Branding for a lodging property's environmental program

I created leaf logo to the left for Marriott, the main case study in my project. As you can see, the logo itself is made up of overlapping variations of Marriott's M circle logo. Branding an environmental program has the power to bring an identity to your cause and bring your associates and guests together around a common goal. Designed correctly, a logo can bring all those feelings together.

Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico lo Hace Mejor!

Welcome to Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico does it better! Aloha, or should I say, hola from Puerto Rico, where I've been lucky enough to been staying the past week thanks to my friend Yahayra Rosario Cora (whose doing her project on Urban Sustainable Farms and education with the Laura Mercado School in Rosario, PR... her mission?...

Use Small Urban/Suburban Farms to educate and enable low-income communities in Puerto Rico to reduce the high dependence on government economic assistance; and produce, promote and market local food products in order to improve the local economy and meet the nutritional needs of the community.

read more about it at her blog http://switchfoodchainpuertorico.tumblr.com/).

On another note, as part of this trip, I've made my way over to the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino to check out what this property is doing on the "green" front. Here are just some "undercover" (ethnographic research) pictures, I'll fill you in on exactly what the property's doing after my conversation with the engineering department.

view of the front desk, rest of the lobby is being renovated

as you can see here! (hope they're using local materials :)

construction...

view from the steps leading to the pool... ahh puerto rico!

view of the pool

looks like the property's upscale dining outlet... everybody loves Italian!

pool bar where we enjoyed some cocktails... all part of the research of course!

yay sustainability! a public recycling bin

nicely renovated and maintained room hallways, good use of fluorescent bulbs

I might have to fly back to see this "sensational" new lobby someday!

Ejewelry - Repurposing ewaste

A whole other project:
Ejewelry - Repurposing ewaste




http://timetocare.victorinox.com/en/vote-win/ejewelry-repurposing-ewaste.html



But my classmate Yahayra and I, are finalists in the TIME TO CARE Sustainable Design competition by Victorinox. Their entry, E-Jewelry, has been selected as a finalist, and it is the only entry selected within the United States. Voting ends on August 31st, 2011. Please support us, you can vote once a day with a chance to win a Victorinox watch! http://timetocare.victorinox.com/en/vote-win/ejewelry-repurposing-ewaste.html

Supergreenhotel review: Orchard Garden Hotel

Stayin' green in the city of green: Orchard Garden Hotel in San Francisco, CA (video courtesy of supergreenhotels.com)

Supergreen hotel review: Aria

"natural luxury" on a vegas scale! Aria, Citycenter Las Vegas

"Seamlessly Integrated Sustainability:" Pune Marriott Hotel

Proud to present this week's green property of the week: The Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Pune, India. The first and only LEED certified property in Pune as well as the first Marriott International Property in India to receive a LEED certification! Here are a few pictures of the Hotel, makes me want to visit now... to experience the seamless integration of sustainability!

“The Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre is truly honoured to have received LEED Gold. We have always taken extra steps to ensure that we are responsible citizens. We look forward to continuing our efforts and contributing towards a greener world,” - Balan Paravantavida, GM

"Since its opening in November 2010, the property has worked towards saving and preserving natural resources and the environment. The Pune Marriott has incorporated and adapted: low VOC emitting materials, reduced landscape water usage by using indigenous plants, use of rapidly renewable materials, 42% energy savings for the building operations, hybrid vehicles, alternative refuelling stations for electric cars, vegetated green roofs, omission of ozone depletion refrigeration mechanical systems and many other environmentally-friendly features.  Further, 100% waste from ongoing operations and 95% of all construction waste are segregated for recycling and diverted from landfills.  Fifty percent of all building materials were manufactured within a 500 mile radius saving on transportation cost and lowering emissions. Since the inception of this project, Marriott International’s architecture and construction (A&C) team, has encouraged the hotel’s design team to incorporate green and sustainable elements into the planning, architecture and systems to help the hotel achieve Gold LEED" (quoted from Marriott News Center)

Everybody loves takeout...

...but what about takeout boxes? Looking at the food and beverage operations of a hotel, to-go containers and takeout boxes are also a sustainable issue purchasing and f&b have to work out together. Have you ever wondered what happens to that annoying large takeout box once you throw it out (other than taking up half your trash can of course)? Here's the life story of a takeout box, something I put together for a project earlier this year for Whitemarsh Plaza (greening the great ungreen of good ole American stripmalls).