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14
May

Sabre launches industry’s first eco-certified hotel program

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Company-wide program includes Travelocity, Sabre Red Workspace, Travelocity Business and Sabre Hotel RFP

SOUTHLAKE, Texas – Feb. 6, 2012 – Sabre Holdings, a global technology company for the travel industry, today announced the launch of its Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program, an industry first program that provides clear and easy access to sustainable travel offerings throughout Sabre’s portfolio.   The program addresses travelers’ growing desire for environmentally responsible accommodations and includes more than 4,700 hotels certified by globally-recognized certification programs.

The Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program builds upon Travelocity’s Green Hotel Directory, launched in 2009, and extends the program company-wide to recognize hotels that are certified as sustainable according to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s guidelines.  Travelocity is still the only major online travel company that helps users find green hotels with an eco-friendly tag.

The 4,700+ hotels participating in the program will be clearly distinguished in Sabre’s Global Distribution System (GDS) and reflected in other Sabre platforms.  Specifically:

  • In Sabre Red Workspace, the more than 180,000 users can shop and book eco-certified hotels using current amenity search functionality that includes an easy-to-spot icon and a unique amenity code.
  • Nearly 2000 corporate and agency customers are able to specify eco-certified hotels during the RFP process by using Sabre Hotel RFP tool.
  • Travelocity Business designates eco-certified hotels to help agents and travelers shop and book participating hotels.

“With leadership comes responsibility,” said Greg Webb, president of Sabre Travel Network. “Sabre is keenly focused on the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the travel industry and we are committed to providing our customers with products and services that help them promote these same long-term values throughout their businesses.”

According to a recent Phocuswright study, 66 percent of U.S. travelers believe their travel choices can make a difference to the environment, and more than 51 percent of meeting planners will hold meetings only in sustainable venues (GBTA and Imex Global survey 2010).  For suppliers, the Sabre Eco-Certified Hotel Program provides hotels a new and innovative way to differentiate themselves, reinforce their brand and tap into the growing number of travelers and travel planners looking for sustainable hotel options.
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14
May

National Park Trust & Caesars Entertainment Team Up to Inspire Families to Explore America’s Parks through National Kids to Parks Day Initiative

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Source: Environmental Expert

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 14, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — From Pennsylvania toCalifornia, 35 Caesars Entertainment Corporation properties in more than 19 communities across the country have pledged their support for a simple concept: helping families engage with parks to create a healthy environment for themselves and their children.

Caesars Entertainment’s employee volunteers, known as HEROs, will host park events across the country to promote conservation and outdoor recreation as part of National Park Trust’s (NPT) signature National Kids to Parks Day (KTP) initiative – a grassroots movement that encourages children and families to get outside and explore local, state and national parks in their community. The National Kids to Parks Day is Saturday, May 19.

Caesars’ participation in National Kids to Parks Day initiative is an extension of its previous efforts with NPT to educate school children and families across the country about the responsible use of natural resources by engaging them with parks and green spaces in their community.

‘Caesars Entertainment has a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and the communities in which our employees live and work,’ said Gwen Migita, Vice President of Sustainability and Community Affairs at Caesars Entertainment. ‘We are proud to support and inspire passion in young people across the country for the outdoors and conservation through National Kids to Parks Day.’
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14
May

National Park Trust & Caesars Entertainment Team Up to Inspire Families to Explore America's Parks through National Kids to Parks Day Initiative

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Source: Environmental Expert

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 14, 2012 /PR Newswire/ — From Pennsylvania toCalifornia, 35 Caesars Entertainment Corporation properties in more than 19 communities across the country have pledged their support for a simple concept: helping families engage with parks to create a healthy environment for themselves and their children.

Caesars Entertainment’s employee volunteers, known as HEROs, will host park events across the country to promote conservation and outdoor recreation as part of National Park Trust’s (NPT) signature National Kids to Parks Day (KTP) initiative – a grassroots movement that encourages children and families to get outside and explore local, state and national parks in their community. The National Kids to Parks Day is Saturday, May 19.

Caesars’ participation in National Kids to Parks Day initiative is an extension of its previous efforts with NPT to educate school children and families across the country about the responsible use of natural resources by engaging them with parks and green spaces in their community.

‘Caesars Entertainment has a strong commitment to environmental responsibility and the communities in which our employees live and work,’ said Gwen Migita, Vice President of Sustainability and Community Affairs at Caesars Entertainment. ‘We are proud to support and inspire passion in young people across the country for the outdoors and conservation through National Kids to Parks Day.’
Read more

14
May

Excessive Water Use ‘Threatening Business in Major Economies’

Categories: News
Comments: No

As reported by Environmental Leader

Unsustainable water use is threatening agriculture, other business and populations in China, India and the US, according to a study by risk analysis company Maplecroft.

The Water Stress Index calculates the water stress of over 168 countries by evaluating renewable supplies of water from precipitation, streams and rivers against domestic, industrial and agricultural use.

The arid Middle East and North Africa region is the most at-risk region in the index, with Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Djibouti, UAE, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt categorized as the 10 most water-stressed countries, listed in order of risk.

However, the widespread use of irrigation for agriculture, combined with increasing domestic and industrial water demand in India (ranked 34th in the index), China (50) and the US (61) means that those economies’ water resources are coming under increasing pressure – and this may place more of an impact on the wider world, Maplecroft says.

The populous northeast Chinese provinces of Beijing, Jiangsu, Shandong and Tianjin are all considered “extreme risk” by the Water Stress Index, due to large-scale economic growth and the rapid expansion of cities.

Agriculture is a key driver of unsustainable water use in India. The country is classified as “high risk” overall, but at a subnational level the index identified “extreme” levels of water stress across large swathes of its most important agricultural land. States that are at “extreme risk” of water stress include Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, while Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal are rated at “high risk.”

Although the USA is classified by Maplecroft as “medium risk” for water stress overall, large areas are already suffering from the depletion of ground water supplies, with states including Arizona, California, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas classified as being at “high” and “extreme risk.”

The effects of water stress on global food inflation are illustrated by recent price hikes for soya beans, which have been pushing all-time highs, the study says.

An April 2012 study released by Maplecroft ranked GE, Alcoa, Johnson Controls, Ford and Intel as the leaders in innovation of clean-tech solutions and products, mitigation of climate change-related risks and management of carbon emissions. The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes studied 360 large, multinational US companies and how they adapt to climate-change issues.

14
May

Waste Management Expands CNG Fleet

Categories: Fleets, News
Comments: No

As reported on Environmental Leader

Waste Management will add 35 compressed natural gas-powered vehicles to its Houston fleet by the end of 2012, the company said, and will soon open its CNG fueling station in Conroe, Texas to consumers.

Each Class 8 diesel truck that Waste Management replaces with natural gas reduces diesel use by an average of 8,000 gallons per year and cuts annual greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 22 metric tons, the company said.

CNG reduces particulate matter emissions to nearly zero, carbon monoxide emissions by 75 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 49 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent. It also costs less compared to traditional fuels and runs 50 percent quieter than diesel trucks, Waste Management said.

The company currently operates five CNG-powered collection vehicles in Houston’s north suburban communities, and more than 1,400 CNG vehicles in North America, which it says is the largest fleet of CNG recycling and waste collection trucks on the continent.

In 2012, natural gas vehicles will represent 80 percent of the company’s annual new truck purchases, and WM plans to maintain that percentage for five years. The company operates 28 CNG fueling stations in North America and says it plans to have 50 in operation by the end of 2012.

The fueling stations and CNG vehicles are one element in Waste Management’s larger sustainability efforts. In 2007, the company set a goal of reducing fleet emissions by 15 percent and increasing fuel efficiency by 15 percent by 2020.

Frito-Lay last week announced it will deploy CNG vehicles at seven Frito-Lay North America distribution centers in the coming months, and Sunny Delight Beverages put into service afleet of three CNG vehicles for distribution in southern California.

11
May

What’s the Greenest Way to Dry Your Hands?

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Abstract:  It’s a question that bedevils facility managers. What’s the most environmentally conscious and cost effective way for people to dry their hands in company and public restrooms? Paper towels made from recycled content? Electric hand dryers? Cotton towels that need to be laundered?

Source:  GreenBiz.com

Read the complete article:  http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/15/whats-greenest-way-dry-your-hands

11
May

What's the Greenest Way to Dry Your Hands?

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Abstract:  It’s a question that bedevils facility managers. What’s the most environmentally conscious and cost effective way for people to dry their hands in company and public restrooms? Paper towels made from recycled content? Electric hand dryers? Cotton towels that need to be laundered?

Source:  GreenBiz.com

Read the complete article:  http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/11/15/whats-greenest-way-dry-your-hands

11
May

Cornell Roundtable Examines Three Truths and Three Challenges for Sustainability

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Abstract:  The international hospitality industry continues to move ahead with strategies for improving the sustainability of its operations, but participants in the latest Cornell Sustainability Roundtable agreed that it’s time to counteract myths with truths and to address top problems. Source:  Cornell Center for Hospitality Research (CHR)

Read the complete article:  http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/news/press/prdetails.html?id=850

11
May

Hotels step up green initiatives

Categories: Hospitality, News
Comments: No

Abstract:  More hotels are investing in green technologies to secure LEED certification, creating sustainable sub-brands such as Starwood’s Elements, and engaging in other actions to draw a growing number of environmentally aware travelers, this feature says. Las Vegas properties “are taking a leading role”, and travel sites such as Travelocity, with 4700 greener hotels and growing, sees greater demand.
Source:  Travel Weekly

URL:  http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Hotel-News/Hotels-step-up-green-initiatives/

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