Restaurant Job Resource - Green Lodging News Restaurant News

The faucets go by a number of different names - hands free, electronic, touchless, sensor - but they are all geared toward improving hygiene, simplifying cleaning and maintenance, and conserving water and energy.

Even though it is based in California and funded by California rate payers through Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) offers a wealth of information for any commercial food service operation.

When Westbury, New York’s Viana Hotel & Spa was in its design stage, it was shortly after Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast. Oil prices shot up and the United States’ dependence on foreign oil was in the spotlight.

Sometimes the cold weather can be just too much. When Gina Cronin, a Cleveland, Ohio area native had enough of the long northern Ohio winters, she headed south - far south - to the Boquete area of western Panama.

Sometimes the cold weather can be just too much.

When chefs at the CuisinArt Resort & Spa on the Caribbean island of Anguilla need vegetables or herbs for dishes they are making, they do not have to go far. The 93-room resort has its own one-half acre, 18,000-square-foot hydroponic farm in a greenhouse.

When building sustainability programs, many properties easily conquer the projects that are considered low hanging fruit - towel and linen reuse programs, low-flow fixtures, compact fluorescent lamps, etc. But when it comes to the smaller items that still have a negative environmental impact, sustainability is often forgotten.

In one respect, this year has been a good one for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Energy Star for Hospitality and Entertainment program. In another respect, the year has not been so impressive.

According to the survey, companies in the lodging industry have some work to do to establish their green brands.

When the Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa is awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification - its application is in the final stages - it will be one of just three lodging facilities in North America to earn the Platinum honor.