CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes DECONGREEN INC. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The company’s protocol to eradicate bed bugs is EPA registered, non-toxic, and kills on contact. DECONGREEN also offers a solution for bacteria-caused odors—destroying the bacteria on contact. Mold, smoke damage, viruses and fungi can also be treated with DECONGREEN products.For more information, e-mail greg@decongreeninc.com, call (877) 293-3266, ext. 1, or go to www.decongreeninc.com.

MEMPHIS, TENN.—Terminix announced it has officially launched its eco-friendly service for commercial customers, a pest management system designed to nurture a more sustainable environment. Terminix Commercial EcoControl introduces “greener” solutions to protect businesses from pests, thereby allowing these partners to be more environmentally responsible. Company officials note traditional pest control services in the commercial segment have long emphasized treatments using pesticides as the primary method for dealing with infestations, and not the elimination of conducive conditions. In contrast, pest prevention is a much more environmentally sustainable approach than simply reacting to them. Terminix Commercial EcoControl takes its Integrated Pest Management...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—ClearWater Tech, LLC, a leading manufacturer of ozone systems for water and air purification, announced the addition of the recently designed CD12/AD corona discharge ozone generator to its line of wall-mounted ozone generators. Featuring dual ozone reaction chambers, the CD12/AD is engineered with an efficient built-in air dryer for the highest grams per hour and ozone concentration in a compact, air-cooled, self-contained package. To keep in line with our other popular Mini-Series products, the CD12/AD includes a regulated universal power supply, and user-friendly LED light operational status display. It versatile enough to be used in highly technical...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando announced that it has become the first hotel in the city to introduce PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms. The Doubletree location has introduced an entire floor of 24 new PURE rooms which create an allergy-friendly environment and remove up to 98 percent of bacteria and viruses. Travelers who occasionally suffer from allergies and asthma can now enjoy cleaner, fresher air in their rooms and enjoy a more restful sleep during their stay. “The Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando is proud to be the first hotel in Orlando to...

EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—Made in USA Certified, Inc., a leader in independent, third party assurance verification for genuine Made in USA products, announced that the XLERATOR line of high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers have been granted the Made in USA Certified Seal of Certification. The American made XLERATOR is the only hand dryer that is MADE IN USA CERTIFIED, working in compliance with the Buy American provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which ensures that stimulus money continues to support American innovation and manufacturing while restoring and renovating federal facilities into high-performance, green buildings. Unlike conventional hand dryers’ 30 to...

ATLANTA –New research supported by ASHRAE indicates that non-chemical devices (NCD) marketed to control the growth of biological agents, such as Legionella in cooling towers, may not materially reduce biological growth. Research project No. 1361, Biological Control in Cooling Towers Using Non-Chemical Water Treatment Devices, a two-year project recently completed by Dr. Radisav Vidic at the University of Pittsburgh, evaluated five non-chemical devices using different technologies to control biological activity in a model cooling-tower system. The devices studied included a hydrodynamic cavitation device, pulsed and static electric field devices, an ultrasonic device and a magnetic device. In Dr. Vidic’s...

NATIONAL REPORT—Any discussion about green cleaning today should include the ways that water—plain old H2O—is being used to replace the toxic chemicals that cleaning and maintenance personnel have had to work with for decades. Cold water poured straight from the tap and used in that state is not going to clean much but if heated to a high temperature, ionized or infused with an extra oxygen atom, it can be just as effective or more effective at cleaning than the harshest chemicals. Many vendors now offer cleaning products that rely solely on water for cleaning. Some products are available...

NATIONAL REPORT—Whether for disposing of trash or for holding items purchased in a hotel or resort gift shop, bags—unless they are used over and over again—have historically been a detriment to the environment. There are not a lot of things that are created just to be thrown away but most bags fall into this category. Plastic bags account for 10,000 tons of landfill space in the United States. It takes a thousand years for a plastic bag to naturally degrade. Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled each year. Plastic bags are blamed for the annual death...

Are you interested in creating healthier work environments? Using your garment or textile care budget to support truly environmentally friendly services and technology? What about adding an additional item to your checklist for becoming a green hotel? The Problems with Traditional Dry Cleaning Able to dissolve most organic materials, perchloroethylene (commonly known as perc or PCE) is the most widely used dry cleaning solvent nationally. It has been estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency that approximately 85 percent of cleaners use PCE as their primary solvent. However, some studies suggest that long-term frequent over-exposure to organic solvents such as PCE may...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As demand for natural products continues to rise, the Natural Products Association (NPA) is extending its natural seal and standard to include home care products, such as household cleaners, laundry detergents, and concentrated and ready-to-use hard surface cleaners. Until now, there was no standard definition of the term “natural” used by the home care industry. Now, an easily identifiable seal will help consumers discern which products are natural. Shoppers can expect the seal to begin appearing on certified home care products in the coming months. “A number of products that are mainly synthetic are being positioned as natural,” said Daniel...