KAPAAU, HAWAII—Guests staying at the boutique-style Hawaii Island Retreat on Hawaii Island’s North Kohala coast can choose to stay in one of the Retreat’s nine lavishly appointed guestrooms or “rough” it a little bit and stay in one of the property’s seven well-appointed yurts. No matter what accommodations are chosen, guests have the satisfaction of knowing they are staying in a place that is off the grid—powered by the sun and wind.The Hawaii Island Retreat is nearing its third anniversary. It opened on April 1, 2009. Jacque Waters, associate director at the property, said the owners—Jeanne Sunderland and Robert...

DES PLAINES, ILL.—Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the newest casino in the Chicagoland area, has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Rivers Casino is the first casino in the world to achieve the LEED Gold certification.“We are proud to be recognized as a leader in sustainable development and we hope to set an example for the rest of the gaming and entertainment industries,” said Greg Carlin, CEO of Rivers Casino. “It’s important to all of our team members that we are a good corporate citizen.”“Achieving LEED...

BOULDER, COLO.—With a simple flip of a switch, The Best Western Plus Boulder Inn recently became the most solar powered hotel in Boulder County. The newly installed 880-kilowatt system that includes 88 solar panels will save 28,694 kWh of electricity production annually, and provide approximately 25 percent of the hotel’s overall electrical needs. A digital reporting device located at the hotel’s front desk provides real-time and cumulative information on CO2 savings and power production. This and other sustainability tracking initiatives applied throughout the hotel will provide a true look at the hotel’s overall environmental impact.“Our goal is to reduce...

NATIONAL REPORT—From an industry penetration standpoint, mattress encasements are still in their “infancy stage,” says Sandy DiVito, vice president Hospitality & Healthcare for Protect-A-Bed. Increasingly, however, lodging establishments are using encasements to extend the life of their mattresses, keeping them out of the landfill and ready for the day when they can either be donated or recycled. From a sustainability standpoint, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to encasements. Encasements reduce the need to clean or treat mattresses, which is often done with toxic chemicals. A reduced need to clean means less labor and less...

HOUSTON—When Deer Lake Lodge & Spa opens this summer, guests will stay in 11 rooms, eight of which were once shipping containers. A total of 23 shipping containers are being used at the resort; 15 will comprise the main building area. The shipping containers are just one recycling example found on the 50-acre property located a 40-minute drive from Houston.Developer Tracy Boulware says that given Houston’s port location, shipping containers are easy to find and very inexpensive. “They are sturdy and very unique,” she says. Where needed, spaces have been cut out of the containers. Blue jean and spray...

AURORA, ONT.—CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, a division of Midpoint International, Inc., has introduced a “Transition-Ready” recycling station that can be customized with a choice of countertops and wood veneer side and front panels. These custom recycling, composting and waste containers use stream-specific, interchangeable opening plates and moveable internal dividers to accept multiple types of recyclables in a single unit that is easily configured—and reconfigured—to meet current and future requirements. The containers are designed to blend in with existing cabinetry.“The Transition liner is the key to this recycling station,” said CleanRiver president Dave Jarrett. “The liner is a system that meets...

LAS VEGAS—At a ceremonial “green” ribbon-cutting event, representatives from the Clean the World Foundation, a nonprofit organization that collects, recycles and distributes recycled hotel soaps and bottled amenities (shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc.), and Caesars Foundation opened a new soap recycling facility in Las Vegas to help stop the spread of preventable diseases in communities worldwide.The Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center, located at 3111 S. Valley View Blvd., Ste. L-115 will serve as the soap and bottled amenities collection center and bar soap recycling site for all hotel partners in the western region of the United States.Thanks to $250,000 in...

Name: Laura KaneTitle: Business Travel Sales/Sustainability ManagerOrganization: Westin Michigan Avenue ChicagoYears at Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago: Almost six yearsPrimary responsibilities: “I lead our green team and green efforts. I continue to promote environmental responsibility—minimizing waste, hazardous substances, improving energy efficiency—doing anything internally to promote sustainability.”Organization’s most significant environment-related accomplishment so far: “Earning our Green Seal certification. It was a huge accomplishment.”  Organization’s most significant environment-related challenge: “Developing a complete composting system. We are currently only doing a small amount. We would like to be able to completely compost our wet waste.” CHICAGO—If you visit the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago...

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—The Green Hotel Pilot Program, funded by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), was created in order to engage New York State’s lodging properties and understand key environmental challenges affecting this industry. The goal of the program was to assist lodging properties in reducing their environmental footprint while saving operating costs as well as increase revenue by attracting environmentally conscious tourists. In addition, those participating in the certification process would have the opportunity to increase the number of certified green hotels in New York and be featured in green tourism marketing.In the spring of 2009 in...

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO.—The Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Steamboat’s only full-service luxury ski-in/ski-out resort and conference center, announced that its Green Team has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives to help make the resort as eco-friendly as possible.The Sheraton Steamboat has partnered with Clean the World, a charitable organization that recycles discarded hotel soap and bottled shampoo products, sending them to communities in need worldwide to help prevent the millions of deaths caused by hygiene-related illnesses. Since the partnership began in June 2011, the Sheraton Steamboat has recycled 691 pounds of bottled amenities and 504 pounds of soap, which have been used to...