ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Clear Pool USA as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Clear Pool USA offers two choices to manage algae problems. The blue cylinder kills algae and reduces scaling for up to six months—just drop it into the pump basket. The other is an automatic water purifier that kills algae, reduces scaling and kills bacteria and pathogens including E.coli, pseudomonas, legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires Disease), staphylococcus, steptococcus, salmonella and others, some of which have been proven to be resilient to high levels of chlorine. Both products will help...

Hotels are gold mines (green mines) of paint waste! Sitting in the bowels of the building, in a storage room, or straddled over several parking spaces a few levels underground, or out on the loading dock, partially used paint buckets and canisters abound. A single property can have one to three tons of paint waste per building. That’s as much as 800 gallons of paint! Reasons Hotels Have So Much Paint Waste on Site Paint that matches the existing palette is needed anytime there are structural renovations or remodeling. Corporate or property interior designers change the paint color schematic. Paint is needed for...

This year is ushering in a host of new regulations for commercial kitchen refrigeration that will drive significant efficiency benefits for kitchen operations. The phasing in of new air quality standards, combined with limits on energy consumption, are all poised to create the most efficient refrigeration cabinets that commercial kitchens have yet seen. Starting in March 2017, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulations will go into effect that will set a mandatory limit on the maximum daily energy consumption (MDEC) allowed for a given commercial refrigerator or freezer. In tandem, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program is significantly increasing...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Catalytic PURE AIR as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Catalytic PURE AIR purifier uses eco-friendly PCO (photo catalytic oxidation) technology and HEPA filtration to reduce airborne contaminants and odors. These air purifiers are currently being used in hotel rooms, meeting spaces and public areas in major hotels to keep guests breathing easier. Improving indoor air quality is a trend of keen interest to guests with respiratory issues and operators focused on wellness. Call (800) 989-8299 or (775) 391-3188, or e-mail jim@catalyticpureair.com for more information.

On January 30, 2014, the U.S. Federal News Service and the University of California at Riverside issued the following alert: “Do not smoke and do not allow yourself to be exposed to smoke, because secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke are just as deadly as firsthand smoke. While firsthand smoke refers to the smoke inhaled by a smoker and secondhand smoke to the exhaled smoke and other substances emanating from a burning cigarette that can get inhaled by others, thirdhand smoke is the secondhand smoke that gets left on the surfaces of objects, ages over time, and becomes progressively more toxic.” This...

In a conversation with a representative of a leading maker of portable air purifiers, I was told that most portable air purifiers today are very similar when it comes to removing air particles. A better than 99 percent particle reduction rate is common, he told me. It is when you get beyond particle reduction that you find most differences among purifiers, as I learned when researching for the article I posted this past week on Green Lodging News. I suspect very few of you offer guestrooms with portable air purifiers included. Vinny Lobdell Jr., President of HealthWay | PURE Global,...

NATIONAL REPORT—The degree of air quality in the guestroom, in most cases, is a mystery and goes unmeasured. Yet guests and employees are typically exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dust, dander, pollen, dirt tracked in from shoes, combustion products, biological particles from mold and more. According to the E.P.A., indoor air quality can be two to five times—and occasionally up to 100 times—more polluted than outside air. Sometimes the pollutants go undetected by guestroom visitors. Other times odors emerge and make issues obvious. Oftentimes, those with allergy or chemical sensitivities are impacted most and notice first. Vinny Lobdell Jr.,...

MARKHAM, ON.—HiGarden Inc. introduces its initial models of Living Furniture, a furniture line incorporating both living plants and fish cohabitating in self-sustaining indoor eco-systems. After years of research and development, HiGarden Inc. will launch its unique VIGA Vertical Indoor Gardening and Aquaculture system at Toronto’s Interior Design Show 2017. VIGA is a new technology incorporating the principles of Regenerative Design, or Living Design. Regenerative Design is derived from the philosophy of biomimicry, human developed technologies which attempt to emulate natural living systems. At IDS2017, HiGarden will be exhibiting two pieces of Living Furniture—its VIGA Desktop and VIGA Bookcase. Both models incorporate...

Choice Hotels International made it official this past week. According to the company, its Comfort Inn brand has joined Comfort Suites in offering guests 100 percent smoke-free rooms at its more than 1,800 franchised hotels across the U.S. and Canada. Comfort is now the largest hotel brand to allow travelers to enjoy a smoke-free stay, the company says. That is good news for travelers staying at Comforts and even better news for those workers who previously still had to deal with second-hand and third-hand smoke. It amazes me, given what we know about the ill effects of smoking, that many hotels still allow...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Choice Hotels International, Inc. announced that Comfort Inn has joined Comfort Suites in offering guests 100 percent smoke-free rooms at its more than 1,800 franchised hotels across the United States and Canada. Comfort is now the largest hotel brand to allow travelers to enjoy a smoke-free stay. “The Comfort brand has staying power because we always keep the wants and needs of travelers top of mind,” said Anne Smith, Vice President of Brand Strategy for Choice Hotels. “We continue to take a series of bold steps to make the Comfort guest experience better than ever, and becoming the largest...