Home Publisher's Point of View A Busy Environmental News Year Winds Down

A Busy Environmental News Year Winds Down

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As another year winds down, I have to say a big thank you to the many sponsors who have made another year of Green Lodging News possible. When you contact them for help with energy conservation, water conservation, waste management, amenities, etc., be sure to tell them you discovered them here at Green Lodging News.

This year was another year of growth for Green Lodging News. A year ago this month, our website attracted 23,000 different visitors and 145,000 total visits. This month our site is on track to attract 28,000 different visitors and 183,000 total visits. Thank you so much for supporting Green Lodging News with your readership and for spreading the word about its valuable content.

In the coming year continue to send your news and story ideas my way. And, if you are interested in contributing a guest column or other article, give me a call or send an e-mail. Our success is due greatly to the many public relations representatives, suppliers, consultants and others who contribute content.

I took a look back at the articles posted in 2015. In regard to news importance, it is difficult to select one story that was most important although it could very well be the Marriott acquisition of Starwood and its impact—on the Element brand, on personnel, on how environmental performance is tracked, etc.

First 1 Hotels Opened

There were many other key developments. MGM Resorts International continued to expand its solar photovoltaic system atop the Mandalay Bay Convention Center—an 8.3 MW system when completed. The first Virgin Hotel opened (in Chicago). The first 1 Hotels opened in Miami Beach and New York. Clean the World and Global Soap combined their operations. The International Tourism Partnership (ITP) announced plans to standardize water measurement in the hotel industry (the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative). ITP also partnered with Greenview to launch the Hotel Footprinting Tool. Starwood’s headquarters earned LEED Platinum. So did the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

Of course the drought in California and its associated water restrictions were big news. Choice Hotels International announced that its Comfort Inn brand would be 100 percent nonsmoking as of July 2016, and a state lawmaker in New York proposed a law that would ban smoking rooms within lodging establishments in New York. Meanwhile, the Phoenician unveiled its 568-kilowatt solar installation. Finally, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) welcomed the agreement reached following COP21 in Paris, which binds the world’s governments to report openly on their plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions and keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

The above were just some of the big environmental news stories in 2015.

The most viewed news article on the Green Lodging News website in 2015? “Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort Awarded LEED Silver.” The most read blog entry: “Calendar Filling Up with Green Conference, Trade Show Events.” The most read guest column: “Environmental Sustainability: Hospitality, Economy & Culture.” The most read supplier news item: “Gilchrist & Soames, diptyque Introduce New Packaging.”

The new year is sure to bring a similar number of news developments—as the Marriott/Starwood deal is finalized, as more LEED projects wrap up (including a LEED Platinum hotel project in Oberlin, Ohio), as more work is done on the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative, and as various key ongoing research initiatives mature. The Green Venue Report, for example will be released for the third time, and the 2016 Lodging Survey will be published. That survey will be prepared by STR for the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. It includes a number of different sustainability-related questions.

Green Lodging News will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2016. I look forward to sharing that occasion with all of you. A very happy new year!

Who is Your Sustainability Champion?

Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Looking for Guest Columnists

Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Planning Advertising for 2015 or 2016?

Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2015 and 2016. Many excellent spots are available on the website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2015 or 2016 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Media kits can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation

The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 4,834. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There is a “subscribe” form in the upper left area of the Green Lodging News home page.

Green Lodging News & Social Media

Green Lodging News now has 1,633 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 710 Facebook followers.

As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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