PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010,...

VINEYARD HAVEN, MASS.—Until this summer, the 16,000 gallons of groundwater that runs below the Mansion House Inn, Health Club & Spa was a nuisance. Because the inn’s subbasement sits in the middle of the groundwater, the water constantly had to be pumped away to protect the structure. Now, the water is an asset. How so? It stores energy not only from the sun above the inn but also energy pumped into it via a sophisticated geothermal heat pump system. For Sherman and Susan Goldstein, the inn’s owners, realizing the water’s potential was like striking gold. The history of the inn’s...

COHOES, N.Y.—Mohawk remains one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 50 Green Power Partners, currently ranking as No. 32 on the list, as well as ranking number nine on the list of 100 percent Green Power Purchasers. Mohawk joins other leading renewable energy purchasers such as Intel Corp., Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Inc., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force, and City of Dallas.  EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 partner organizations to voluntarily purchase green power, reducing the environmental impacts of conventional electricity...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Newton Distributing Co. as a Product & Service Directory partner. Newton Distributing Co. specializes in supplying restroom products including environmentally friendly hand dryers, faucets, flush valves, baby changing stations, drinking water fountains, toilet accessories, partitions and much more. The products represented in Newton’s selection are manufactured by leading companies such as Excel Dryer, Rubbermaid, Sloan Valve, Moen, American Standard, Elkay, Kohler, and TOTO. For more information, e-mail lance@NewtonDistributing.com, call (877) 837-7745, or go to www.newtondistributing.com.

TROY, MICH.— ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announced that channel partner Ecogreen Solutions Inc. has installed light-emitting diode (LED) light tubes at Holiday Inn Old Town in San Diego and Casa Romantica in San Clemente, Calif., to reduce energy costs and maintenance requirements. Los Angeles-based Ecogreen Solutions replaced T-8 fluorescent lights with ilumisys MK-1 LED light tubes at both facilities, which will result in nearly $4,000 in energy cost savings annually for Holiday Inn Old Town and more than $10,000 in annual savings for Casa Romantica.  Holiday Inn Old Town replaced more than 200 fluorescent light...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Washington Marriott at Metro Center announced that it has received the 2010 Environmental Excellence Award for “Outstanding Achievement by a Hotel.” The hotel is one of nine District businesses and nonprofit organizations recognized for their environmental stewardship, innovative best practices, pollution prevention and resource conservation. “We are delighted to be recognized by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and the city of Washington, D.C. for our efforts to reduce energy, water, waste and the way we demonstrate how responsible hotel operations can be a positive force for the environment,” said Meg Bobinski, general manager, Washington Marriott at Metro Center. “Our...

PETER ISLAND, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS—Boaters have known for decades how to harness the power of wind, and, this past spring, Peter Island Resort & Spa followed their lead by becoming the first to install wind turbines in the Virgin Island territory. “We’ve studied the idea for years as a method to better manage our energy needs while maintaining the beautiful, undisturbed landscapes that Peter Island is known for,” said Van Ande, CEO of the property. “These new state-of-the-art turbines are not only environmentally friendly but also energy efficient, which makes them an ideal option for this geographic location. Many people...

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—WattStopper has enhanced its extensive offering of energy-efficient lighting controls with a line of wall box dimmers and fan speed controls to help building owners and facility managers capture energy savings when lighting is on. The new dimmers include a family of specification-grade architectural dimmers, intended primarily for commercial applications, and three families of designer dimmers for commercial, hospitality and residential applications. WattStopper now offers products designed to dim most lighting loads, including two-wire, three-wire and 0 to 10 volt fluorescent ballasts. Most of the new controls feature preset functionality, and all of the preset dimmers can be...

NATIONAL REPORT—The great irony of building green is that the very concepts intended to enhance a building’s performance over its entire lifetime are many of the same things that make a building highly susceptible to moisture and mold problems during its first few years of operation. While green buildings have many positive benefits, there is also strong evidence to suggest a direct correlation between new products/innovative design and building failures. Simply put, departing from the “tried and true” often means increasing the risk of building failure. Two strong characteristics of most green buildings are: 1) the use of innovative, locally-produced products...

MOONACHIE, N.J.—Ideal for outdoor use, especially during the spring and summer seasons, BULBRITE introduces Bug Lights in its extensive line of standard light sources. BULBRITE is a leading supplier of energy-efficient light source solutions and a premier educational resource for lamping technology. BULBRITE Bug Lights can be used for outdoor security fixtures, downlights and portables. They are available in compact fluorescent and standard incandescent lamps. Both are designed with a bright yellow finish, which repels bugs and insects. The CFL Bug Light offers 75 percent energy savings and lasts eight times longer than standard incandescents. It has a minimum starting temperature...