ANN ARBOR, MICH.—The Natural Stone Council (NSC), an organization that promotes the use of natural stone in commercial, residential, government, institutional and educational applications, and NSF International, an independent global organization that writes public health and environmental standards for the food, water, commercial and consumer goods industries, have developed the first sustainability assessment standard for stone—NSC 373 Sustainability Assessment for Natural Dimension Stone. The standard defines criteria for the sustainable development aspects of dimensional stone production while harmonizing environmental requirements for stone quarrying and production.NSC utilized NSF International’s technical expertise as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited standards developer...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Refinishing Touch has released a three-year snapshot of furniture asset management and refinishing trends from 2011 to 2013 as it prepares for growth in 2014.“Our proximity to brands and institutions through many completed refinishing, upholstery and remanufacturing projects and a broad client base gives us the opportunity to analyze furniture asset management trends and to ensure we maintain a strong vision as we head into 2014 and our 37th year in business,” said Mario Insenga, founder and president of The Refinishing Touch.Key trends from January 2011 to 2013 that emerged from data analyzed by The Refinishing Touch,...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—With its “minimalist footprint philosophy,” Portsmouth, N.H.-based Colwen Hotel Management, along with its sister hotel development company, XSS LLC, has established itself as one of the lodging industry’s leading supporters of LEED certification. In fact, according to John Stebbins, project manager for XSS LLC, the development process for any hotel XSS invests in begins with a commitment to LEED.“We evaluate LEED each time on an economic basis,” Stebbins says. “It has made sense so far.”Four Colwen-managed hotels are currently LEED certified: the Courtyard Keene Downtown Marriott, Keene, N.H. (Certified); Residence Inn Portsmouth Downtown, Portsmouth, N.H. (Silver); TownePlace Suites...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The movement for healthier, high-performing buildings has reached a new milestone, as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently issued the 20,000th LEED certification for a commercial project. USGBC’s Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) certified the offices and staff services space in the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR) plant in Knoxville, Tenn., under LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI).“The 20,000th LEED certification belongs to an organization that shares our social and environmental values, and we applaud GMCR on its accomplishment,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “This is an important milestone in our mission to...

TUCSON, ARIZ.—What are the major trends likely to affect the green building industry and markets in the United States in 2014? As one of the world’s leading green building consultants, keynote speakers and authors, Jerry Yudelson thinks he knows the answers. In fact, his Top 10 list of green building megatrends has become an annual event.At the top of Yudelson’s 2014 list is the prediction that green building in North America will continue its strong growth in 2014, with the ongoing expansion of commercial real estate construction together with government, university, nonprofit and school construction. “Green building is the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the global LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program, and Underwriter Laboratories (UL), a leading safety and certification group, have announced an exclusive strategic partnership centered on building product transparency and occupant health and safety.The partnership, the first of its kind in the building and certification industry, will roll out several targeted initiatives focused on increasing disclosure, awareness and transparency of building product composition and the manufacturing processes. The goal of the program is to accelerate market transformation and the overall quality and performance of buildings.The...

PEARL RIVER, N.Y.—Marv Hopkins, president and CEO of Hunter Douglas North America, a leading manufacturer and marketer of custom window fashions in the U.S. and Canada, announced the promotion of Ron Kass to president and COO, effective January 1, 2014. Kass will continue to report directly to Hopkins, who is being promoted to chairman in addition to his ongoing role as CEO.“Hunter Douglas and I are most fortunate, indeed, to have an individual of Ron’s high caliber and outstanding record of performance to take on this new and larger leadership role for our great company,” said Hopkins. “I have...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As asthma rates continue to rise, the Healthy Building Network (HBN) warns that new preventive strategies are needed to address this epidemic at its source. This includes avoiding the many building materials introducing asthma-causing chemicals into the indoor environment. The materials include flooring, carpets, insulation and paints with chemicals that can cause the development of asthma.This information has been released in the new HBN report, Full Disclosure Required: A Strategy to Prevent Asthma Through Building Product Selection, which reveals that many building materials can cause the development of asthma. HBN says that building occupants can be exposed to...

MANKATO, MINN.—All that’s left is the waiting for the official plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council. When it arrives the Courtyard Mankato Minnesota will become the first hotel in the Gopher State to receive LEED certification. Considering all of the property’s green features, the honor will be well deserved. The 93-room property, about a year old, is owned by Mercury Investments L.P. Preston Lougheed is the general manager.“As far as we know we are the first Marriott in the United States to have solar panels,” Lougheed says. “It was a big investment.” The 40 kW, 192 panel system...

FARGO, N.D.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced plans to introduce its eco-wise Element brand to Fargo, N.D. Element Fargo is scheduled to open in November 2015 in the Veterans Boulevard Corridor. The hotel is owned by StaySharpe Hotels and will feature 130 rooms.Element Fargo will be located across the street from the site of the new $500 million Sanford Fargo Medical Center now under development, and just ten minutes from Microsoft Corporation’s second largest campus in North America. The hotel will also be convenient to Fargodome, home of the two-time defending FCS championship team, the North Dakota State...