NATIONAL REPORT—For hotel and lodge owners, plumbing and waste management are always a concern. Hotels alone produce 289,700 tons of waste each year, 79,000 of which is food waste. That's not only detrimental to the environment, but it’s incredibly costly as well. That is why it's highly beneficial for lodge and hotel owners to preserve as much as possible. Luckily, there are many ways that lodges and hotels can reduce waste and water usage. Read on to learn some about the top tips for waste reduction and sustainable plumbing. Limiting Food Waste Food waste is costly and damaging to the environment. In...

SILVERTHORNE, COLO.—The Pad, a boutique hotel with hostel-style rooms and a high-end mountain modern design, has opened its doors and welcomed its first guests in the heart of Silverthorne, Colo. along the banks of the Blue River. As the first newly constructed boutique hostel in the Rocky Mountains, The Pad incorporated 18 upcycled shipping containers into its environmentally friendly construction and design. The Pad is one of the country’s first lodging properties to be constructed using upcycled shipping containers and is on track to becoming the first Colorado-based lodging company to attain B Corp. certification. “We’re using upcycled shipping containers and...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) and the Global Finance Committee (GFC) are preparing for the Fall 2022 release of the 12th Revised edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI). Prior to publishing the newest edition, HFTP and the GFC have recruited a group of leading industry stakeholders to participate in the review of exposure drafts, requesting comments for consideration ahead of the 12th edition publication. The first exposure draft is for a new section titled: “Energy, Water, and Waste.” “This is the first of many steps as environmental, social and governance objectives and measures will continue to change with the...

LONDON—Corona announced Corona Island, a unique destination for visitors to disconnect from the everyday and reconnect with the natural world. Slated to open in late Spring 2022 in the heart of the Caribbean Sea, Corona Island will be a destination centered around sustainability and is striving to become “Blue Verified” by Oceanic Global as part of the international NGO’s rigorous Blue Standard program. The verification and assessment addresses measures including: single-use plastic elimination and implementation of responsible waste management infrastructure. The assessment is currently underway with Corona Island set to become the first fully Blue Verified Island by its launch in spring of next year. “Corona Island is unlike...

HOUSTON—Waste Management announced its listing on the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and North America Indices for its commitment to environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) leadership and its commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices. This marks the fourth year for WM to be the category leader in Commercial & Professional Services. Overall, WM has been represented on the DJSI since 2004. To achieve its best-in-category recognition, WM ranked as follows on the DJSI: #1 in Governance & Economic Dimension #1 in Environmental Dimension #2 in Social Dimension “As we continue our sustainability journey, we meet and exceed the...

RENO, NEV.—NRGCUBE’s new mobile, rechargeable power supply and induction heating system is set to bring 100 percent regenerative energy to the food service industry. Safe, mobile, consistent and most of all economical, NRGCUBE replaces the ancient practice of using canned fuel that is the current standard. Canned fuel is not safe as it uses an open flame. Unlike NRGCUBE, canned fuel is not thermostatically controlled leading to overheating and scorching of food and scariest of all fire danger. Thermostatic control allows the chefs and stewards to control the temperature and therefor the food quality being served. Costing less than 20...

HUDDINGE, SWEDEN—Every year, more than 300 billion plastic lids—1,500,000,000 kg of plastic—are used on our coffee and beverage cups. The lids leak, and we spill and burn ourselves. And because they are made of plastic, the lids are harmful to the environment—and are slated to be banned in the EU. Swedish company UniCup Scandinavia AB has now created an entirely new bio-based lid made of spruce and pine. The “Liplid” is placed inside, rather than on, the cup, and improves the stability and drinking experience of on-the-go beverages. UniCup Scandinavia founders Lars Bendix and Håkan Löfholm have been developing products for...

NEW YORK—Highgate, a leader in global real estate investment with more than 65,000 hotel rooms under management, recently announced an upgrade to 100 percent renewable electricity, beginning with a majority of its select service properties as well as 17 full-service hotels. The initiative will be certified by Green-e Energy, the nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. “We’re determined to be part of the solution to address climate change. According to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, the hotel industry needs to reduce its carbon emissions per room by 90 percent by 2050 to keep the industry within UN...

NEW ORLEANS—The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center regularly hosts conferences, tradeshows, sporting events, and even glamorous high-profile events such as charity galas and Carnival balls. But now they are talking trash. The Convention Center recently completed their first ever Event Waste Audit, in pursuit of a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. During the Specialty Coffee Expo on October 1, Convention Center employees (dubbed “The Trash Team”) went through over 400 pounds of a representative sample of waste materials to evaluate how well the building is diverting materials from landfills. A mix of trash, recycling, and composting...

Most of you are familiar with Clean the World, the organization that repurposes partially or unused soap and bottled amenities. If your hotel is not yet participating in Clean the World’s programs, I strongly encourage it to do so. One of the benefits of supporting Clean the World is receiving its monthly newsletter. Here are some highlights from the organization’s November newsletter: Clean the World has a fresh new look with its new website. Says Clean the World, “Whether you’re a partner, a supporter, or just stopping by to say hi, our new website’s ease of navigation puts the user...