COMMERCE, CALIF.—Nora Lighting’s award winning 2” M2 downlights are now available in a trimless option, without any housing required. The patent pending trimless mud plate includes integrated magnets to hold the luminaire against the ceiling. These IC Air-tight downlights are a perfect solution for commercial and residential applications with shallow plenums. The M2 trimless downlights produce over 750 lumens in three color temperatures (2700K, 3000K, or 4000K) @ 90+ CRI. Each luminaire includes a pre-wired driver box with dimmable driver. Finishes include matte black or matte powder white to match any décor or hardware. M2 luminaires are cETLus listed for damp...

BOZEMAN, MONT.—Under Canvas, a leader in upscale, outdoor hospitality, announced its latest brand addition with the opening of its 11th camp, Under Canvas North Yellowstone - Paradise Valley, for its inaugural season on June 15, 2023. Located on 50 acres of Montana ranchland with expansive valley and mountain views, Under Canvas North Yellowstone - Paradise Valley is ideally located near the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Located 20 minutes from the charming town of Livingston and 45 minutes from Bozeman, the North Yellowstone - Paradise Valley camp offers unprecedented access to Greater Yellowstone and complements its sister camp on the West side of the famed national park. In addition to...

The idea for the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system was hatched almost 30 years ago in 1993. Today, there are more than 100,000 buildings participating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) certification program. Approximately 1,000 of those buildings are lodgings located around the world. According to USGBC, “LEED certified buildings are proven to save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people. They are a critical part of addressing the climate crisis, meeting ESG goals, enhancing resilience, and supporting more equitable communities.” The most recent version of LEED is LEED...

NATIONAL REPORT—Sustainability is becoming increasingly popular across the country as people learn more about this concept. It’s become so widespread that the government encourages industries and individuals alike to change their ways and become greener through more sustainable practices. There are numerous ways to lead a more eco-conscious lifestyle, such as recycling, utilizing innovative green technology, and most importantly, going completely solar. Solar energy is starting to become the norm for many industries, including hotels. While the upfront cost may seem expensive, there are plenty of government grants provided to encourage affordable movements in this direction. Here is a...

NATIONAL REPORT—Evaporative cooling towers play an important role in green buildings by significantly reducing energy consumption when they supplement or replace traditional air conditioning systems, thereby reducing carbon footprint and operating costs. Although evaporative cooling is great at saving energy, it does consume some water but the benefits on energy savings outweigh the water usage, which in some places is a scarce resource. Water conservation is therefore a high priority in designing and operating water-cooled equipment and plays an important role in USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and other sustainability programs. LEED assigns credit points to...

SINGAPORE—In an article published earlier this week on Green Lodging News, the introduction to Greenview’s just released 83-page Green Lodging Trends Report (GLTR) was summarized. In this article, Green Lodging News takes a deeper dive into the report, highlighting key results from this fourth GLTR. The GLTR is separated into 10 sections, with findings highlighted primarily in easy-to-read bullet-point format. The sections include Hotel Sustainability Basics, Management System, Community Impact, Health & Wellness, Responsible Consumption, Single-Use Plastic Elimination, Waste Management, Water Conservation, Energy Management, and Climate Action. The following are observations from each of the 10 sections, followed by highlights from...

BETHESDA, MD.—In line with Marriott International’s net zero ambitions and global commitment to source a minimum of 30 percent of its overall electricity from renewable energy by 2025, the company announced that it plans to expand its electric vehicle (EV) network across Asia Pacific. By the end of 2023, the company expects to sign EV MoU agreements to construct and operate EV charging infrastructures in nine markets, including India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia and Vietnam, providing guests with ways to travel more sustainably. The MoU agreements stipulate the planned installation of more than 400 EV chargers...

AMSTERDAM—EVBox will introduce its fast-charging station, EVBox Troniq Modular, to the North American market at CES 2023 in Las Vegas (January 5 to 8, 2023). The station is part of EVBox’s flexible and scalable product portfolio, with power capacity of up to 240kW. This DC fast charging station is already in service across the European market. The company will assemble EVBox Troniq Modular for the U.S. market at its Libertyville, Ill., facility, where it also assembles its award-winning AC commercial charging station EVBox Iqon. EVBox Troniq Modular can charge up to two cars at the same time. It has smart charging...

PALO ALTO, CALIF.—A Tesla Megapack has helped S2A Modular make history as the first off-grid factory in the world powered entirely by a Megapack. S2A Modular has completed its first of many modular home MegaFactories being operated using low-voltage DC power. The Tesla Megapack receives its power from a new alternate energy source called PVGraf Solar. These unique solar panels set a new level of efficiency, reliability, and ruggedness for solar panels. PFGraf Solar manufacturer FreeVolt has partnered with S2A Modular and named them the exclusive dealer of PVGraf Solar in the United States. S2A has the UL for...

Reducing our industry’s environmental impact takes teamwork and making best practices easily available so that those who are not as far along the green path can copy and improve upon what has been done. That is the message behind the announcement this past week by AHLA to launch Responsible Stay, an industry-wide commitment to make meetings, events, and guest experiences in America’s hotels more environmentally and socially responsible. (See article on Green Lodging News.) The Responsible Stay website details the program’s principles and areas of focus, provides examples of what more than 20 companies are doing, features company success snapshots,...