NEWBERG, ORE.—The Allison Inn & Spa will open September 26 in Newberg in the heart of Oregon’s wine country. Set on 35 acres, the 85-room (with 20 suites) property was designed by GGLO, Seattle, and is owned by Newberg-based Springbook Properties, Inc. The owners expect to earn a LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project. The Allison Inn & Spa is a four-level structure consisting of 154,000 square feet of building space. The east wing is dedicated to guestrooms. The west wing is home to the conference and event space. The inn’s lobby, restaurant...

JACKSONVILLE, FLA.—When the ground gets dry at The Jenks House Bed & Breakfast in Jacksonville, Fla., owners Tom and Ila Rae Merten don’t tap into the city’s water supply. Thanks to a rainwater capture system, they have all the water they need. Installed earlier this summer at the two-guestroom B&B, the system guides water from the garage apartment roof into four 275-gallon storage tanks (1,100 total gallons). The tanks sit on racks in the garage. The roof is 675 square feet in size. One inch of rainfall results in 193 gallons of captured water. With Jacksonville getting an average...

PHILADELPHIA—SRS Energy, a leading developer of sustainable solar roofing products, has been awarded $2,805,000 in grant and loan money from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support the production of its Solé Power Tile system, the first solar roofing tile designed to seamlessly integrate with curved clay tile roofs. “These funds will enable SRS Energy to expand its business by opening a manufacturing plant that will put Pennsylvanians to work producing the Solé Power Tile,” said Marty Low, CEO of SRS Energy. “We are delighted at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s commitment to invest in clean, sustainable technologies that will benefit both...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 Green Power Purchaser list identified The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre as one of only three hotels in the nation as 100 percent powered by green energy resources. In October 2008, The Legacy Hotel & Meeting Centre launched its Turn On program in partnership with Clean Currents and the EPA, integrating greener hotel products, clean energy, and inviting guests to offset the carbon footprint of their stay. “We are very proud of this accomplishment,” says Eric Siegel, executive vice president of Cohen Companies, the owner group of The Legacy Hotel &...

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—The Hilton Asheville, scheduled to open later this month, is one of the first major hotels in the United States to include a solar water heating system atop its roof. This system will be one of the largest installations in the Western North Carolina region. Water throughout the hotel, including the pool, will be solar heated, eliminating 25 tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of planting 7,377 trees. The solar water heating system is just one of the hotel’s many environmentally focused features. The 165-room hotel is set in the heart of Biltmore Park Town Square, the...

MEMPHIS, TENN.—Executives of Memphis-based Cooper Hotels, the largest multi-unit operator of Tennessee hotels, announced that two of the company’s hotels are the first Tennessee hotels to utilize solar power. Installation of state-of-the-art solar thermal systems that will provide hot water is now underway at the Hilton Knoxville Airport and the Doubletree Hotel Oak Ridge. “We are proud to be on the leading edge of sustainable tourism in Tennessee,” said Pace Cooper, Cooper Hotels president and CEO. “Our company has been committed to sustainability for years, with all five of our Florida hotels earning green designations by the Florida Department of...

RALEIGH, N.C.—Swiss-Dex USA, Corp., one of Europe’s leaders in radiant heating and cooling solutions, announced they are bringing their energy efficient heating and cooling system to the United States. The Switzerland-based company has been on the forefront of advances in green radiant ceiling heating and cooling systems all across Europe. The company’s opening of a U.S. sales office in the Triangle will now provide both residential and commercial builders across the country with a more effective and environmentally friendly alternative to force blown heating and cooling systems. The Swiss-Dex system has many advantages over the traditional force blown heating and...

SEVIERVILLE, TENN.—It would make sense that a resort called Wilderness at the Smokies would do everything it can to preserve the environment and be an environmentally responsible business. Although thousands of visitors travel from all over to experience the resort’s indoor and outdoor water parks every day, many of them don’t realize all that Wilderness at the Smokies is doing to be an environmental leader. The first thing many families notice when entering the indoor water park at Wilderness at the Smokies is that it feels like one is outside on a summer day—even in the middle of winter when...

LAS VEGAS—Keeping with its commitment to sustainability, CityCenter has commissioned the first stretch-limo fleet powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). Developed by Krystal Enterprises, the world’s largest manufacturer of stretch limousines, in collaboration with Clean Energy Fuels, BAF Technologies and Ford engineers, the 26 silver, 72-inch Lincoln Town Cars are 100 percent dedicated to utilizing CNG and will service CityCenter’s ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel. “Commissioning the first CNG stretch-limo fleet is a demonstration of CityCenter’s commitment to environmental responsibility, while never sacrificing guest experience,” said Bill McBeath, president and COO of ARIA Resort & Casino. “Just...

HOUSTON—Houston’s Mayor Bill White unveiled an array of solar energy equipment at the George R. Brown Convention Center to signal the start of a 100-kilowatt pilot program that will generate power from the convention center rooftop with more than 600 solar panels. Facilitated by the Houston Advanced Research Center, the test program is intended to identify and overcome barriers that might plague widespread implementation of solar energy infrastructure. Funding for the installation and initial testing of the systems amounts to almost $1 million—all of it coming from the private sector. Houston is one of a select group of American...