BROCKTON, MASS.—The Food Freshness Card won at the 2018 United Fresh Show with the new Industrial Size. “We are thrilled and honored to have received this award voted on by the industry professionals and attendees for a second consecutive year,” said Rick Hassler, Director of Natures Natural Solutions, developer of the Food Freshness Card. “This award, which comes at the same time as the award the Food Freshness Card received from Food Logistics for Top Green Provider 2018, makes us humbly proud, and more determined than ever to expand in the food industry and cut the global problem of $400...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International today announced that it has adopted a plan to remove disposable plastic straws and plastic stirrers from its more than 6,500 properties across 30 brands around the world. Once fully implemented in one year, the company could eliminate the use of more than 1 billion plastic straws per year and about a quarter billion stirrers. A single plastic straw—which might be used for about 15 minutes—will never fully decompose. “We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we’re eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide,” said Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of...

MONTEREY, CALIF.—Portola Hotel & Spa has said #byebyeplastic by introducing an infinitely recyclable water bottle alternative to encourage an ocean-friendly way of reducing the use of plastic at the hotel. Millions of un-recycled bottles end up in the ocean, polluting the water and threatening sea life at places like the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. If further calls to action are not executed soon, by 2050, there will be more plastic water bottles than fish in the ocean. The bottles are $5 each and provided as a service to guests. If opened, a charge will be billed to the room....

Every time an article comes out touting the “green” countertop options available on the market, it is woefully inaccurate. Often listing the same material multiple times in different formats, or completely misunderstanding the green claims of others, the lists just don’t stand up to reality. So here is a real list of the countertop options and the manufacturers whose true mission and goal is to create healthier surfaces, more durable surfaces, and divert waste from the oceans and landfills, creating something beautiful that you can feel good about. Why not have your surface tell a story of its own? And...

SANTA FE, N.M.—The historic La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel has been named 2018 “Green Business of the Year” in the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Awards. The program honors outstanding businesses and business practices. This year, more than 80 local businesses were nominated and competed in six different categories. “We are thrilled to be recognized for our dedication to sustainable operations, which goes hand-in-hand with our mission of historical preservation and community-building,” said La Fonda Chairman of the Board Jennifer Lea Kimball. “As a caretaker of Santa Fe traditions, we are responsible for protecting the beauty and...

SOUTHAMPTON, BERMUDA—Nurture Hospitality Group (NHG), a U.S. based amenities company, has launched with a strong social WE CARE message. Unique to the company is its reuse of ocean bound plastics in its 1 oz. and 2 oz. amenities containers and caps. “To the best of our knowledge, nobody is doing this in the hotel industry,” says NHG’s Gary Coward. According to NHG, its nOcean (NO OCEAN) plastics manufactured by NHG have the potential to create a paradigm shift within the guest amenity industry; an industry that produces billions of portion size hotel bottles and tubes that are used and often...

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF.—The Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa has added another green initiative to its efforts to further reduce its impact on the environment in Southern California by becoming the first hotel property in the Coachella Valley to implement ORCA Technology, an innovative technology developed by ORCA Digesters, Inc. that turns food waste into water. The application of this system will divert approximately 624 tons of food waste from local landfills per year, thereby reducing the amount of methane gases produced at landfill sites, lowering garbage truck diesel fuel usage, and resulting CO2 emissions. Additionally, the digested food waste...

The list of the companies committing to eliminate (or at least dramatically reduce) the number of plastic straws given to guests continues to get longer. I have tried to post each announcement. Here is a list of the companies I have so far: MGM Resorts International, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Delaware North, Meliá Hotels International, Iberostar Group, The Travel Corp., Scandic Hotels, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Sudima Hotels & Resorts, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, The Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, and The Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Do a search on “straw” on Green Lodging News to find the various...

LOS ANGELES—Washington, D.C. based nonprofit Green Seal announced that the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has been awarded the Green Seal Silver Certification. This national, standardized certification is part of the nonprofit Green Seal initiative, created in 1989 to encourage companies to safeguard the environment by using environmentally responsible products and practices. The Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Hotel is the sixth hotel in Los Angeles (and one of only nine hotels in all of Southern California) and the first of the worldwide Sofitel hotel group to achieve this distinction. “By earning Green Seal certification, the Sofitel proves...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. announced Hyatt hotels around the world plan to eliminate single-use plastic straws and drink picks. After September 1, 2018, straws and picks will be available on request only, and eco-friendly alternatives will be provided where available. “At Hyatt, we care for people, so they can be their best, and this care extends to our communities and to preserving resources for future generations,” said Frank Lavey, Senior Vice President, Global Operations for Hyatt. “Eliminating plastic straws and drink picks builds on the environmental sustainability programs we have in place and further drives our global efforts to reduce environmental...