"This local family-owned hotel group has been a leader in sustainable tourism practices as far back as the early 1980s, when they converted an old police building in Boston, Massachusetts into an historic hotel and worked with local community partners to build affordable housing in the same area. Through initiatives that are driven and supported by all levels of their staff, the group supports dozens of local charity and non-profit groups with a combination of financial backing, volunteer time, and in-kind resources that goes far beyond most corporate social responsibility efforts.  For Saunders, community service begins at 'home', where helping people in need is part of the company mission, recognising that disadvantaged communities can also exist in a major city in the United States."

Seaport Boston Recognized by Fodor's as One of North America's Five Greenest Hotels: Fodor's cited the Seaport's free electric water-taxi service to downtown, composting their Keurig coffee grounds and producing their own honey. Congratulations to the Seaport team, including Mike Duffy, Marc Cohn and Lauri Howe.  

The Eliot Hotel to be Recognized as a 2012 Gold Level Boston Bike-Friendly Business: The Eliot will be honored by Mayor Menino at an awards ceremony on City Hall Plaza on May 18. Congratulations to Pascale Schlaefli, Bob Burke and team.   

The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport Maine sets a great example for other restaurants. They highlight the source of their food on their website and on their menus (see page 2, left-hand side).

The Inn's owner, Chip Gray, said that by calling attention to his restaurants' food producers, he attracts visitors who want a Maine experience, and local customers, too. In addition, the listed farmers, fishermen and other food-producers have become some of his best customers--patronizing the inn's restaurants and hiring the inn to host their meetings and family weddings.  

Recycling Assistance for MA Businesses: RecyclingWorks is a new program that provides a hotline and website that helps businesses answer their recycling and food waste diversion questions. Their website has a searchable database that helps businesses find recyclers by material and territory.

The website also coordinates the Massachusetts WasteWise program, which is a free, voluntary program that provides networking, tools and recognition to help businesses advance their recycling programs.

RecyclingWorks also offers site visits and technical assistance

I encourage you to learn how RecyclingWorks can help you by visiting their website, calling them (888-254-5525) or sending them an email. 

Webinar: Food Donation: A How-To for Food Retailers and the Food Service Industry: This free webinar, on Thursday, 1:00 -2:30, will educate hoteliers and other professionals on the advantages and ways to donate food.

Webinar: Recovering Food Waste Through Donation & Recycling: This free webinar for hospitality professionals, will be held on May 2 from 2:00 to 3:30. It will teach participants, "how food waste has significant economic, [and] environmental consequences, and ways that it can be diverted...and recovered for donation, recycling, and composting." You can register here.