DOVER, DEL.—Ed Sutor, president and CEO of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, announces that the hotel is in the process of implementing an in-room recycling program, allowing guests to participate in separating recyclables from regular landfill waste.“Our goal is to reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill,” Sutor said. “We are in the process of converting receptacles in the bedrooms/suites area to a container for recyclables only, and keeping the waste receptacle in the bathroom for trash only. With the help of our green-conscious guests, we hope to see a significant increase in our overall recycling efforts.”“We...

HONOLULU, HAWAII—Last year, eight Outrigger Hotels and Resorts properties in Waikiki waged war on waste by encouraging hotel guests to go green. More than 883,000 recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans were collected from guestrooms for a total weight of more than 20 tons, up from 17.5 tons in 2011. This record company performance, if stacked end to end, would equal the height of a whopping 30 Mauna Kea mountains or a tower 540 times taller than Diamond Head. Outrigger launched the in-room recycling program in 2006 at its two Waikiki beachfront hotels, encouraging visitors to leave plastic bottles...

HERNDON, VA.—Staff members at the Washington Dulles Marriott Suites can’t help getting all bubbly when they talk about the Herndon hotel’s latest charitable effort. The hotel is one of just a few hotels near Dulles airport to team up with Clean the World, a nonprofit that collects soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions discarded by the hospitality industry every day. The organization, which operates in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 10 Canadian provinces, then uses a patent-pending process to clean the products so volunteers can redistribute them for humanitarian purposes around the globe.Hand washing with soap significantly...

NATIONAL REPORT—On a winter’s day when the temperature in the Washington, D.C. area soared into the 70s, the ASAE Convene Green Alliance (CGA) took an adventurous group of 20 meeting professionals and industry partners on a behind-the-scenes “Green Safari” tour of the sustainability program at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View, one of only three LEED Gold certified hotels in Virginia. Participants received bandanas to wear and were greeted by Renaissance associates dressed in pith helmets and safari gear to set the theme for this unique learning format. The Green Safari demonstrated how the property earned LEED Gold status and how it...

LAGRANGE, GA.—Lindsay James, a seven-year veteran of Interface Americas who most recently was the modular carpet tile manufacturer’s Director of Strategic Sustainability, has been named Vice President of Restorative Enterprise.In announcing the promotion, John Wells, Interface Americas president and CEO, explained, “The formation of the Restorative Enterprise team is a next step in our company’s journey to our 2020 Mission Zero goal and our promise to eliminate any negative impact our manufacturing and products have on the environment. This team is charged with helping to transform our company into an enterprise that restores the environment as well as preserves...

RENO, NEV.—The Siena Hotel Spa Casino announced they are moving toward greener solutions by converting from traditional paper slips to virtual drawings and digital comp slips. The Siena, located in Reno, Nev., has purchased a software system to enhance the players’ experience while supporting the environment. Now, players no longer have to retrieve and keep tickets they earn to win in drawings; the virtual drawing randomly selects a lucky winner. In addition, new digital comp slips allow for players to easily access their comps earned at any outlet throughout the property just by showing their Siena Rewards Card.The new...

SILVER SPRING, MD.—Choice Hotels International’s announcement that it will require U.S. Econo Lodge hotels to participate in its Room to be Green program should elevate its overall number of Room to be Green participants to approximately 2,000 U.S. hotels by the end of the year. Currently, Room to be Green is an optional program for Choice’s other brands. Created in 2008, Room to be Green includes three elements: compact fluorescent or LED bulbs in all guest fixtures, excluding ceiling lights; a towel/linen reuse program; and recycling for guests and staff. Choice hotels that participate in Room to be Green...

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—Glaro Inc., a leading manufacturer of metal recycling receptacles, announces a new way for facility managers to create their own RecyclePro recycling stations without hiring a designer or consultant. According to executives, while it is common to order three or more recycling receptacles of the same diameter (for example 15”) and connect them, customers can now join various Glaro recycling receptacle sizes together to create their own unique recycling station. The key to this innovation is the Glaro aluminum connector bracket. “The result of using Glaro Inc. connector brackets is that customers can form any configuration that they...

DURHAM, N.C.—Graduate students from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University have teamed up with the National Restaurant Association to examine how best to deploy a zero-waste program for restaurateurs in Durham, N.C.The students, all enrolled in the university’s public policy master’s degree program, have taken on the assignment as a three-month-long consulting project that calls for analytical research and recommendations on implementation of a zero-waste program. They also will explore the challenges and barriers business operators face regarding adoption of zero-waste initiatives.“The Duke team is helping us review and analyze how best to develop a zero-waste...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Refinishing Touch, a leader in furniture refinishing, re-upholstering and armoire modification for private and public organizations, has been certified as ISO 9001:2008 compliant by the International Organization for Standardization, holding certificate 588518.The ISO 9001:2008 certification is given to companies that have demonstrated the ability to consistently provide a product or service to meet customer, statutory and regulatory requirements, and that aim to continually enhance customer satisfaction through systems and processes. ISO 9001:2008 requirements are applicable to all organizations, regardless of industry, size or product.The Refinishing Touch has been a leader in environmentally-safe, fiscally-responsible furniture asset management solutions...