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NEWH Sustainable Hospitality Leadership Conference to Include ‘Green Day’

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NEW YORK—NEWH Inc., the hospitality industry network, providing scholarships, education, and leadership opportunities for individuals in the hospitality industry, will host a “Green Day” at the 2009 semi-annual NEWH Leadership Conference in San Diego on January 10, 2009. The NEWH Leadership Conference, designed to focus on leadership and education, takes place January 9 to January 11.

The Leadership Conference Green Day, under the auspices of NEWH Sustainable Hospitality, will consist of a sustainability panel and an introduction to LEED presented by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), along with a vendor spotlight on sustainable products and a personal development workshop.

Moderated by David Mahood, founder of Olive Designs, the Green Day sustainability forum participants will be discussing their commitment to sustainability and the unique personal stories that have impacted their devotion to environmental issues. The following participants will gather for a lively and diverse exposition of sustainability:

Susan Inglis, founder of From the Mountain, and Executive Director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), has 20 years experience as a producer, importer, sourcing agent and broker in fashion, gift and home furnishings industries. She has worked in 19 countries on five continents providing services ranging from identifying procedures for insuring the sustainability of a natural resource base to market-led product development and how to access new markets effectively. Susan’s direction of the SFC has gained national attention and the organization is becoming the primary source for certified sustainable home furnishings. Susan has spoken on behalf of SFC throughout the United States and has inspired many companies to adopt a sustainable platform for the future.

Founder of Greensage.com

Elaine Ireland, founder of Greensage.com, made a commitment to develop GreenSage after her personal experience with environmental illness. Healing herself took focus, persistence and dedicated research. Her passion to contribute to making the world a better place is the shared vision of the entire GreenSage team. Since 1988 she has been helping clients identify the relationship of health concerns to indoor air quality and resourcing sustainable materials to create life-supporting environments.

Barbara Filippone, a 35-year veteran of the textile industry, specializes in hemp textile product development. She is the founder, owner, and president of EnviroTextiles, LLC, a hemp textile company located in Glenwood Springs, Colo. EnviroTextiles develops, imports, and distributes high quality hemp, hemp blend, and organic cotton textiles. Barbara has traveled the world working with fiber from China, Romania and more recently to the desert of Mexico. She is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on bast fiber development. She standardized hemp yarn and fabric production in Romania and China between 1994 and 1998. She has worked with Interface, Ralph Lauren, and other high profile clients to develop hemp textile applications and products.

Charlotte Black Elk, environmental activist, leader in Native American rights, is a well-known keynote speaker around the world. She lives in Manderson, S.D., on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation and is a proponent of retaining the language and culture of her people. Charlotte is one of 12 American Indian women activists featured in a poster and educational campaign called “Women of Hope,” and the primary activist in the battle to have the Black Hills returned to the Lakotas (Sioux), which has been settled financially but not for the release of the land. She is an actor featured in various documentaries including The Way West, and Spirit Riders, and on the television special, Native Americans.

Expert in Land Sustainability

Charlotte is a frequent speaker at many conferences dedicated to sustaining the land, its diverse inhabitants, and the interrelation of both. The Lakota are one of the largest Indian Nations and one of the poorest, benefiting little from the development of their homeland. Charlotte is the great-granddaughter of Nicholas Black Elk, made famous by the book “Black Elk Speaks,” as well as by his accounts of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Wounded Knee Massacre.

The LEED 101 workshop will help to expose participants to the LEED rating system, giving a better understanding of LEED certifications. USGBC will lead a beneficial discussion on how LEED will impact hospitality and the influence it has on current sustainable hospitality projects.

“Through the NEWH Sustainable Hospitality Green Day, our participants will discuss challenging issues facing hospitality leaders today,” explains Anita Degen, International President of NEWH. “This conference is not to be missed for anyone working towards sustainable hospitality projects.”

Call (212) 358-0800 for more information or go to www.newh.org.

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