MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced a partnership with Good360 to connect hotels donating high-quality used goods to charitable organizations that can repurpose and serve needs within their communities. By utilizing LightStay, Hilton Worldwide’s proprietary sustainability performance management platform, all of the more than 3,750 Hilton Worldwide hotels globally will be able to enter goods available for donation into a tracking system that will link to Good360’s online product donation marketplace and its more than 22,000 charities that can claim items as needed. Additionally, Hilton Worldwide’s group meeting clients can track donations entered by Hilton Worldwide-branded properties in the event...

TORONTO—The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) reported the results of its greening efforts for the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo recently held at the MTCC. Even for the world’s largest conference & expo dedicated to green buildings, the results were impressive, with a significantly reduced footprint achieved through an unprecedented 95 percent waste diversion rate, energy and water conservation and an ever increasing commitment to greening through the education of MTCC employees. The premier event featuring three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events attracted more than 23,000...

CANCUN, MEXICO—Cancun has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. The sandy beaches, the blue water and the warm weather have brought tourists back year after year. Understanding that this natural beauty is extremely fragile, the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa has started important green initiatives to ensure tourists can enjoy Cancun for years to come. This resort in Cancun, Mexico, has introduced a number of important environmentally conscious programs this year. Many of them focus on cutting down waste from the Cancun hotel. For instance, the JW Marriott Cancun Resort has begun an aggressive...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has earned top honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding achievement in food waste recycling programs at the company’s Las Vegas Strip resorts. The company will be presented with the EPA’s 2011 WasteWise Gold Achievement-Food Recovery Award as part of the agency’s annual competition, which recognizes public and private entities for their environmental sustainability efforts. The EPA will give Gold Achievement awards in 12 sustainability categories.   The EPA WasteWise Gold Achievement Award is the third national award that MGM Resorts has earned for its recycling program. The Glass Packaging Institute recognized MGM Resorts...

FAIRFIELD, N.J.—Tommy Bahama dispensers have found a home in a number of hotels along the Pacific Coast with the help of Essential Amenities, Inc. and Pineapple Hospitality. The Acqua Hotel, Hotel FIVE, The Maxwell Hotel, University Inn, and Watertown Hotel have all recently adopted the Tommy Bahama hotel amenities in all guestrooms as part of an effort to reduce waste and make a positive impact on the environment. “We’re very proud because we are the first hotel in California to feature the Tommy Bahama dispensers,” says Kurt Helmke, general manager for the Acqua Hotel, located in Marin County just outside...

NOTTINGHAM, PA.—Zandur, a green manufacturer dedicated to developing the world’s most environmentally sensitive flooring products, announces the launch of a new tile size in their “True Green” line of natural Cork Rubber Flooring. The 12" x 24" tile addition creates extensive opportunity for designers to discover their own unique patterns by mixing and matching square or plank cut tile in nearly limitless combination. Zandur’s high performance material is available in 48 standard colors.    Zandur’s Cork Rubber Flooring is made from more than 65 percent recycled and renewable cork and 35 percent rubber and meets the requirements of numerous...

NEW YORK—Protect-A-Bed, a leading supplier of bedding protection products for the hospitality industry, will focus on hygiene and showcase sustainability solutions in the company’s expanded booth (#3132) at IHMRS.  Protect-A-Bed, an established leader in the continual fight against bed bug infestations, is encouraging hoteliers to also think about another ongoing challenge. “While bed bug infestations will continue to cause problems for hotel owners and operators, there’s actually a more consistent threat that is universal: the human contamination of mattresses,” says Sandra DiVito, vice president of Hospitality at Protect-A-Bed. “Hoteliers are challenged every day to maintain clean mattresses for their guests,”...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced a partnership with the Global Soap Project, a nonprofit organization that recovers and recycles soap from hotels that would otherwise end up in landfills. The Global Soap Project sorts, reprocesses and remolds used soap into new bars and distributes them to vulnerable populations in developing countries who are at risk of sanitation and hygiene-related disease. In its first year of the partnership, Hilton Worldwide expects this investment to result in the donation of more than one million new 4-ounce bars of soap to people in need. “At Hilton Worldwide, we are constantly measuring, analyzing and...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes The Green Garmento as a Product & Service Directory partner. The Green Garmento is a laundry bag that transforms into a hanging garment bag, eliminating hotel employees’ needs to use single-use plastic and paper. The Green Garmento also replaces the single-use drycleaning plastic when used in guestrooms; allowing guests to use it there or take them home, creating a profit center. The new KangerHanger pouch bag (with a pouch for hangers) is an IHMRS 2011 Editor’s Choice Finalist. The Green Garmento compliments many hotels’ green initiatives. Not only...

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT.—Offering recycling to its guests and staff, and expanding green purchasing have allowed the 107-room Comfort Inn & Suites in St. Johnsbury, Vermont to reduce its environmental footprint, respond to guest requests, and to be recognized as a Green Hotel through the Vermont Green Hotels in the Green Mountain State Program (also known as the Vermont Green Hotels Program). In April 2009, the Comfort Inn agreed to work with the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), the Vermont Green Hotels Program, and EPA New England to initiate a recycling program and to increase and document its green purchasing efforts. These...