MIAMI—Blue Leaf Hospitality announced its participation in the Hospitality Design (“HD”) Boutique from September 17 to 18 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The Miami-based contract furniture company is putting its “green” foot forward at the event with a new product line born of recycled materials, an Art Deco vintage collection and a contemporary cabana concept.

NEW YORK CITY—Central Park South (CPS) Events at The Plaza, manager and operator of The Plaza Grand Ballroom, the exquisitely restored and glamorous site of countless memorable New York affairs and events, recently hosted a 100-Mile Menu dinner for a select crowd of New York City insiders. Serving a menu comprised solely of ingredients sourced within a 100-mile radius of New York City, CPS Events indulged more than 250 invited guests with a “Country Chic” buffet dinner featuring locally grown food, wines and spirits. The evening celebrated CPS Events’ partnership between Delaware North Companies and Great Performances, two companies known for consistently supporting sustainable agriculture and local growers.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Offering a detailed road map for sustainable operations, a new Green Hotel Industry White Paper from Cornell’s Center for Hospitality Research details the comprehensive program implemented by the Willard InterContinental Washington Hotel. The report, “Sustainable Hospitality: Sustainable Development in the Hotel Industry,” is written by Hervé Houdré, general manager of the Willard, and is available for download at no charge from the center’s website. In addition to explaining the Willard’s sustainable eco-friendly hotel development program, the Cornell Industry Perspectives paper outlines environmental efforts by several of the industry’s major companies.

HANCOCK, MASS.—After the price of electricity jumped 50 percent during the 2005-2006 ski season at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, management knew it had to do something significant. It could not just keep passing along rising costs to its customers; it would lose market share. The resort invested in a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine that will pay huge dividends in the long term.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA—Emirates Hotels & Resorts has announced the start of a major habitat regeneration project at its first luxury Australian conservation resort, Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. The first step in the long-term conservation program commenced with the planting of more than 1,000 indigenous trees. The reforestation project aims to regenerate ecologically sensitive areas within Emirates’ Wolgan Valley Reserve and is part of Emirates Hotels and Resorts’ carbon offsetting initiative and its commitment to the protection of biodiversity. The first resort to be developed by Emirates Hotels & Resorts outside the United Arab Emirates, Wolgan Valley includes an extensive conservation program that will reintroduce indigenous species to the 4,000-acre site.

PORTLAND, ORE.—Save Your World L.L.C., the first company in the U.S. to launch a personal care product line infused with organic yerba maté and organic aloe vera, has announced a hotel partnership program that makes it easy for hotels and their guests to do something for the environment each day.

GALLOWAY, N.J.—Seaview Resort & Spa is taking environmentally friendly actions to become a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and help preserve the Diamondback Terrapins. Each year, the resort's famed Bay Course is inhabited by nesting Diamondback Terrapins, a species of turtles native to the brackish coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States.

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—RockResorts, a luxury hotel company with a long-standing tradition of embracing the natural settings of its resort locations, has recently launched Appetite For Life, a brand-wide program showcasing cuisine created with local/regional organic and sustainable ingredients. The program is being rolled out across all its resort properties. The RockResorts collection of eight luxury hotels has implemented the Appetite for Life program in all food and beverage operations. The program involves a variety of sustainable food elements including: offering Horizon Organic dairy products; implementing the use of sustainable seafood and fish; eliminating all artificial trans fats; and using Coleman natural meats and poultry in all restaurants.

BOULDER, COLO.—The National Tour Association (NTA) Board of Directors has officially endorsed Sustainable Travel International’s (STI) Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP). Through this strategic agreement, NTA is furthering its core values and goals to embrace sustainable travel and educate its members on best practices.

CHICAGO— Mr. Bamboo, Inc. is introducing BamLoc strand-woven “click” or “floating” bamboo flooring for eco-friendly commercial spaces. BamLoc is the first 100 percent solid strand-woven floating bamboo floor with a unique interlocking design. The sustainability, durability and natural beauty of strand-woven bamboo flooring make it a popular choice for designers and builders.