ORLANDO, FLA.—The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently welcomed the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center into the Florida Green Lodging Program. The resort is one of the largest in the state to participate. In addition, the resort announced the rollout of a new guest communications program, called “We’re Eco-Logical,” designed to share the spirit of the resort’s eco-friendly initiatives with guests and meeting planners. “Together with the citizens of Osceola County, we have created one of the most successful meetings and conventions resorts in Florida,” said Kemp Gallineau, senior vice president and general manager.

FREEPORT, MAINE—Rates will be reduced by 50 percent at some of Maine’s finest inns and resorts this spring in support of Hospitality for Habitat, a Maine Innkeepers Association (MEIA) program designed to raise funds for local chapters of Habitat for Humanity while encouraging spring travel to Maine, announced Greg Dugal, executive director of MEIA. This year, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, a portion of the funds raised will be distributed to Habitat for Humanity projects in Haiti as well. Innkeepers all over the state, participating in the seventh annual Hospitality for Habitat, will reduce their room rates by half between April 26 and May 28 in exchange for a $35 donation check payable to Habitat for Humanity. “Hospitality for Habitat offers visitors to Maine a terrific opportunity to experience our very best B&Bs, hotels and resorts at deeply discounted rates, while giving back in a significant way,” Dugal said.

SAN FRANCISCO—Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants has introduced Wines That Care during its hosted nightly wine hour at nearly 50 hotels nationwide. For guests in the mood to mix and mingle in the living room-style lobby with a glass of red or white, every savored sip will come from a featured winery of the month chosen for its dedication to the earth and local communities. Hand-picked by Kimpton’s wine director and master sommelier, Emily Wines, Wines That Care will offer pours from a different winery each month that has a unique story and genuine commitment to environmental preservation and sustainability. “Partnering with like-minded companies through Wines that Care allows us to provide guests with more than complimentary wine each night, but a way to support the environment and their communities when they stay at Kimpton,” said Emily Wines, director of wines and master sommelier, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.

OTTAWA, ONT.—For the past six years, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) has conducted a comprehensive survey of Canadian travel trends and intentions for the upcoming year. Unveiled during HAC’s Annual Conference and Trade Show in February, the results of this year’s survey revealed several important insights of great value with respect to a hotel’s sustainable initiatives. The survey identified important trends with respect to the “environment” which hoteliers should note, including increasing awareness of environmental issues among hotel guests, and an increased importance related to both green certified hotels and hotels promoting eco-friendly practices to their guests. Relating specifically to the question of the “Importance of Environmental Initiatives” at the hotels they frequented, 42 percent of business travelers and 44 percent of leisure travelers placed this as a priority.

TORONTO—For the third consecutive year, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will participate in Earth Hour, a global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise awareness about climate change. On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m., all 60 of Fairmont’s landmark hotels and resorts around the planet will participate by turning off their lights for one hour. “Earth Hour is a unique opportunity for Fairmont colleagues and guests to participate in the world’s largest global climate change initiative,” said Brian Richardson, vice president of brand marketing & communications. “It furthers our ongoing support of environmental awareness and demonstrates energy conservation can go beyond just turning out the lights for an hour—it’s about promoting a low carbon future.” In addition to switching off principal lighting, a number of Fairmont’s properties will also mark this eco-friendly event by involving hotel guests. Fairmont’s offices in Toronto will also be dimming the lights.

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA.—Since 2004, when the Convention Industry Council (CIC) appointed a green meeting task force that produced a white paper of best practices for suppliers and planners, interest in the concept of green meetings has steadily been growing. Discussions between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CIC and the Green Meeting Industry Council revealed a tremendous need in the meeting and event industry for a uniform measure of environmental performance. Following up on this interest, the CIC’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) program teamed up with ASTM, and ASTM Subcommittee E60.02 on Hospitality is currently addressing a wide variety of green meeting concerns in a series of proposed standards. The subcommittee is under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee E60 on Sustainability. Task groups in the subcommittee are focused on specific meeting industry segments. ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards.

SAN FRANCISCO—Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI), the market research, strategic consulting, and communications specialists, announced the release of its CMIGreen 1st Annual Green Traveler Survey Report. The Annual Green Traveler Survey Report is the result of a unique, pan-industry cooperative initiative between tourism businesses and nonprofit, environmental and sustainable business organizations, from the development of the survey to the interpretation of its findings. The report is being offered free to the tourism and hospitality industries, in order to advance efforts toward greener travel. The CMIGreen study surveyed the purchasing habits, travel behavior, environmental commitment, expectations and motivations of 1,736 self-defined, eco-conscious travelers. “This is not a study about how many people recycle; there is sufficient data on that,” says Thomas Roth, president of Community Marketing. “The Green Traveler Survey Report is a comprehensive profile of green travel consumers.”

DENVER—When compared to last year’s Sustainable Meetings Conference in Pittsburgh, attendance was up significantly at this year’s event held in Denver from February 9 to 11. This year’s conference was held at the Colorado Convention Center. The facility, which has a 300-kilowatt solar system on its roof, is in pursuit of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. A total of approximately 250 people attended this year’s event, reflecting the growing interest in the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), the organizer of the conference. Two years ago, membership in GMIC stood at 185 members. Today, there are 577 members. According to Amy Spatrisano, GMIC president, the organization’s goal is to have 1,000 members and 10 chapters by the end of this year. GMIC now has four official chapters—Oregon, Atlanta, Colorado and Northern California—with chapters in formation in Southern California, Southern Florida, Arizona, and Chicago.

DENVER—Denver will soon play host to some of the finest up-and-coming students in the international meetings and incentive travel industry. The Future Leaders Forum will take place in association with the Green Meeting Industry Council Conference (GMIC) Green Meetings 101 on February 9, 2010, at the Sustainable Meetings Conference in Denver. The program, designed and delivered jointly by the IMEX Group—producers of the leading international meetings exhibition—and GMIC, offers gifted young students the opportunity to gain a unique insight into how to develop a successful career in the meetings and incentives travel industry. The focus of this Future Leaders Forum will be on green meetings and sustainability. GMIC’s vision is to transform the global meetings industry through sustainability utilizing education and research.

NATIONAL REPORT—Experian recently listed its “Top 20 websites in the ‘Travel’ online industry for the month of December 2009, based on visits.” Among those sites—which include such well-known stops as Priceline.com and MapQuest—only three attempt to highlight green hotels. The three include Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia. Travelocity has a Green Hotel Directory that can be accessed through a “Green Travel” link on its home page. Site visitors not only have access to green hotels but also voluntourism opportunities and the option to offset their travel through The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero Program. Orbitz also has its own eco-travel microsite. It highlights eco-friendly destinations and lists green hotels by state. Expedia, which has an area on its site for green travel, is in the process of updating its site’s green hotels section.