Our Hostels, Our Regions - February 2012

Hawthorne Hostel Awarded Portland’s Sustainability at Work Gold Certification

The Hawthorne Hostel is the city of Portland’s third recipient of Gold Certification in its “Sustainability at Work Program.” The program supports and rewards businesses for taking steps to conserve resources, improve efficiency, save money and provide a healthy and quality workspace for employees. The Hawthorne Hostel was recognized for achievements including water efficiency, which includes a rainwater harvesting system that has collected and reused over 148,000 gallons of rainwater, and over 1,000 square feet of ecoroofs and permeable walls. In addition, they are recognized for recycling 75% of their waste every year, practicing sustainable purchasing and building, community service and civic engagement (including ecotours), and an impressive 75% of employees who use bicycles to commute to work! Congratulations to everyone at Hawthorne for their commitment to sustainability.

Southwest Texas Announces Travel Scholarship Winners

The Southwest Texas Council has announced the winners of its Third Annual Travel Scholarship.  The $1,000 scholarship recipients will keep a travel blog throughout their journey, and upon return, speak about their travels at the Austin Hostel.  The blogs will be posted on the Austin Hostel page.

George Livingston and Spencer Stoner are this year’s winners.  George will travel to Costa Rica this summer to study the ecosystems of the tropical forest. Spencer will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in May to study the impact of media images of poverty and violence on the local community.