RENO, NEV.—The Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, Nev., is tapping into clean, reliable, renewable geothermal energy. A total of $8.1 million was invested in the project. Like the industry they represent, the privately held resort took a gamble—drill a well that taps into the geothermal aquifer, betting on finding water at the correct temperature that could be captured and converted to energy through a closed loop system. It would then be returned to the earth via a reinjection well, which would heat the entire resort’s water and mechanical heat via geothermal energy. Peppermill president, Bill Paganetti, engaged world-renowned geothermal...

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA—Five years after being shut down by powerful Hurricane Ivan, the Spice Island Beach Resort, located in the Caribbean on the island of Grenada, is doing its part to reduce its impact on the local environment while still giving its guests a luxury experience. The fully-inclusive, 64-suite property was the first hotel on the island to install a reverse osmosis desalinization system; it heats all of its water with a solar thermal heating system, cleans its pool without chemicals, and takes numerous other steps to reduce energy and water consumption and waste. The resort, which is expected...

LOS ANGELES—Last week, officials at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles announced that the property had received the city’s first Green Seal Silver Certification. In a press release announcing the honor, it was stated that the hotel expects to save approximately $225,000 a year because of its energy-saving and waste reduction initiatives. However, according to Steve Silva, chief engineer at the 1,354-room hotel, the Green Team has “just scratched the surface” of what can be saved and he expects the $225,000 number to eventually grow to $1 million a year. According to the online publication “blogdowntown,” the certification of...

MIAMI—Salt Lake City, Utah-based Control4, a provider of automated guestroom solutions for new and existing hotels and resorts, is working with MTech, a leading provider of guest response and work flow automation solutions, to enhance its product and improve guest service for its hotel clients around the United States. Control4 Suite Systems has been integrated with MTech’s HotSOS (pronounced “hot sauce”) in what Control4 officials call a door-to-drapes guestroom solution for anything from room lighting to temperature control to bellman’s requests, valet services and concierge services. “Virtually anything a guest needs is at his or her fingertips in real-time when...

VALLEY CENTER, CALIF.—Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort has diverted more than 400 tons of recyclables, reduced Styrofoam use by 25 percent and cleaned up more than eight miles of San Diego County beaches. These conservation efforts are the result of the employee driven “Green Committee,” which meets bi-weekly in support of the company’s CODEGreen Commitment. “CODEGreen is our commitment to conservation and sustainability,” says senior vice president and general manager Janet Beronio. The Green Committee is comprised of Harrah’s employees who want to make a difference. “There were so many ideas at the first meeting,” exclaims Brendan O’Kane, facilities manager...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes the Edro Corporation as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. Edro washer-extractors are fitted with the company’s proprietary on-board DynOzone—DynaWash Ozone System. The machines reduce hot water requirements and shorten cycles to save on operating costs. Edro washer-extractors feature highly efficient motors and drives and state-of-the-art HMi touch screen controls. The company’s high efficiency tumbler dryers, available in capacities from 35 to 450 pounds, complete the laundering process. For additional information, call (800) 628-6434, e-mail aholaday@edrodynawash.com, or go to www.edrodynawash.com.

LAS VEGAS—CityCenter announced that it has received three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council for: ARIA Resort’s hotel tower; ARIA Resort’s convention center and theater; and Vdara Hotel. ARIA and Vdara will open in December on the Las Vegas Strip and are the first of CityCenter’s developments to be LEED certified. CityCenter anticipates Gold or Silver LEED certification for its remaining developments which include Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district; Veer Towers, the community’s only strictly residential buildings; and The Harmon (opening late 2010),...

SAN DIEGO—Bekaert Specialty Films LLC announced it has earned ISO 14001:2004 certification, solidifying its commitment to minimizing the manufacturing impact of its energy saving window films, sold under the Solar Gard, Panorama and Quantum brands. ISO 14001 is an international standard for environmental management systems. Its goal is to reduce the ecological footprint of a business and decrease pollution and waste. To achieve this voluntary certification, Bekaert Specialty Films established an environmental management system (EMS) to ensure the company’s activities and products have minimal impact on the environment. Bekaert Specialty Films’ EMS helps monitor and improve energy efficiency, resource...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Environmental Protection Agency has revised the qualifications for televisions to achieve the Energy Star label, requiring TVs to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. These requirements will help consumers save even more energy and money and fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions while allowing them to continue to enjoy the features, performance and quality they expect. Televisions meeting EPA’s new, more stringent Energy Star specifications will be available in stores nationwide starting May 1, 2010. The new requirements raise the bar on how energy efficient a TV must be to earn the...

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA.—Tozour Energy Systems, Inc. a full-service HVAC and building automation provider, has been selected to work with the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel to implement an energy reduction plan that will save the hotel hundreds of thousands per year in energy costs. This is the first building in Atlantic City, Atlantic County and the entire Starwood chain in New Jersey to take advantage of this program. The Sheraton Atlantic City is a full-service hotel conveniently located next to the convention center and in walking distance to outlet shopping, the Atlantic City Boardwalk and casinos. Tozour will identify...