America's First LEED Airport to Launch in May

The country's first LEED certified airport - the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, also the first international airport to be built since 9/11 - is on track to open in May 2010.

The 4,000-acre international gateway has landed both Southwest and Delta airlines as mainstays of a terminal that is on its way to becoming the first U.S. LEED certified. According to a news release, development includes sustainable construction materials and minimal irrigation landscaping. And to offset the building of the property, an Airport Conservation Easement has been set aside, containing - and maintaining - 9,600 acres of West Bay coastland, wetlands and pine forest.

To watch an interview with airport construction manager Roy Willett, peek here, and see how the surrounding grounds are being protected during project work.

India's Royal Gardenia Lands Largest LEED

On Christmas Eve, a splash sounded in the travel industry as India's Hotel Royal Gardenia announced itself as the largest LEED Platinum certified hotel in the world. That's right... the WORLD. The new luxury digs in Bengaluru join the lineup of ITC properties to be carbon positive, water positive, and solid waste recycling positive.

Dubbed a "monument to the future" by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Hotel Gardenia's sister Green Centre in Gurgaon, was the world's first largest green building. This time around, ITC is boasting the slogan "Forward to Green, Back to Nature," highlighting efficiencies such as energy savings, solid waste management and the newest en vougue terminology: green banqueting.

What greens the guest experience? Besides a wash of natural light, vertical gardens hang, electric cars are available through the hotel concierge, and "Dudson" crockery - eco friendly cooking tools - are used for food and beverage.

If you're booking a stay in Bengaluru, the country's third largest city, get the deets by calling +91 80 22119898.