LOS ANGELES—As part of its effort to increase the use of recycled content and reduce energy use, Samsung recently received an upgraded Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) certification on 21 Staron Solid Surfaces and five Radianz Quartz Recycled Content products. In addition to the newly certified products, SCS certification was renewed on several Staron and Radianz Recycled Content colors. Along with the SCS certification, Samsung has also been accredited GREENGUARD Level 3 certification, meaning all Staron Solid Surfaces, Tempest and Radianz Quartz products are certified to be low-emitting materials that lead to better air quality indoors. “We pride ourselves on our commitment...

COLUMBIA, S.C.—“It just happened that way,” says Hema Patel, in regard to her company’s Holiday Inn & Suites Columbia-Airport opening on Earth Day 2010. Planned or not, it certainly was appropriate that the five-story, 122-room hotel opened on a day that recognizes the birth of the modern day environmental movement. The hotel, which is owned by Patel and her husband’s Capital Hospitality, LLC and operated by the couple’s Courtesy Management Inc. of Orangeburg, S.C., is expected to earn LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in early 2012. Patel says the intent initially was not to build...

LOS ANGELES—AtmosAir Solutions, which markets and installs green, clean indoor air devices for hotels, homes and businesses, announced that it has opened a Western Regional office to meet the growing demand and interest for its air purification products. Steve Levine, president and CEO of AtmosAir Solutions, also said that Edward Plascencia, Western regional account executive would operate the office located in Pico Rivera, Calif. AtmosAir Solutions, based in Fairfield, Conn., markets and installs bi-polar ionization air purification devices that significantly reduce mold, dust, odors, controls bacteria and the spread of airborne viruses, particles and germs that get past normal ventilation and...

BRADENTON, FLA.—American ALDES is now working with the top hotel chains to implement highly effective strategies to save energy at existing properties by installing devices that automatically regulate ventilation systems to save energy and provide good indoor air quality. Many energy experts have reported the cost of ventilation systems in hotels as 4 percent, but the often overlooked real cost of ventilation is the load it places on heating and cooling systems. Energy saving programs often address the effects of energy waste rather than the cause. These tactics often focus on less consumption by improving the efficiency of the HVAC...

NATIONAL REPORT—The number of hotels asking guests to pay more for rooms with filtered air is on the rise with the continued growth of PURE Solutions’ PURE Room program and the recent introduction of UV Flu Technology’s ABC “Purity +” Rooms. According to Brian Brault, CEO of PURE Solutions, his PURE Room program is now represented in 250 hotels in North America and should be in close to 300 hotels by the end of the year. Outside of North America, another 20 hotels are represented. By room count, there are now approximately 5,000 PURE Rooms—mostly in the United States...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Odorfree Naturally as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Odorfree Naturally is the U.S. distributor of all natural Nature’s Air Sponge products. The products work to passively neutralize and remove odors and pollutants from the air and objects in hotels, motels, resorts, inns and other living and storage areas. The products also help remove allergens and spores from the air to retard the spread of mold and mildew. Tobacco and cooking odors can also be eliminated.Nature’s Air Sponge products come in a gel form, spray liquid...

PULASKI, N.Y.—Amsterdam’s De L’Europe recently opened 10 allergy-friendly PURE Room guestrooms and suites in partnership with PURE Global. PURE Room uses a patented seven-step process specially treating all surfaces, and purifying the indoor air to greatly reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. The seven purification steps include: 1. Air sanitization via units that heat and cool air entering the room.2. Maintain sanitized air with tea tree oil, an organic disinfectant.3. Clean all soft surfaces with PURE Clean to remove dirt, bacteria, mold and other allergy triggers.4. Perform a one-time ozone shock treatment to remove any lingering odors, leaving air crisp and fresh...

LOUISVILLE, CO.—Unearthed Paints, a new natural paint company, brings a new vision and sustainable reinterpretations to the paint industry with its exclusive selection of eco-friendly paints. Crafted with minimally processed natural ingredients such as clay, chalk, lime, and Italian marble, the paints are biodegradable, vegan, and 100 percent VOC-free. All Unearthed paints are tinted with earth and mineral pigments: Ochers, Sienna, Umbers, Ultramarines and Spinels. These pigments give the paint a depth and radiance that cannot be achieved by the chemical colorants used in conventional paints. Pigments are shipped in a powder form, extending the life period of the paint,...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—FreshStay.com now has more than 5,000 reasons for hotels to go smoke free. With the addition of nearly 200 new hotels, including numerous Comfort Suites hotels, FreshStay.com now has more than 5,000 properties that are committed to being 100 percent nonsmoking. “Reaching 5,000 hotel partners is a milestone that we are not only proud of, but it speaks to the growing commitment throughout the hospitality industry to the health and comfort for frequent breathers everywhere,” says Ray Burger, founder of FreshStay.com, which was launched in 2006. “Eliminating smoking isn’t just a trend, or isolated in a few geographic...

ATLANTA –ASHRAE has published its first ever eBook for use on the Apple iPad. The third and latest edition of “ASHRAE GreenGuide: The Design, Construction and Operation of Sustainable Buildings” is now available in an eBook format to allow iPad users convenient access to the book’s guidance, which covers each stage of the building process, from planning to operation and maintenance of a facility, with emphasis on teamwork and close coordination among interested parties. The eBook follows ASHRAE’s latest mobile apps on duct fitting databases and Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality. The GreenGuide eBook includes embedded links...