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Wyndham Vacation Ownership was named Lodging Brand of the Year at the LODGING Green and Sustainability Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, NV. The Wyndham Worldwide-owned company was recognized for innovative sustainability practices and for creating the WVO Green Certification program, which reportedly saves the company about $2.4 million every year in energy cost savings.

At a time when travel brands are finding each dollar harder to come by, cause marketing can be a cost-effective way for companies to differentiate themselves, writes Todd Wilson. "Taking the time and spending the effort to make cause marketing a cornerstone of your strategy is a good bet to drive your revenue during the holiday season and beyond," he writes.

InterContinental Hotels Group announced that its 4,700 hotel properties will begin using the IHG Green Engage online sustainability tool to track energy use, GHG emissions, water consumption, and waste management. The company stated that the system has already enabled a portion of their hotels save $73 million in energy costs during 2013.

Canada's CarbonCure Technologies uses carbon dioxide produced during the cement-making process to fill tiny voids in concrete blocks. As a result, the block absorbs less water, is 20% stronger and more sustainable, according to this article. Builders can use the product to help set them apart from competitors and can "reduce the cost of their production by harnessing the material benefits of CO2, such as high early strength, lower water absorption, and other secondary benefits," says Robert Niven, the company's founder

Unilever achieved zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across its global factory network. The company reportedly avoided around $229 million in costs and created hundreds of jobs. Editors note: Unilever explained that hazardous waste only represents a small percentage of total factory waste.

Shell is set to confront the risk that climate change may pose to its future, after backing a resolution from activist shareholders. The move came on the same day it announced $15bn (£10bn) in cost cutting due to plummeting oil prices and said it wanted to resume drilling for oil in the Arctic.

EU leaders have agreed to a legally binding commitment to reduce the region's greenhouse emissions by 40% by 2030 from 1990 levels. The EU also committed to increase energy efficiency and the share of energy generated from renewables. "We managed to reach a fair decision. It sets Europe on an ambitious yet cost-effective energy path," said European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

The rise in acidity from carbon pollution is threatening the vital fisheries and ecosystem services we depend on. Here's the price tag

President Obama will issue an Executive Order to cut the Federal Government's GHG emissions by 40% and increase its consumption of electricity from renewable sources by 30% over the next decade, compared to 2008 levels. The plan is projected to save taxpayers up to $18 billion in avoided energy costs.

Companies and consumers are increasingly gravitating toward "clean labels" that include simple, transparent and jargon-free information about products, often including their health and environmental impacts, writes Andrew Winston. "Neglecting the clean-label movement will cost you customers and workers; avoiding it as a purposeful strategy could destroy the company or a few careers," Winston warns

The Christmas gifts have been delivered, and Secret Santa is done. Now, the work begins for Optoro, a start-up company that aims to reduce the financial and environmental costs of another great holiday tradition: returns. Little known to shoppers, however, is that a majority of returned items never make it back to retailers' shelves. Instead, the items wind their way through liquidators, wholesalers and resellers, many of the purchases ending up in landfills. According to some estimates, as much as two million tons of returned items - most of it undamaged merchandise - are thrown away each year, enough to fill over 200,000 garbage trucks.

TransCanada wants the US to pay it $15 billion to recoup costs and damages related to President Barack Obama's refusal to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. In addition to planning the claim under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the company sued the US government in federal court in Texas, claiming Obama's November decision exceeded his constitutional authority.

Could the health and environmental benefits of taxes on sugary drinks and carbon-intensive foods outweigh the out-of-pocket costs? New research from Oxford University and the University of Reading suggests that is indeed the case. A study found that a combination of a sugar tax on soft drinks and a food-based carbon tax in the United Kingdom could raise £3.6 billion in revenue, reduce carbon emissions by 19 million tonnes, and increase life expectancy.

President Obama's budget includes almost $260 million to fund a water innovation strategy, which the White House says will boost water sustainability and reduce the price and energy costs of new water supply technology.

A vacuum distillation system by H2O GmbH has reduced the amount of wastewater produced and saved more than €100,000 ($108,280) annually for thermofin, a German metalworking company.

Leveraging biomimicry's unique approach to research and design can lead to sustainable, profitable technologies that mitigate risk and reduce costs. 

As the COP 21 United Nations conference on climate change in Paris approaches, an increasing number of companies are pledging to reduce their own emissions and carbon footprints - and seeing cost savings from these actions.

Cumulative wind-energy installations worldwide may double within five years as falling costs help producers compete with conventional power, according to the industry's biggest manufacturer.

Increasing the recycling rate to 100 percent industry-wide could generate an estimated $10 billion in cost savings and natural capital benefits, according to Trucost. For example, creating better closed-loop processes for reusing gold would have a bottom-line benefit of almost $100 million compared with $14.6 million at current recovery levels, according to the Trucost data.

JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley call for a strong global climate deal, recognizing cost of carbon