Marriott International, Inc. is making strides to become greener and eco-friendly. If you book a group meeting at a Marriott between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009, the hotel will contribute funds to protect the endangered Brazilian Amazonas rainforest. The dollar amount is equal to five percent of the total cost of the group's guest rooms. The Marriott is also providing green meetings through the unveiling of eco-friendly green products and services that will help groups save water and energy, reduce waste and recycle while staying at the Marriott.  

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008. The bill extends the production tax credit for one year, extends tax credit for six years, and approves $2 billion for new clean renewable energy bonds to finance renewable energy facilities. 

Len Sauers, P&G's VP of sustainability had an email interview with Brandweek editor Todd Wasserman about Proctor & Gamble's green initiatives and future green goals. One of the most impressive goals put forth by P&G is the plan to cut  it's carbon footprint by 40% by 2012. The majority of the reduction will come from reducing the size of packaging. A perfect example is P&G's laundry detergent packaging which is now half the size it was two years ago but still provides the same number of loads. 

JetBlue has offered a new initiative to it's customers named “Jetting to Green”. The initiative offers JetBlue customers the ability to offset carbon dioxide emissions generated by their travel. The initiative is a result of a partnership between JetBlue and Carbonfund.org. Offseting carbon emissions starts as low as $5 per round trip flight. 

Vegas is hosting the Green Retail Trade Show called earthNOW expo! on June 4th and 5th which includes seminars and exhibits. The show is designed for retailers, developers and eco-business leaders to learn more about "green retail trends, consumer buying habits and sustainable business practices".  The expo should be full of green products and services and "buyers from retail stores, specialty shoppes, e-tailers, colleges, hotels, and other businesses will find new and innovative products and services that will help increase profits while making a difference in our world" states earthNow expo promotions.