NEW ORLEANS, LA.—A smoke-free ordinance went into effect in New Orleans last week. The unanimous passage of this ordinance, led by Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and Councilwoman Susan Guidry, has thrust New Orleans into the national spotlight as a leader in public health advocacy. New Orleans joins eight Louisiana communities and more than 1,200 municipalities nationwide that have gone smoke-free. Additionally, the New Orleans ordinance has created a landslide effect across the state as other cities have taken notice and are considering similar ordinances. The Harrah’s New Orleans Casino is now smoke-free.In recognition of the historic nature of this ordinance...

NEW YORK—Restorative Hospitality, a subsidiary of the wellness real estate firm Delos, and Leonardo DiCaprio have announced plans to create the world’s most sustainable island resort at Blackadore Caye, Belize. Upon its completion in 2018, Blackadore Caye will be the greenest island resort ever built, the business partners say, and the world’s first “Restorative Island” project designed with sustainable building techniques that restore and regenerate the surrounding ecosystem and reverse the effects of climate change. The project is being developed by Restorative Islands, LLC, designed by McLennan Design and operated by Restorative Hospitality, which will also manage the wellness...

ATLANTA—A consolidation between ASHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Assn. has been finalized by both organizations. The consolidation was approved by the Boards of Directors for ASHRAE and IAQA at ASHRAE’s recent 2015 Winter Conference in Chicago.“We are excited about the opportunities presented by this consolidation,” ASHRAE President Tom Phoenix said. “It opens the door to alignment of ASHRAE and IAQA programs to create high-impact resources for building professionals around the globe.”“This is an historic event for both associations and has great promise for growth and development for both organizations,” IAQA President Kent Rawhouser said. “The opportunities and possibilities...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—A University of Melbourne researcher has found that common consumer products, including those marketed as “green”, “all-natural”, “non-toxic”, and “organic”, emit a range of compounds that could harm human health and air quality. But most of these ingredients are not disclosed to the public.Dr. Anne Steinemann, Professor of Civil Engineering, and the Chair of Sustainable Cities, from the Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, is a world expert on environmental pollutants, air quality, and health effects.Professor Steinemann investigated and compared volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from 37 different products, such as air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Tampa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes GreenEarth Cleaning as an advertising partner. The GreenEarth dry cleaning process uses liquid silicone in place of petrochemicals. Essentially liquified sand, silicone is non-hazardous and non-toxic to the environment. When released to the environment, it safely breaks down into the three natural elements it is made from: sand (SiO2) and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide. Liquid silicone is chemically inert, meaning it doesn’t chemically react with fabric fibers. It just carries the detergent to clothes and gently carries away the dirt and oil. It also...

NATIONAL REPORT—Green walls, also known as vertical gardens or living walls, increasingly are being used in interior and exterior areas of hotels to make a green design statement. Aside from being aesthetic symbols of a property’s commitment to sustainability—perhaps even a means to earn LEED credits—green walls offer many other benefits. They can help deaden sound in large spaces, absorb and clean toxins from the air, reduce carbon dioxide levels, keep air temperatures down, improve employee alertness and energy levels, increase humidity, reduce airborne dust levels, and even help increase the property values of commercial buildings. According to Ambius,...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—UL, a global safety science leader, recently conducted a study to learn where value and return on investment lie in the area of sustainable buildings. The study and its result is available in a free white paper titled, “The Dawn of the Building Performance Era.” The paper wasa written by UL Chief Economist Erin Grossi.In the white paper, Grossi predicts disruption in the building market over the next five to 10 years as owners, operators and investors of buildings increasingly recognize the potential of innovation in building energy consumption, water usage and indoor air quality to positively impact...

DALLAS—Guests of The Highland Dallas can now take advantage of the newly-available PURE guestrooms. Specially-treated to provide the highest purity in air quality, PURE rooms, with hypoallergenic elements, ensure ultimate comfort for health-conscious guests and their families.“Enhancing the guest experience at The Highland Dallas is a top priority and PURE rooms truly raise the bar in terms of comfort and peace of mind,” said General Manager David Lemmond. “Asthma and allergy-sensitive travelers will sleep soundly knowing the quality of the air has been improved for their comfort, and really any of our guests will awake feeling energized in our...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to protect the public from seven ethylene glycol ethers or glymes chemicals that can cause health effects including birth defects and blood toxicity.“Today’s action is part of our continuing efforts to help ensure that chemicals in products we use every day are safe for the American public,” said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Finalizing this action could prevent an increase in the use of these chemicals and reduce human exposure through ingestion and inhalation.”Some of these chemicals are currently used in consumer products, including...

VIENNA, AUSTRIA—The original pioneers of natural swimming pools, BIOTOP Landschaftsgestaltung GmbH, headquartered in Austria, has seen an increase in requests from the hotel and tourism industry for chemical-free natural swimming pools, to provide the ultimate luxury and sustainable guest attraction.Most guests visiting luxury hotels expect to find a swimming pool, but the health risks, high maintenance costs and environmental impact of chlorinated swimming pools has led to many green hotels seeking out a natural alternative. Natural swimming pools are filtered purely by plants and environmentally friendly pumps without the use of any harmful chemicals. Natural pools also look beautiful...