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...

PARIS—HRS, the leading global corporate lodging platform, announced the addition of Accor properties, a world leading hospitality group, in HRS’ new Green Stay Initiative. This decision provides analytical and time-saving benefits to corporate hotel procurement executives as they increasingly require sustainability data as they consider which properties to include on their list of preferred hotels for 2022 and beyond. “The world’s leading multi-national companies are promoting their aspirations to achieve net-zero operations by 2030 or sooner. These company-wide goals impact managed travel programs, who are tasked to travel more sustainably as they recover from the pandemic,” said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge. “Dozens of...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—With this year’s winter season officially underway, skiers and snowboarders have another reason to celebrate: Vail Resorts’ 34 North American mountains have reached 85 percent renewable electricity—one big step closer to a zero net operating footprint by 2030. Through its operations, as well as by promoting collective participation, Vail Resorts is prioritizing efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Now released, Vail Resorts’ 2020/21 EpicPromise Progress Report tracks the company’s commitment to preserving the environment, addressing the most urgent needs of mountain communities, and supporting employees. Major achievements over the past year include: Vail Resorts is on track to reach...

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—This month The Sinclair, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection of hotels, will celebrate its one-year anniversary. Located in Fort Worth, the 164-room boutique property was once the Sinclair Oil building—quite the contrast from its status today as one of the most cutting-edge green hotels in the world. In renovating the 17-floor building, Forrest Perkins and Merriman Architects retained the property’s ZigZag Moderne facada and Art Deco interiors but Sinclair Holdings, the hotel’s developer, opted for power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, utilizing Cisco Digital Building Switches, to power the hotel’s lights, window shades, smart mirrors, and minibars. Ethernet...

CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS—The Nevis Tourism Authority is spearheading a new Sustainability Project in an effort to make Nevis an eco-friendlier destination and reinforce its commitment to the environment through partnerships and local efforts. The project encompasses the development of Sustainable Nevis, a group dedicated to engaging the island to be proactive in how citizens and residents manage their waste and choose to reduce, reuse, and recycle, with the goal of eliminating single-use plastics. The Sustainable Nevis group, comprised of the Nevis Tourism Authority, various environmental groups and agencies on-island as well as key stakeholders, have launched a campaign that encourages locals to recycle plastics...

SAN FRANCISCO—FiveADRIFT has announced the launch of their sustainably crafted towels. The company is on a mission to remove ocean plastic and end consumption of single-use plastic—one towel at a time. FiveADRIFT’s luxurious, fast-drying, and lightweight beach towels are made from all-natural hemp and cotton fibers with 100 percent of profits going to the removal of plastic from the ocean; about 75 plastic bottles are removed from the ocean for each purchase. The beach towels are now available for purchase via their website and newsletter subscribers get access to an exclusive discount. More Than a Towel: The FiveADRIFT Mission FiveADRIFT believes that every decision and...