NASHVILLE—Uniguest, a leading public computer kiosk company, announced that it has joined the EPEAT Partner Reseller Program, to support the hospitality industry with its “green” purchasing decisions. EPEAT (www.epeat.net) is the preeminent environmental ratings system for desktops, laptops and monitors, with 30 manufacturers currently registering a total of 1,141 products in the system. The EPEAT system rates products as Bronze, Silver, or Gold based on a multi-attribute standard (IEEE Standard 1680 for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products) encompassing 51 environmental performance criteria. “Our customers are seeking environmentally-friendly product choices,” said Shawn Thomas, CEO of Uniguest. “However, most do not...

GATLINBURG, TENN.—The Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg, adjacent to The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, is on its way to becoming the first LEED certified hotel in Tennessee. The 118-unit property opened on May 28. According to Logan Coykendall, part owner of the hotel and owner of Hospitality Management Solutions, the Sevierville, Tenn.-based management company that operates it, the Hilton Garden Inn should achieve a “solid Silver” LEED rating later this year. LEED, a certification program for new and existing buildings run by the U.S. Green Building Council, offers four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The decision to...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has just added a new case study to its website. The case study focuses on the Nottawsaga Inn Resort in Alliston, Ont., and how it implemented new dehumidification technology from Dectron Internationale to eliminate the challenging eye and lung irritation nuisance of every indoor pool—chloramines. The year-round convention/resort facility 40 miles north of Toronto includes Canada’s first indoor pool facility to use gas-phase air purification—part of its new dehumidifier purchase—to combat chemical odors that are common among natatoriums. Indoor air quality (IAQ) improved quickly and significantly as a result of eliminating chloramines. “Within 48 hours of...

BOYLSTON, MASS.—Restaurants can now run their operations on waste vegetable oil, thanks to the development of Vegawatt from Owl Power Company. This new product enables restaurants to reduce their need for electricity and natural gas supplied from utility companies by using their waste vegetable oil to create electricity and hot water. Owl Power is a developer of clean energy systems and the Massachusetts-based company has been hard at work for the last four years creating, testing, and now unveiling the Vegawatt, a cogeneration system that uses waste vegetable oil as fuel to generate on-site electricity and hot water. “It’s with great...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is commending the House of Representatives for passing landmark energy and climate legislation that includes several significant provisions to incentivize and accelerate the benefits of green building across the country. “From programs that would generate billions of dollars to spur and scale green retrofitting of our existing building stock to inclusion of the GREEN Act, which would create new opportunities for green affordable housing, this bill recognizes that green building is a major part of the solution to our economic and energy challenges,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “With...

CHICAGO—Sears Tower announced plans for a renovation that will result in unparalleled energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions. The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere will reduce its base building electricity use by up to 80 percent, which includes a combination of energy savings and cogeneration. The energy savings equal 68 million kilowatt hours annually or 150,000 barrels of oil every year. The sustainability plans will also drive economic development in the West Loop, creating more than 3,600 jobs, and are part of a broader initiative to transform the global icon. Another aspect of the transformation is a proposed new,...

TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced a comprehensive sustainability plan to address its technology infrastructure and information technology (IT) operations. Green IT becomes the latest component of the Fairmont Green Partnership program, the company’s award-winning environmental platform. Aimed at limiting waste, purchasing responsibly, conserving energy and reducing the company’s overall carbon footprint, Fairmont’s Green IT plan includes the introduction of a workstation power down schedule, electronic waste diversion in markets where programs exist and the development of donation standards aligning with qualified and respected recycling companies and charities. In addition, Fairmont will optimize purchasing efficiencies, including crafting a green procurement policy...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Energy Retrofit Group (ERG), the subsidiary of 40-year-old, award-winning Adache Group Architects, Inc., has announced the creation of their new energy conservation website www.energy-rg.com. “Our site describes how large commercial buildings, such as schools, hotels, retail malls, supermarket chains, and corporate office headquarters, can maximize their energy efficiency, especially interior lighting, heating and cooling, and hot water systems by retrofitting,” said Dan Adache, chairman of the board. Adache points out that the new site contains important information and offers links to government programs and tax incentives for energy retrofitting. For example, the IRS has designated tax deductions for individuals...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As part of LEED v3, the latest version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s program for green building design, construction, operations and maintenance, buildings seeking LEED certification will begin submitting operational performance data on a recurring basis as a precondition to certification. “Today there is all too often a disconnect, or performance gap, between the energy modeling done during the design phase and what actually happens during daily operation after the building is constructed,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, U.S. Green Building Council. “We’re convinced that ongoing monitoring and reporting of data is the single best...

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO—Moen Incorporated’s Commercial Division, a leader in hands-free flush- valve technology, introduces a new line of easy-to-operate FreeHand High Efficiency flush valves. These valves promote water and energy savings by using an infrared sensor beam to activate a flush cycle when a user is in range, ensuring efficient water use and sanitary protection. FreeHand High Efficiency flush valves also help to promote water savings with new low flow rates. Water closet flush valves feature a flow rate of 1.28 gallons per minute (gpm), a 20 percent savings from the industry standard of 1.6 gpm. FreeHand High Efficiency Urinal...