Green Lodging News asked Nina Hwang, MPH, Senior Scientist at Green Seal, about the use of foggers and electrostatic sprayers. The following are the questions and her reply. Are there best practices when it comes to user/guest safety? The first step is to understand that foggers are not the same as electrostatic sprayers. Fogging devices use large volumes of air at low pressures to generate a mist of fine disinfectant droplets to fill an entire room. The disinfectant settles on to surfaces over time due to gravity. Electrostatic sprayers are designed for more targeted disinfection. Disinfectant droplets are charged as they exit...

Green Lodging News asked Nina Hwang, MPH, Senior Scientist at Green Seal, about the use of foggers and electrostatic sprayers. Click here to read those questions and answers. NATIONAL REPORT—When MGM Resorts International outlined its Seven-Point Safety Plan for dealing with COVID-19 in a press release last month, it included the use of electrostatic sprayers for large public spaces “so that disinfectant is applied efficiently.” Numerous other companies have also committed to using electrostatic sprayers for public spaces. HEI Hotels & Resorts said it would use them in public and private spaces. Marriott, in its April announcement about its new...

New research shows that higher relative humidity in buildings significantly slows COVID-19 and other airborne infectious disease transmission. However, the way most American buildings are designed, this would cause catastrophic damage and mold issues. A group of designers with LEO A DALY conducted an in-depth study showing how various building types could be retrofitted to increase relative humidity without damage. The results of the study are detailed in a new whitepaper that can be viewed by clicking here. According to LEO A DALY, Compelling new research such as from the Annual Review of Virology shows that relative humidity levels of at...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Arc, an affiliate of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has launched Arc Re-Entry in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The new offering provides a set of tools and analytics designed to assist companies with re-entering their buildings and facilities. Arc is a technology platform that allows teams overseeing the sustainability of buildings and places to collect data, manage and benchmark progress, measure impact and improve performance. Arc empowers its users to understand and enhance their sustainability performance, promote human health and wellbeing, and contribute to a higher quality of life. Arc Re-Entry is a set of tools...

My family tested the waters of COVID-19 vacation land a couple of weeks ago and took a week-long road trip from Tampa, Fla. to Savannah, Ga., to Asheville, N.C. and back. We spent most of our time in the Asheville area. We loved the Asheville and Savannah areas. In recent months I have heard from one hotel and restaurant company after another about their plans to clean like crazy to make their guests feel welcome and safe. This was my family’s first test to see if the hotels were doing what they said they were doing. Our first stop was a Holiday...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE has published an updated guideline to assist in control of legionellosis associated with building water systems. ASHRAE Guideline 12-2020, Managing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems, provides guidance useful in the implementation of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems. The guideline is intended for use by owners of human-occupied buildings and those involved in the design, construction, installation, commissioning, management, operation, maintenance, and service of centralized building water systems and components. “ASHRAE Standard 188 gives direction regarding what to do to control the spread of legionellosis, such as to follow a risk management...

WILMINGTON, DEL.—DuPont introduced the newest pattern additions to the DuPont Tedlar Wallcovering Avant-Garde collection. Inspired by nature’s essential building blocks, Roccia and Travertino are the latest seasonal patterns in the Avant-Garde collection, giving designers even more stone and metal options for a strong, durable look indoors. The stacked-slate look of Roccia has Italian-inspired names ranging from light patterns like “Grigio” to darker shades with blue undertones found in “Azure.” A familiar texture in the Travertino design features colors such as the elegant “Ivory” and the sturdy “Black” shade. “We’re committed to adding more patterns and colors every season to give architects...

LEBANON, N.H.—FreshAir, an industry leader in the development of sensors to detect and alert for hazardous chemicals, announces its unique and highly effective FreshAir1 Smoking Detection System. The FreshAir system is ideally suited for use in hotels, casinos, and other hospitality industry settings. The only technology available to monitor for, immediately detect, and prove tobacco smoking and marijuana smoking, FreshAir1 Smoking Detection Systems are ideal for enforcing no-smoking policies, protecting infrastructure investments, securing cleaning fees, and avoiding chargebacks. Unlike typical smoke detectors which use light or radiation to detect general particles (dust, smoke, steam, etc.), FreshAir sensors are capable of...

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.—As people around the world adjust to a new normal, the health of our buildings—and how they influence personal health—is critically important. Carrier has introduced its Healthy Buildings Program, an expanded suite of advanced solutions to help deliver healthy, safe, efficient, and productive indoor environments across key verticals including commercial buildings, healthcare, hospitality, education, retail and marine. In support of this, Carrier also launched Corporate.Carrier.com/HealthyBuildings to help customers consult with Carrier’s experts to take advantage of the broad range of industry-leading healthy building technologies. Carrier Global Corp. is a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released four new Safety First Pilot Credits in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The credits outline sustainable best practices that align with public health and industry guidelines related to cleaning and disinfecting, workplace re-occupancy, HVAC and plumbing operations. The credits can be used by LEED projects that are certified or are undergoing certification. The Safety First credits are part of USGBC’s economic recovery strategy released last month, which focuses on sustainable solutions to rebuild a stronger and healthier economy by prioritizing healthy people in healthy places. The credits were created...