The latest 'green' product for hotel lobbies has arrived, The Interactive Concierge. The Interactive Concierge is an interactive touch-screen directory kiosk that provides area information for hotel guests, including restaurants, activities, attractions and personal services. The Interactive Concierge will print color brochures and coupons, as well as directional maps, and even offers the possibility to make reservations directly through the kiosk.

The Interactive Concierge is an alternative to the standard 'brochure rack' form of information dissemination. Guests will be less likely to grab 'stacks and stacks' of pre-printed brochures, few of which they will actually utilize, and more likely to print off only those brochures that they are truly interested in, saving waste and saving trees.

In addition to the 'greening' of the hotel lobby, The Interactive Concierge provides a clean, professional presentation of information dissemination making any hotel lobby a more attractive environment.

The Interactive Concierge has been implemented in a number of key hotels in the Cocoa Beach, Florida and Kennedy Space Center area.

The Interactive Concierge

As Denver gears up to host the Democratic National Convention later this month, the host committee and the city are doing their part to encourage environmentally friendly practices during the convention. They laid out several goals and commitments on their website, they are:

• Minimizing any potentially negative environmental impacts of the 2008 Convention on our community;
• Creating a new green standard for all conventions that can be reproduced in the future, here in Denver and elsewhere;
• Demonstrating the economic and community benefits of greening;
• Educating our own citizens and our guests about green and healthy choices they make in their own lives; and
• Building an enduring positive environmental legacy that will echo here and around the country long after the last delegate leaves Denver.

All of this is in an effort to host the “greenest political convention in the history of the planet.” according to Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper.
The Denver 2008 Host Committee, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office and Greenprint Denver program, has put into place 10 focused task teams and over 100 volunteers from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to address the various aspects of greening by designing and implementing solid work plans focused not only on the convention, but also on creating a legacy for Denver.
As the convention gets closer, we look forward to seeing more examples and models for running large scale events while incorporating green practices. In September, we will be looking to the Republican National Convention's green planning and environmentally friendly practices as they too are preparing to go green at their convention.

The Arizona Biltmore announced today, the launch of a full scale Green Initiative Program.

"Adopting environmentally friendly practices is no longer an option but a necessity, and at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa we are committed to becoming an industry leader in this growing trend," said Julia Thorn, director of corporate communications. "That's why we have developed our Green Initiative that is extraordinarily comprehensive and sustainable, covering every aspect of our operations and every department of the resort, from water-saving plans and biodegradable supplies to organic products in the spa."

The goal of the Green Initiative is to significantly reduce the Arizona Biltmore's global footprint, create a more efficient and environmentally friendly operation, and establish the Arizona Biltmore as an environmentally responsible resort. To achieve this, the resort has identified actions, initiatives and practices that have been put into affect throughout the resort; additional steps are planned this year and into 2009.

A Green Committee, composed of executives from every department of the resort, was established to oversee development and implementation of the plan, monitor and adjust as necessary the existing initiatives, and explore additional avenues of action.

A few items among the many actions currently being taken:

General

• Converted to compact fluorescent bulbs and fluorescent overhead lighting.
• Recycling resort-wide including cardboard, paper, aluminum, plastic, printing cartridges, batteries, etc.
• Using environmentally safe, certified green, cleaning products in guest rooms, public areas, etc.

Spa

• Use chemical-free, organic and vegan products that work with the body.
• Use clean-burning flameless candles in treatment rooms and throughout the spa.

Grounds

• Converting to electric lawn mowers and leaf blowers.
• Use reclaimed water from the canal for watering.
• Return plant containers that are not biodegradable to growers for recycling.

Rooms & Suites

• Offer water saving options for sheets and towels in guestrooms.
• Convert to organic cotton linens and bathrobes.
• Use low-flow toilets and shower heads

Public Areas and Front Office

• Paperless check-in & check-out for guests.
• Key cards made from recycled corn products.

Office and Operations Areas

• Distribute documents such as memos, reports and contracts by email only, unless a printed hard copy is required.
• When printing or copying is required, encourage two-sided printing/copying, using the smallest margins possible, using scrap paper, etc.
• Use water coolers rather than water bottles.
• Turn off lights, computers, etc. in offices when not in use.
• Added recycled-paper, motionless towel dispensers in 90 areas of the hotel.
• Turn off lights and air conditioning when rooms are not in use.

Dining & Banquets

• Purchase food from local and organic growers whenever feasible.
• Use reusable containers for beverages, food and condiments whenever possible.
• Recycle cooking/fryer oils into diesel fuel.
• Arranging compost pick-up for food scraps.

Trip Reduction Programs

• Carpool parking.
• Free bus passes.

Many additional actions are planned in the months ahead, from offering recycling in guest rooms and public areas to installing new weather stripping on windows and doors and thermal film on windows.

Meetings & Events

The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa also is working closely with groups to make meetings and events greener by adopting appropriate products and practices. These range from providing water coolers rather than individual water bottles, to using recyclable and biodegradable paper products for materials, signs, etc., to opting for cans rather than glass for beverages.

California has proposed a new statewide building code aimed at improving energy efficiency and water consumption. Goals of the new code include: 50 percent landscape water conservation reduction; energy use of new structures are 15%t better than under existing standards; and, greater use of recycled materials.

Governor Schwarzenegger said this say in a press release:

"By adopting this first-in-the-nation statewide green building code, California is again leading the way to fight climate change and protect the environment. This is literally a groundbreaking move to ensure that when we break ground on all new buildings in the Golden State we are promoting green building and energy efficient new technologies. Cars and buildings are two of the leading users of energy – we’re already addressing cars, and these new building standards will ensure that California remains at the forefront of reducing our carbon footprint and conserving valuable natural resources while also protecting our economy. We have already committed to making our state-owned buildings more green and energy efficient and this statewide code will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and conserve water in all new buildings."

"With today’s action, California continues to lead the nation and I commend the hard work of the Building Standards Commission to adopt the first-in-the-nation statewide green building standards."

California Green Building Standards