President Donald Trump’s company is scrapping plans for two new hotel chains announced two years ago, casting blame in part on a hostile political environment. The Trump Organization said Thursday that it will no longer try to open hotels under its Scion and American Idea brands catering to budget and mid-priced travelers, a departure from its focus on luxury hotels. The announcement comes as the company has posted losses at a few of its golf properties and brand experts say it has lost some of its appeal.
It's Earth Week, and with much of the world focused on going green, NBC checked in with a few of the nation's most valuable companies to see how they're tackling the issue.
Renewable energy was a major focus among the five companies that outlined their plans for us. Microsoft, for example, has a data center in Wyoming that is powered entirely by wind energy, and the computer giant is committing to running even more of its data centers on renewable energies such as wind, solar or hydropower.
Facebook's data centers get 35 percent of their power from clean, renewable energy sources, the company said. Its data centers are also designed to use 50 percent less water than typical data centers and are entirely cooled with outdoor air.
Its next seven data centers will be completely powered by renewable energy, Facebook said.
Meanwhile, oil company ExxonMobil said its researchers are trying to develop a new source of renewable energy: biofuels made from algae. The company says it could increase energy supplies and also reduce emissions.
Emissions were another focus. Microsoft said it's reduced emissions by 9.5 million metric tons since 2012, and ExxonMobil said a new filter used in a plastic-making process would reduce carbon emissions by 45 million metric tons, as well as making energy costs cheaper worldwide.
