WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that its flagship Element hotel—Element Lexington—is the first Starwood hotel to earn Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and the first hotel in Massachusetts to achieve this prestigious rating. Element Lexington earned LEED Gold certification in recognition of its superior performance in areas including water and energy conservation and improved indoor environmental quality measures. The hotel, which opened its doors in July 2008, expects to recoup its investment in green building in less than five years, due to associated operational savings....

ATLANTA—As a part of the effort to find real-world solutions to the growing problem of climate change, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), the world’s largest hotel company by number of rooms, announced that it is one of the 23 companies selected to participate in the ground-breaking Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative (CBI), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The CBI brings leading commercial real estate firms, retailers, financial institutions, and two of the DOE’s National Laboratories—Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—together to produce building design solutions that yield significant and measurable energy savings in...

CAMBRIDGE, MD.—Cambridge Architectural, a full-service provider of sustainable architectural mesh systems, introduces Solucent, an energy-saving and daylighting mesh shading system for building exteriors and interiors. Solucent, “Where the Sun and Shade Mesh,” has been developed to meet the ever-increasing sustainability needs facing architects today, but without sacrificing beauty in design. The system combines the unique and striking aesthetic of architectural mesh with its shading and daylighting capabilities to create a one-of-a-kind energy and light management solution. Cambridge has also unveiled a new website, www.cambridgesolucent.com, which serves as the online home for Solucent. Solucent mesh shading systems reduce solar heat gain...

ATLANTA—Kimberly-Clark Filtration has introduced a new filtration media that delivers MERV 13 performance for LEED Certified buildings. The media was developed in response to the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) standards for ASHRAE 52.2, MERV 13 filtration performance in LEED new construction and major renovation projects. The new media, Intrepid 513H, can be used in 2-inch and 4-inch pleated filters that are suited for virtually any commercial HVAC system. Before this new media was introduced, most 2-inch and 4-inch pleated filters were limited to MERV 8 or MERV 11 performance, which provides less efficient capture of airborne particles than MERV...

COLLIER COUNTY, FLA.—Twelve hotels to date in Collier County, Fla., have received the official Green Lodging certification from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). To further Collier County’s green lodging initiative, the Collier County Hotel & Lodging Assn. has formed a Green Committee to grow and enhance the benefits of sustainable lodging practices in the region and assist other hotels that wish to gain certification. In Collier County, Florida DEP has so far recognized the following hotels as certified Green Lodgings: The Ivey House; Hilton Naples; DoubleTree Guest Suites, Naples; Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort; Bellasera Hotel; Inn at...

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—The Napa Valley community of Yountville, Calif., with a population of a little more than 3,000 people, is now home to one of the greenest lodging establishments in the United States—the 62-room luxury Bardessono hotel, restaurant and spa. Set to open the first week of February, the development should earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification later in 2009. If it does reach that goal, it will be only the second hotel in the United States to do so. The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., is the other. The owner and developer of the property is...

NASHVILLE, TENN.—Universal Lighting Technologies introduces new Program Start models to the ULTim8 high-efficiency family of ballasts. With Program Start technology, these ballasts fit the growing need for energy-saving ballasts that are compatible with occupancy sensors and other switching applications. ULTim8 Program Start ballasts are specifically designed to increase fluorescent lamp life by properly heating the lamp filaments during the starting process. Designed to meet NEMA and CEE High Efficiency T8 Ballast specifications, these ULTim8 models are compatible with current ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 and California Title 24 for energy efficiency. New ULTim8 Program Start ballasts are available with universal voltage operation (120...

AURORA, OHIO—TCP, Inc. has combined the benefits of its compact fluorescent lamps with new LED technology to create the SpringLamp three-way CFL/LED light bulb. The three-way CFL/LED hybrid switches between 19 watts, 30 watts and a 1-watt LED night light, comparable to a 50/100/150-watt incandescent bulb, for use in table lamps and floor lamps. Lasting an average of 10,000 hours (more than 10 times longer than an incandescent), the three-way CFL/LED is manufactured using lead-free glass. This gives the bulb better lumen maintenance over its life and a color temperature closest to incandescent light. A new amalgam technology provides cooler...

ROANOKE, VA.—The Rodeway Inn located in Castaic, Calif., just five minutes from Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif., has installed GEM System guestroom energy management in all 120 guestrooms, utilizing their existing Amana, Friedrich and GE PTAC units. GEM System is an innovative, infrared sensor-based guestroom energy management system that reduces guestroom energy costs by 35 percent to 45 percent. GEM System resets the room temperature to an energy conserving level, pre-selected by the hotel, only while the guest is out of the room. GEM System can connect to any brand and model of PTAC and will increase its...

NAPLES, FLA.—In order to further its green lodging endeavors, the Hilton Naples has begun the implementation of a Confederate Jasmine vine garden on the section of the hotel’s roof over the ballroom area. Confederate Jasmine is indigenous to the Naples area and is generally described as a perennial vine with dark green foliage and orange flowers. The hotel has covered the roof of the hotel’s ballroom area in order to eliminate direct exposure to the sun, thereby decreasing the amount of energy necessary to cool the ballroom area. The vine garden will also present an enhanced view from...