This month, for the first time, Hospitality Design magazine will present an entire day of eco-friendly programming at its HD 2008 Expo & Conference (www.hdexpo.com). HD Green Day, May 14, offers the opportunity for designers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, architects, and other creative professionals to impact the future of sustainable design - it is the only open forum that will be considered by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org) in creating new LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) standards for hospitality, which are currently under way. LEED does not currently have a hotel specific rating system.

Environmentally friendly products making their debut in GUESTROOM 2010 (www.guestroom2010.org) include organic towels made from 100 percent certified organically grown cotton; an energy-efficient dryer with a quiet turbo motor and diffused night light; eco-friendly carpet tiles composed of a highly renewable corn-based polymer; a shower fixture that generates a full-power spray while using 70 percent less water; and a personal care dispenser system that prevents more than 1,000 amenity packages from entering local landfills annually.

When the USGBC announced revisions to its LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System late last year, it was good news for hotel owners and operators. Now called LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (O&M), the system is a better fit for hotels. There are now approximately 200 hotel projects registered with USGBC. Most are seeking LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) certification but the number of U.S. building owners pursuing LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M is expected to accelerate quickly. According to USGBC, the existing building market is some 80 times larger than the new construction market. To find out more, visit www.greenlodging news.com/Content.aspx?id=1922.

The Starwood Convention Collection (SCC) - offering more than 30 hotels in the United States and Canada, with 30,000 guest rooms and 1,000-plus meeting rooms - takes a leadership role in green initiatives.

For instance, the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina is the first hotel in North America to be fully powered by 100 percent "clean energy" fuel cell technology.

And the Sheraton Birmingham hotel has introduced a water conservation program designed to save thousands of gallons of water during meetings and events.

All SCC hotels utilize many of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts online initiatives to help reduce the amount of paper used while planning. This includes StarGroups customized Web sites, Reservation Connect and Reservation Cross-Check, as well as providing confirmations, direct bills, and receipts by electronic communication whenever possible.