TOLEDO, OHIO—Betco Corp. announced that five of its sustainable products are now certified and featured on Transpare. Transpare provides information on key environmental, health and safety attributes of commercial cleaning products. Transpare provides purchasers with a way to easily select cleaning products that are appropriate for their facility occupants and that meet the environmental goals of their organizations. Betco is featuring the following five sustainable products on Transpare: Betco One Step, Clario Green Earth Foaming Skin Cleanser, Clario Clear Foaming Skin Cleanser, Green Earth BioActive Solutions Devour No Rinse Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner, and Green Earth Peroxide.Betco products serve numerous markets...

PHILADELPHIA—National Energy Technologies LLC is releasing a new product line that saves energy by purifying air. Along with the need to remove smoke, odor, allergens and bacteria, mechanical air purification reduces the need to vent massive amounts of conditioned air to the outside. This system utilizes four advanced technologies as well as fan driven filtration for maximum effectiveness.Smoke and odor as well as spring allergies can be difficult or seem impossible to control with conventional air filtration. Bars and restaurants that still allow smoking are eager to attract and protect nonsmoking customers. Fortunately, recent advancement in air purity on...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Agaia, Inc. introduces Evolve, a commercially viable, all natural cleaning technology that the company says significantly outperforms chemical cleaning products in consumer, commercial and industrial markets.Evolve’s Active-Capture technology proactively captures and breaks down or emulsifies soils, odor causing bacteria, grease, grime and virtually all other unwanted contaminates at the molecular level in seconds, leaving no dangerous residues behind on the surfaces cleaned or in the environment.“Evolve represents one of the most significant advances in cleaning in the last 100 years,” said Agaia, Inc. CEO Benjamin Shell. “Our consumer, commercial and industrial strength products can be used to...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Willard InterContinental and top D.C. property developers-owners including Carr Properties, joined with Silver Bullet, a water treatment company, to introduce a system that increases building sustainability. The new patented technology creates hydrogen peroxide (natural non-toxic biocide) when injected into water, killing all bacteria, removing scale and preventing corrosion. The technology cuts water usage, electricity and toxic chemical delivery, storage and removal.“We appreciate the opportunity to be among the first commercial entities in the nation’s capital to utilize this cost-effective and environmentally sound commercial technology,” said Patrick Birchall, general manager of the Willard InterContinental.Silver Bullet estimates the historic,...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—High levels of hazardous chemicals were found in garden hoses for the second year in a row. Researchers at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Ecology Center found phthalates and the toxic chemical BPA in the water of a new hose that had been sitting outside in the sun for just two days. Findings include BPA levels of 0.34 to 0.91 ppm in the hose water, a level that is three to nine times higher than safe drinking water standards. The phthalate DEHP was found at concentrations of 0.017 to 0.011 ppm in the hose water, which is two...

Since its founding in 1989, Green Seal, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., has developed standards for more than 375 categories of products and services, from paints and adhesives to cleaning products. These standards are designed to address the environmental and social impacts of a product using a lifecycle approach—considering everything from the raw materials used to make the product to the manufacturing process and the product’s eventual disposal. This evaluation involves independent, third-party testing protocols using state-of-the-art scientific technologies that are internationally accepted. One of Green Seal’s latest standards applies specifically to the hotel and hospitality industries for...

SAN DIEGO—Nonsmoking rooms in hotels operating a partial smoking ban don’t protect their occupants from tobacco smoke, reveals research published online in Tobacco Control. Non-smokers should give hotels that allow smoking in certain rooms a wide berth, say the authors, and instead choose completely smoke free hotels.The researchers analyzed the surfaces and air quality of rooms for evidence of tobacco smoke pollution (nicotine and 3EP), known as third hand smoke, in a random sample of budget to mid-range hotels in San Diego. Ten hotels in the sample operated complete bans and 30 operated partial smoking bans, providing designated nonsmoking...

When it comes to green cleaning, an often underemphasized area is the need for matting at all hotel entries. Stopping dust, soils, and contaminants before they ever enter a facility helps reduce the need for cleaning and enhances indoor environmental quality. This is why it makes sense to place effective matting systems at the heart of any green cleaning program. The most effective type of mats are referred to as high-performance mats, which are higher-quality mats that have a performance life of several years. These mats are often part of what is called a soil “source control” strategy. Hotel managers, even...

LANCASTER, PA.—Foodservice operations must fend off a continuous onslaught of potentially harmful germs and bacteria. Restaurants and other foodservice operations must be ever diligent to keep food preparation and serving areas thoroughly sanitized and disinfected to prevent potentially deadly outbreaks from such bacteria as salmonella and E-coli. Even a minor outbreak can mean closure, lawsuits, and/or irreparable damage to a restaurant’s reputation.NatureTech’s GEN-X-3TM is a sanitizing and disinfecting system for restaurant and foodservice operators—a chemical-free system that increases their food safety, reduces their operating costs, and communicates their commitment to innovative, eco-friendly practices.The GEN-X-3TM system is being showcased at...

NATIONAL REPORT—Air curtains, also known as air doors, can play an important role in a hotel’s energy conservation strategy—especially hotels with foodservice operations. In use for almost a century now, air curtains have become more sophisticated and effective in recent years and the number of applications for them has grown. Air curtains can now be used in entryways—both in the front and back of the house—with walk-in coolers, warewashers, and even in laundry areas. Air curtains help to contain heated or air conditioned air, and are essential in stopping the infiltration of flying insects, dust and dirt.Air curtains employ...