy; but also...

SAN FRANCISCO—Tens of thousands of Californians, including a pledge of 1,000 California Fairmont Hotels & Resorts colleagues, friends and family members, will volunteer to remove debris from the coast, creeks, rivers, lakes and shorelines all around California protecting wildlife from harm while taking care of the environment. The event, the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, will take place on Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to noon in most locations.In 2013, close to 65,000 volunteers state-wide removed 674,234 pounds of trash and an additional 75,089 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 749,323 pounds or 375 tons...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—Commercial foodservice and plumbing product manufacturer T&S Brass and Bronze Works announced that EnviroPure, its organic food waste disposal system, has received the 2014 Innovations Award from the Asia Pacific division of Food Consultants Society International (FCSI). The Asia Pacific Division of FCSI is the newest of the society’s worldwide membership organizations, representing a diverse range of cultures from India and China to Japan and the Pacific.“We are delighted—but not surprised—at this distinguished recognition,” said Bill Stella, T&S Director of International Sales, who accepted the award for the company. “The EnviroPure system is revolutionizing food waste handling....

LAS VEGAS—Mirtha Eusebio, a card dealer at Bally’s in Las Vegas, is getting excited about the trip she will be taking to the Dominican Republic from September 23 to 26 with two other Caesars Entertainment employees. The three will be joining Clean the World Foundation staff and representatives of Children International on a trip to distribute soap to those in need in three locations. The soap to be distributed was donated by lodging establishments and sanitized and reprocessed by Clean the World. Eusebio and her two colleagues were selected as a result of a contest held by the Caesars...

ATLANTA—Global Soap Project, the nonprofit organization focused on educating, empowering, and improving the hygiene and health of vulnerable populations around the world, has announced the opening of a new 7,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Las Vegas.The facility, which is double the size of its original Atlanta plant, has relocated to Las Vegas to more efficiently process the donations of used soap from more than 150,000-plus hotel rooms, including a large concentration in the Las Vegas area.Global Soap Project accepts used soap in bulk from hotels, and then processes them into large bars, which are distributed to 32 of the...

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Surrounded by the six million protected acres of the Adirondack Park—the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous U.S. states—Whiteface Lodge is mindful of the very special place it occupies in the world. From the timber used in its construction in 2005, all of which was found on-property, to its reuse of dying trees on its land as mulch and in landscaping, the rustic resort continues to strengthen its conservation commitment as awareness increases and technology improves. Among its recent meaningful green measures:•    A total of 7,993 bars of soap (and counting) recycled and distributed to families...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes ILLI America as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. ILLI America is the provider of the modern ILLI Cartridge Dispensing unit. Created as a solution to help reduce the 8 billion plastic amenity bottles thrown away annually as well the labor and cost associated with refillable dispensers, the ILLI provides a maintenance free platform for the tenure of the ILLI while reducing plastic amenity waste by 90 percent. Hermetically sealed cartridges bearing the Nordic Eco label certification prevent continual maintenance and liability risks while reducing cost...