DENVER—Vail Resorts announced that the company will offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy for its five mountain resorts, its lodging properties including RockResorts and Grand Teton Lodge Company, all of its 125 retail locations (operated through Specialty Sports Venture) and its new corporate headquarters in Broomfield, Colo. By purchasing renewable energy credits equal to the company’s entire electricity use, Vail Resorts becomes the second largest purchaser of wind power of all corporations in the United States. Vail Resorts announced this initiative as part of its ongoing environmental efforts. Vail...

HOUSTON—Goodman Company, L.P., a subsidiary of Goodman Global, Inc. (NYSE: GGL), maker of Amana brand heating and air conditioning products and packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs), announced the introduction of its new wirelessly networked DigiSmart Control System, an operations management tool designed to be used with the company’s Amana brand PTACs. The company says it is the first wireless PTAC management product of its kind. “Our new DigiSmart Control System will allow our customers to not only control the environmental conditions in individual rooms—it will also help them to manage their energy costs,” says Dave Craven, Goodman’s director...

NATIONAL REPORT—Walk the hallway of any hotel and you are likely to find at least one or two cold drink vending machines and possibly a snack machine on each floor. Measure the amount of time a guest is actually standing in front of one of these machines and it probably is less than an hour a day—possibly more in a high-traffic location. Even in employee cafeteria or lunchroom areas, machines can go hours without being used. If food and beverage vending machines need not be powered up around the clock, why are they? Some hoteliers have tried using...

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.—Henrietta’s Table, the award-winning restaurant at the Charles Hotel here, has staked its claim as one of the most environmentally friendly restaurants in America—and for good reason. Executive chef Peter Davis strongly advocates the purchase of local, organically grown vegetables, meat produced by farmers who practice humane animal husbandry, and seafood produced by well-managed fisheries. In 2005, Henrietta’s Table purchased close to $100,000 in food products directly from local farmers. As a member of the Boston-based Chefs Collaborative, a national nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable cuisine, chef Davis supports local farmers by buying as much organic produce as he...

NATIONAL REPORT—Everyone is familiar with Motel 6’s “We’ll leave the light on for you” campaign. It was definitely a hit. What is not such a good idea is when your guests leave the light on for you. Research conducted several years ago through the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research Program confirmed what most hotel operators already know: Many guests leave the lights on when they leave the room and use the bathroom lights as a night-light. You can’t blame your guests, especially seniors, for wanting the extra light but when the lights are on when nobody is there, or...

MALVERN, PA.—USA Technologies announced it had begun shipping its EnergyMiser product line to Australia, Denmark and Spain. At the same time, the company reported it had stepped up sales of EnergyMisers to Canada, and this month had shipped an additional 300 units valued at $30,000 to Optimum Energy Products Ltd., a distributor in Calgary, Alberta. USA Technologies develops energy management products and cashless payment technology for vending machines. “As in the U.S., international energy services companies are seeking the latest leading-edge energy conservation technology that gives customers relief from rising energy costs,” says Wendy Jenkins, vice president of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—More environmentally friendly computer equipment will soon be available to large volume purchasers thanks to manufacturers like Dell, HP, and others that now have products that meet the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) standard. EPEAT-registered computer products have reduced levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury to better protect human health, and are easier to upgrade and recycle, in addition to meeting the government’s Energy Star guidelines for energy efficiency. “These new environmental standards can guide the manufacturing of green computers, laptops, and monitors,” says James Gulliford, assistant administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. Award winners will be recognized at the Energy Star Awards Ceremony on March 21, 2007 in Washington, D.C. All organizations participating in Energy Star are encouraged to apply for a 2007 Energy Star Award. To be considered, an organization must meet the specific eligibility requirements in the award application and submit a complete application package by December 15, 2006. Categories include: Efficient Products, Partner of the Year, Product...

NATIONAL REPORT—Looking to trim energy consumption and costs in the kitchen? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star “ Commercial Food Service” Web site is not a bad place to start. The site offers guidance on finding appropriate product sizes and models and features information on the four categories of products for which EPA has established energy efficiency specifications: hot food holding cabinets; steam cookers; fryers; and solid door reach-in refrigerators, freezers and refrigerator/freezers. Energy Star-qualified equipment is designed to use less energy and water, while continuing to provide high performance, reliability, efficiency and life-cycle cost benefits. “In general, Energy...

NATIONAL REPORT—When looking to slash energy costs, chances are a hotel operator will not think of signage first. However, with advances in light emitting diode (LED) technology, signage is not a bad place to start. LEDs offer an 80 to 90 percent energy efficiency gain, last much longer than neon and fluorescent lighting, and require much less maintenance. Valley View, Ohio-based GELcore LLC, a joint venture of GE Lighting and Emcore Corp., is one vendor that offers LED systems for a variety of hospitality applications. Areas where their products can be used include outdoor and indoor channel letter...