VISTA, CALIF.—Surprisingly, one area often overlooked as a facility becomes greener and more sustainable is the restroom. Yet more water is used in restrooms than virtually any other area of a facility, and because water and energy are interconnected, water consumption increases the amount of energy necessary to power a facility.In addressing this issue, Klaus Reichardt, CEO and president of Waterless Co Inc., offers the following suggestions to make commercial restrooms greener and more sustainable: •    Lighting: Restroom lighting is often on 24 hours a day. Install motion sensors to turn off lights when the restroom is not used.•    Lightbulbs:...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program announced today that irrigation controllers will soon be the first outdoor product eligible to earn the WaterSense label. The most efficient irrigation controllers, which operate like a thermostat for a sprinkler system by telling it when to turn on and off, may provide home and building owners the ability to save 110 billion gallons of water and roughly $410 million per year on utility bills.“As much as half of the water we use on our landscapes goes to waste due to evaporation, wind, and improperly scheduled irrigation systems,” said Sheila...

NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium (HSPC) announced that American Standard Brands has joined the Consortium as a Founding Member. A leader in creating high quality bathroom products for the hospitality industry, American Standard’s membership furthers the Consortium’s goals of establishing the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSP Index) as the de facto performance measurement solution for the industry.   With more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States, the products that American Standard produces—including faucets, shower systems, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, kitchen sinks, bath tubs, and other plumbing products and accessories—are major investments for all hotels, brands...

SURREY, B.C.—Caroma, a maker of bathroom products, including high-efficiency, dual-flush toilets for commercial and residential use, announced that their first-ever shower product—Caroma Flow, has received WaterSense approval. The Caroma Flow is the first foray into shower products from Caroma, and it was designed with the same water-conscious mission and technological know-how as their 51 WaterSense toilets. The Caroma Flow high-efficiency showerhead with a nominal flow rate of 1.5gpm/5.7L at 80 psi, includes a precision engineered nozzle that pressurizes water to produce a uniform, and soft yet powerful spray of water; maximizing comfort while saving up to 10 gallons more water...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide and its portfolio of 10 hotel brands announced the 2010 results of LightStay, its sustainability measurement system. Since the introduction of LightStay, the company continues to improve sustainability and economic performance and saved more than $74 million in utility costs as a result of the following reductions: 6.6 percent reduction of energy use; 7.8 percent reduction of carbon output; 19 percent reduction of waste output; and 3.8 percent reduction of water use. To date, Hilton Worldwide’s efforts are equivalent to the removal of more than 50,000 cars from the road, water savings that could fill more than...

TEMPLETON, CALIF.—The Aqua2use Greywater System from Water Wise Group has been selected as one of the Top-10 Green Products for 2012 by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec. This tenth annual award recognizes the most innovative and exciting green building products added to the GreenSpec Directory during the past year or covered in Environmental Building News. Water Wise Group’s Aqua2use Greywater System is a cost-effective solution to recycle water from showers, baths, and washing machines and reuse it for outdoor drip irrigation. The greywater is filtered through a progressive filtration technology without using any chemicals, and is immediately...

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO—Moen, a leading faucet brand, has been selected as a 2011 WaterSense Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company was chosen for this honor based on its significant efforts to advance the WaterSense mission through participation and collaboration in promotional events. The award was accepted earlier this month by Andrea Maher, senior marketing communications specialist, Moen, at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. “Moen is honored to be recognized by the EPA for the strides that we have made to promote and encourage water conservation,” said Mike Bauer, president, U.S....

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Texas is now experiencing its worst drought since 1895. Agricultural losses now exceed $4 billion and several other industries in Texas are expected to be severely impacted due to the drought. “The Texas cleaning industry is being asked to use water more responsibly,” says Doug Berjer, product manager for CFR, manufacturer of recycling carpet extractors. “And, it’s not just in Texas; water conservation is now an issue throughout the country.” How can cleaning professionals and carpet cleaners conserve water? The following are Berjer’s Solid Seven Water Conservation Tips: 1. Use microfiber mop heads and cloths. A University of California study found...

NATIONAL REPORT—The faucets go by a number of different names—hands free, electronic, touchless, sensor—but they are all geared toward improving hygiene, simplifying cleaning and maintenance, and conserving water and energy. Ideal for public restroom facilities where there is a continuous flow of different people, hands free faucets are also finding a home in commercial kitchens where employees are required to wash their hands. Several industry experts said there may come a day soon when hands free faucets are accepted in hotel guestroom bathrooms—as an “amenity upgrade,” one vendor said. Hands free faucets have been available for the mainstream public restroom...

NEW CASTLE, DEL.—Speakman Company introduces the Anystream Assana Showerhead. The Anystream Assana features a spa design aesthetic coupled with a traditional rain showerhead sensibility. The showerhead is available in both polished chrome and brushed nickel as well as a WaterSense certified 2.0 GPM flow rates. The Assana showerheads feature Anystream 360 spray technology. Developed by Speakman’s engineering team, Anystream 360 spray technology allows Speakman Anystream showerheads to achieve a 360 degree rotation to the spray adjusting mechanism (handle or faceplate). This adjustability allows the user to make small incremental adjustments to the spray of the showerhead and transition effortlessly through...