LEAVENWORTH, WASH.—Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat was recently presented with the 2006 Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices. Governor Christine Gregoire recently presented the award to Sleeping Lady, along with four other businesses and a not-for-profit group, in Olympia. The 2006 award marks the second Governor’s Award for Sleeping Lady, with their first win in 2001. This year’s honor was the Continuing Excellence award, which recognizes the retreat’s continued commitment to the high standards that garnered it the award five years ago. “We are obviously honored, and are grateful that this award exists, to help get the word out about...

PRESIDIO, TEXAS—Recycling is becoming a way of life in the border communities near Big Bend National Park thanks to the generosity of Forever Resorts. Extending their environmental ethic and friendship across the border of Texas to Mexico, Forever Resorts’ Big Bend Resorts, the concessioner in Big Bend National Park, in partnership with J.V. Manufacturing of Arkansas, recently presented a recycling baler to the community of Ojinaga, Mexico. C. Ing. Jorge Jesus Montoya, Presidente Municipal of the city of Ojinaga along with Ing. Ma. Isisdro Olivas, Eduardo Castillo and students from the Cetis 98 School accepted the generous gesture...

SOMERSET, N.J.—Philips Lighting Co., the U.S.-based lighting company affiliated with Royal Philips Electronics, was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the first company in the United States to launch a companywide effort towards meeting the EPA’s National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) waste minimization standards. As a new partner in the national program, Philips Lighting has committed to reducing the amount of mercury used in the manufacturing of its fluorescent lamps by 780 pounds by the end of 2007. In addition, the company has committed to eliminating the amount of lead in all of its...

NORCO, CALIF.—Quick Crete Products Corp. has introduced a virtually smokeless ash receptacle for the disposal of cigarette and other tobacco-related litter in public areas. Through a patent-pending process, the new Halo product virtually eliminates tobacco smoke and odors, keeping the surrounding air cleaner and easier to breathe. The Halo’s covered design also eliminates the unsightly appearance caused by partially smoked or spent cigarette and cigar butts. “Because cigarette litter is becoming such a major environmental issue in communities, customers have been asking us for a better solution to the problems associated with it, especially in public areas frequented...

NEW YORK—Last week’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, which drew more than 35,000 people, was packed with innovative products to help hoteliers clean naturally, save energy and water, and minimize waste generation. Also on hand were vendors offering everything from environmentally friendly wall coverings to nontoxic tub refinishing. Here are a just a few highlights from the 1,250 companies who exhibited at the lodging industry’s No. 1 trade event. Action Comax Environmental Inc., Newark, N.J., introduced its BioX high-volume organic waste decomposition system. Inside of a large steel container, food waste is broken down to liquid through biological decompostion. It...

DENVER—Osram Sylvania announced that it has developed a business association with Veolia Environmental Services, the largest lamp and ballast recycler in North America, to provide environmentally responsible recycling alternatives. As a leader in environmentally preferable, energy-efficient lighting solutions, Osram is now expanding its range of lighting and recycling solutions by offering the sale of Recyclepak, Veolia’s proprietary recycling kit, through www.sylvania.com/recycle. Using the Recyclepak makes recycling easy for large or small quantities of spent lamps and ballasts. Prepaid packaging allows for a convenient way to manage lighting waste. One price includes everything needed for complete lamp and ballast...

CINCINNATI—Procter & Gamble (P&G) Professional, in cooperation with Homewood Suites by Hilton and the National Coalition for the Homeless have combined efforts to donate freshly laundered, hotel-quality sheets to homeless shelters across the United States through their “Mission S.O.F.T.” program. This program provides homeless persons with a way to “Start Out Fresh Today.” “When people donate to homeless organizations, they typically think of the obvious necessities including clothing, food and toiletries,” says Michael Stoops, acting director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Sheets are an often overlooked necessity that many shelters need and want.” The three...

NATIONAL REPORT—To add ambiance to a restaurant, bar or other area of a hotel, sometimes all that’s needed is a little candlelight. Whether fueled by wax and wick or liquid fuel, candles encourage a relaxing, stress-free atmosphere. As common and accepted as traditional candles are, few hoteliers may realize their true costs—from both a financial and environmental perspective. When wax candles burn down, they typically are thrown away and add to waste disposal costs—from the hotel to the landfill. Just like automobiles burning gasoline, candles using liquid fuel strain the environment. Energy is consumed through processes used to generate the...

OTTAWA, ONTARIO—A year and a half after launching its Green Key Eco-Rating program, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has rated more than 400 hotels and will soon have an additional 400 properties participating. Anthony Pollard, president of HAC, anticipates having 2,000 hotels on board by the end of 2007. With approximately 6,800 hotels in Canada, 2,000 properties would represent almost 30 percent of the total number. Even though there are other rating programs to choose from, hoteliers in Canada appear to have locked in on this one. Several factors are driving the program’s success. The first is...

CHICAGO—Preferred Hotel Group, which includes 350 hotels and resorts in more than 50 nations, recently recognized three of its members with its Preferred Pineapple Award for their exceptional efforts in the areas of environmental well-being. Through its recently launched program entitled “GIFTTS: Great Initiatives for Today’s (Tomorrow’s) Society”, the company initiated its Preferred Pineapple Award. The award was presented at the Preferred Hotel Group Annual Conference in Las Vegas last week. Additional members received Certificates of Excellence in recognition of their good works. “The purpose of GIFTTS is to provide a meaningful platform to showcase individual actions...