ARLINGTON, VA.—Green Path America has partnered with Totally Green as a sales agent of Totally Green’s ORCA Composting Solutions for the Hospitality Industry. The ORCA Green Machine works by utilizing non-hazardous microorganisms in conjunction with biochips. It comes in three sizes, suited to meet the needs of most industrial kitchens, and is fully self-contained. Use of composting practices is widespread in Europe and Asia, but still rare in the American marketplace. The Dallas Cowboys organization is the first U.S. sports franchise to install one of the sophisticated reactors. Nick Sciurba, business development director of Green Path America, said he expects...

NATIONAL REPORT—The carbon footprint of single-use plastic and glass bottled water containers is huge. Consider the raw materials that go into the bottles, the manufacturing of the bottles themselves, the transportation of the bottles and finally, their disposal (only 20 percent of plastic bottles and 28 percent of glass bottles are ever recycled). Fortunately, many vendors are now making it easy to eliminate most of the carbon footprint of bottled water—thanks to on-site water purification and dispensing systems that incorporate reusable, branded glass bottles. Some restaurants are even charging upwards of $10 for the premium water that is bottled...

RICHMOND, CALIF.—Excellent Packaging & Supply, a wholesale distributor of sustainable, biodegradable, and nature-based packaging for foodservice and other applications, has added Ingeo biopolymer-lined clamshell containers to its line of BagasseWare pulp-based foodservice products. These new products address a problem that has long frustrated operators of cafeterias, restaurants and to-go establishments: the tendency of bio-based containers to soften and lose their structural integrity when serving hot and moist food. Today, many foodservice operators who might otherwise use bagasse-based containers for take-out foods reluctantly use Styrofoam or starch-filed polypropylene containers for hot or greasy foods because they don’t want to risk food...

TRENTON, N.J.—Hotel amenities are now more readily recyclable, thanks to a new partnership between manufacturing leader Marietta Corporation and TerraCycle. Until recently, hotels had limited recycling options for the small bottles and soaps, however Marietta is providing a solution for its partners so these products no longer have to go to the landfill. The collected containers will be recycled into new products such as hangers, ice buckets and recycling bins to be used in hotel rooms. Finding a way to reduce plastics and packaging in landfills has been a priority for Marietta as part of its Social Responsibility Plan. “We are...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Aquamenities as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Aquamenities offers the high quality, tamper resistant Amenity Station. Clients can supply their own amenity products or choose from the company’s own line of spa-quality products. One fixture installed in a guestroom can save a hotel an average of 60 cents per room per day, and eliminates more than 1,000 plastic bottles from the landfill annually. Bottles that come with the Amenity Station are durable, made with PET, and have a capacity of 250 ml. Pumps are one-way, resistant...

CHICAGO—With four years to go until 2015—the target year for reaching its energy, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste reduction goals—Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is making significant progress. According to Brigitta Witt, vice president corporate responsibility for the company, energy, water and waste have been reduced by 10 percent since 2006 at approximately 200 full-service, Hyatt-managed hotels around the world. There have also been substantial cuts in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2009, the year Hyatt began tracking emissions. “We have been tracking energy and water since 1994,” Witt says. “We saw there was a...

GARDEN GROVE, CALIF.—Hyatt Regency Orange County, a recently renovated hotel near the Disneyland Park, includes “green thumb” on its list of eco-friendly hotel initiatives. High above the hotel’s 653 guestrooms and 65,000 square feet of meeting space rests an organic garden on the 17th story rooftop. Fresh-picked garden bounty, including basil, thyme, Italian parsley, tomatoes and sweet peppers, is used in many of the gourmet dishes served at TusCA, the hotel’s signature Italian restaurant. “We are proud to offer a unique experience for our guests by providing fresh, organic herbs picked daily for the TusCA restaurant right from our...

Hotels and resorts are facing increased costs for garbage collection as fuel for collection vehicles increases and landfills increase their dumping fees. Landfills also create environmental problems by polluting the ground water underneath and the air above them. These environmental problems are caused by organic waste. The organic waste component of landfill is broken down by micro-organisms to form a liquid ‘leachate’ which contains bacteria, rotting matter and often chemical contaminants. This leachate can present a serious hazard if it reaches open water or enters the water table. Organic matter in landfills also generates methane, which in large quantities...

DENVER—Xanterra Parks & Resorts is making significant progress toward reaching environmental goals outlined in its 2015 Environmental Vision, a set of aggressive environmental performance goals. The operator of lodging and concessions in national parks and resorts around the country spelled out its progress using environmental performance metrics, called “Ecometrix.” The company’s achievements and measurable progress toward its environmental goals are detailed in the company’s fourth Environmental Sustainability Report. In the report, Xanterra’s president and CEO, Andrew Todd, wrote about the devastation brought about by recent environmental disasters, such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Todd cited Xanterra’s...

MIAMI BEACH—Aeterna recently introduced its Flavored Waters on Tap multi-beverage delivery system. Flavored and enhanced water is the fastest growing beverage segment in the industry, available til now only in glass and plastic bottles. Ecologically committed Aeterna Water solves a dual consumer need by offering a fresher beverage delivered “on tap” (still or sparkling) side by side with a green solution for abating the proliferation of plastic bottled beverages. “Imagine the finest still and sparkling waters combined with Sicilian Blood Orange, Ruby Raspberry and Citrus Sparks to create an endless flow of customizable beverages with no high fructose corn syrup,...