In today's economy, staying within budget while keeping a landscape looking beautiful can seem impossible. But a healthy, attractive landscape does not have to break the bank. In the article "Hotel Gardening: Tips to Keep the Green in Your Lawn and Wallet," U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson discusses how hotels can help preserve a healthy landscape that retains its maximum value while generating cost savings over the long-run. Ken's article provides tips that can help hotel owners and managers can stay within budget while still showcasing a property in its best light. READ MORE

As the international tourism industry grapples with increasingly complex matter of sustainability reporting, a series of roundtables and studies developed by the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research focus on the "material items," that is, the practices and products that count the most in a hotel or restaurant's carbon footprint. These material items are the key issues for stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, and regulators, and these items have the greatest impact on a company's sustainability profile. While there is some variation in the material items for various businesses, the most important issues are remarkable similar across different industries. READ MORE

As hotel owners invest in sustainable systems and obtain LEED certification they look for the benefits that derive from their investments. Savings in energy costs and water bills may be evident on the hotel's financial books but the hotel's contribution to the health of the planet may not always be evident to the guests. Many hotels feel it is important to wear their LEED badge on their sleeve by having visible attributes such as solar panels, retention ponds, solar shading and wind generators as physical evidence of their good deeds. These hotels are striving to be conspicuously sustainable. READ MORE

It was only natural that the son of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau would carry on his father's legacy of conservation through education. Thrown overboard into the ocean by his father when he was seven years old, Jean-Michel Cousteau has since dedicated his life to preserving the seas. As the founder of the Ocean Futures Society, Cousteau has produced dozens of films, written hundreds of articles and developed school curricula that strengthen the critical bond between people and the sea. In 1989, seeking to demonstrate the economic benefits of sound environmental practices, Cousteau first associated himself with the Jean-Michel Cousteau resort in Fiji. READ MORE

As kids we probably all heard our parents tell us not to waste our food. Ever since our opening in the restored historic Miller & Rhoads department store building, our Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown takes that sentiment to heart. Our hotel established a baseline environmental program in 2010 and made commitments to continuously improve our environmental performance over time. In March 2011, we made the decision to begin composting our food wastes. Since then, the hotel has diverted nearly 30 tons of food waste from piling up in landfills. We are the first and only hotel in the region to compost its food wastes. READ MORE