In my years covering green lodging I have written quite a few articles about equipment and technology found in the kitchen to help one save energy, water and reduce waste—bio-digesters, pre-rinse spray valves, warewashers, variable-speed hood controllers, and more. You can read about such topics on the Green Lodging News website in the “Kitchen & Laundry” category. Every time I chat with a supplier I learn something new and that was certainly the case today when I interviewed Craig Gavson, CEO of Hyginix LLC. In case you are not familiar with Hyginix, they manufacture the FOG Tank, a heated...

VISTA, CALIF.—Many schools and commercial facilities are impacted by what is typically known as sewer odors. This is an odor problem that can be worse in areas of a facility that are used infrequently. However, many building managers don’t know what causes sewer odors in a building. So, to bring them up to speed, Waterless Co., which manufacturers drain and pipe care products, presents “Five Things Everyone Should Know About Sewer Odors.” What causes sewer odors? Sewer odors are the result of gases that contain such compounds as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Why do sewer odors smell...

SYOSSET, N.Y.—Emerald Brand and WNW Hospitality Management have announced a partnership which offers WNW hotel properties nationwide a unique competitive advantage by converting to Emerald’s full sustainability program. WNW Hospitality Management is a hotel management company. “We specialize in strategically positioning hotels in local markets, while also creating product differentiation, to gain a significant competitive advantage,” says Marc Soblick of WNW Management. “Emerald’s unique sustainable disposable and cleaning solutions will be the perfect addition to further differentiate WNW hotels from their national competitors.” Emerald Brand specializes in providing innovative sustainable solutions at cost neutral or better, while measuring meaningful environmental savings...

ORLANDO, FLA.—More than 500 exhibitors were on hand at last week’s NAFEM Show, many of whom offered products to help foodservice operators reduce energy and water consumption and waste. The show, held every two years, was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It would be impossible to give every company a mention but here are some highlights of the products featured at the show that impact sustainability in one way or another: Carter-Hoffmann featured its microgreen and herb growing cabinets that allow one to grow herbs, microgreens and vegetables 365 days a year—in an environment free of...

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...

TOLEDO, OHIO—Most floor pads used for stripping, scrubbing, and burnishing are manufactured with polyester, derived from non-renewable sources, such as fossil fuels and petroleum byproducts. Furthermore, these are non-renewing sources, meaning these pads typically end up in landfills where they take years—even decades—to degrade. With the industry adopting green cleaning strategies and promoting sustainability, such traditional floor pads are losing their footing in the industry. However, according to Robb Bergen, Vice President of Marketing at Impact Products, the types of “green” floor pads that are replacing these traditional floor pads is raising some confusion. “There is confusion because not all environmentally responsible...

HAMILTON, OHIO—According to some estimates, we come into direct and indirect contact with floors as much as 50 times every day. If floors are contaminated, that contamination may now be on our fingers, and because we touch our faces about 16 times per day, the likelihood that these contaminants are now on our skin, in our nose, or in our eyes is high. We now know much more about the effectiveness of some traditional floor cleaning methods and technologies, especially as a result of Kaivac’s Stop The Mop Campaign. To clarify frequent concerns, the “Campaign” is releasing the five most common...

NATIONAL REPORT—Earlier this year, in September, Green Lodging News reported on a field study of rack and flight conveyor warewashers conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company Food Service Technology Center (FSTC). That study documented the energy and water savings and economic benefits of replacing an old inefficient warewasher with a new efficient or best-in-class warewasher. In this article Green Lodging News takes a look at what the leading suppliers of warewashers are currently offering and what makes their machines efficient from an energy, water and chemical perspective. Perhaps with no other water consuming machine in a hotel has there...

HAMILTON, OHIO—Kaivac, manufacturers of the No-Touch and Omniflex professional cleaning systems, announces the launch of the Stop the Mop campaign, an educational campaign to inform the public about the inferior cleaning of mops and the existence of healthier, more effective floor care methods. The website, StoptheMop.com, showcases Disgusting But True facts about mops and the contaminants they can spread. Along with the StoptheMop.com website, visitors can learn more about the campaign on Kaivac’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Most Still Use Mops “Our team at Kaivac has been developing innovative and effective floor care systems for almost 20 years,” said Kaivac V.P. of Marketing,...

Hotel venues of all types contain many plug-in refrigeration and freezer units (“coolers”).  Examples include plug-in refrigerators and freezers in kitchen/foodservice areas, vending machines, ice machines, beverage merchandisers, and the like. These appliances contain a condenser coil unit that is responsible for rejecting to the atmosphere the heat that is extracted from the enclosure being cooled. To do this job effectively, these coils need to have good airflow so that good heat transfer is achieved. Unfortunately, since the coils are exposed to the atmosphere, they become progressively clogged with dust and other debris over time (see photo at right...