PARIS—Accor Hotels announced that its Plant for the Planet program will fund 200,000 trees in the United Kingdom in a pioneering project designed to promote sustainable food production and nurture links between hotels, guests and farms. Europe’s largest hotel group marked the first anniversary of its PLANET 21 sustainability strategy by revealing plans to finance up to 50 projects across the United Kingdom by the end of 2015, planting trees on farms in smart ways that cut costs, raise yields and improve the environment. The program also aims to engage Accor’s employees and guests on sustainability. Plant for the Planet is financed by money saved when guests choose to reuse towels rather than send them to be washed. Since 2008, thanks to their responsible behavior, Accor has planted over 3 million trees worldwide—around 1,500 each day. In the United Kingdom 72 percent of the group’s hotels take part in the program and in five years they have funded more than 247,000 trees in Romania.

LONDON—The first international restaurant rating system that enables diners to choose restaurants that match their sustainability priorities wherever they are in the world was launched recently by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). Some of the best restaurants in the world have already completed the SRA rating and a number of others have committed to doing so. Narisawa, the two Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo, won the Sustainable Restaurant Award, sponsored by Zacapa, at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants this year, by achieving the highest score among the 50 Best Restaurants to complete the SRA’s new Global Rating survey. Noma, in Denmark and 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA, in Hong Kong, completed the top three in this award. The SRA’s Global Sustainability Rating means diners in New York, Paris, Tokyo or Sydney for example, who care about where their food comes from, how restaurants manage their energy, waste and water and how they treat their staff, can check their credentials.

ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and NRG Energy, Inc. announced a new global alliance to expand the use of renewable energy systems at Starwood properties. The alliance will begin with three properties, including the installation of a 1.3 megawatt (MW) solar array at the Westin St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands where NRG will build, own and operate the project. This array will provide clean, efficient power to the resort and help to reduce local air emissions and the impact of shipping on the fragile Caribbean ecosystem by directly reducing demand for diesel fuel imports. NRG will own the solar arrays while Starwood will be the enabling partner through a multi-year agreement to purchase electricity from the solar arrays installed at several locations. Not only will Starwood reduce its electricity costs, it also will lock in predictable energy costs at an affordable level for years to come and reduce the company’s carbon footprint and local air emissions.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MON.—Three West Yellowstone properties owned and operated by global hospitality company Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts successfully graduated from the Yellowstone Business Partnership’s (YBP) UnCommon Sense Program. The Gray Wolf Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Conference Center and Branch Restaurant and the Yellowstone Park Hotel are known as the Park Gate Lodges.

CHICAGO—The McCormick Place convention center has become the largest convention center in North America to be certified to a new international sustainability standard. This certification was introduced in 2012 to promote responsible environmental and social practices in the event industry. McCormick Place achieved Level One Certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences. “We can all be very proud of this international honor for McCormick Place, which highlights how Illinois is on the cutting-edge when it comes to sustainability and the green economy,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. “Here in Illinois, we understand that long-term economic development must be sustainable and respect our environment. This well-deserved distinction for McCormick Place will help attract even more conventions and trade shows, driving our economy forward and creating jobs.” “I congratulate McCormick Place on achieving the international sustainability standard certification,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This highlights Chicago’s continuing efforts to be the greenest city in the world.”

CHICAGO—The McCormick Place convention center has become the largest convention center in North America to be certified to a new international sustainability standard. This certification was introduced in 2012 to promote responsible environmental and social practices in the event industry. McCormick Place achieved Level One Certification to the ASTM Standard pertaining to the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences. “We can all be very proud of this international honor for McCormick Place, which highlights how Illinois is on the cutting-edge when it comes to sustainability and the green economy,” Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. “Here in Illinois, we understand that long-term economic development must be sustainable and respect our environment. This well-deserved distinction for McCormick Place will help attract even more conventions and trade shows, driving our economy forward and creating jobs.” “I congratulate McCormick Place on achieving the international sustainability standard certification,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This highlights Chicago’s continuing efforts to be the greenest city in the world.”

SEATTLE—The DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport and the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center have announced a partnership with Food Lifeline to secure food and reduce hunger in the Seattle communities. The collaboration will enable the DoubleTree and Hilton Seattle Airport hotels to collect safe, surplus food from events and conferences that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to those in need.