SPRING LAKE, MICH.—Norb, LLC introduces the Norb (Nutri-Orb) brand of LED light bulbs. The Norb line of Wellness Lighting for Better Working, Learning and Living includes: NorbSMILE—The “Feel Right” Light illuminates with a white-color light designed with the sun’s “happy” light spectrum that awakens and energizes. It is available as an A19 LED bulb with 11 watts and as a tube light with 18 LED watts. In contrast to regular indoor lights which may cause drowsiness, lethargy or agitation, NorbSMILE supports a positive mood, alertness, energy and productivity. NorbSMILE is the healthy building light for daytime illumination in company offices,...

MADRID—Sustainability is one of NH Hotel Group’s most important pledges and a key strategic value. As such, it permeates everything the company does. Framed by its broader sustainability effort, the multinational has committed to reducing carbon emissions all along its value chain by 20 percent by 2030, thus preventing the emission of over 70,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. NH Hotel Group’s target, which has been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative—a leading alliance mobilizing the world of business to take action against climate change, championed by CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and World...

MIAMI—The only Green Globe certified carbon-neutral resort in the Caribbean has teamed up with SportsArt, a leading fitness company to generate free electricity. Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba has acquired the SportsArt ECO-POWR™ line of cardio equipment, which harnesses human energy produced during a workout and converts it into utility-grade electricity, offsetting the facility’s power consumption and reducing its carbon footprint. “The energy generated by the resort’s five (ECO-POWR) bikes is fed back into the grid, supplying power to the resort,” explained Resort Manager Rik van der Berg. “Our customers appreciate the opportunity to be proactive participants in preserving...

In 2014 three college students from West Virginia University released a report of their findings as a result of extensive testing on VW cars. The California Air Resource Board (CARB) and the EPA were interested and continued to build on their research. This research uncovered a defeat device installed in around 600,000 cars built by Volkswagen from 2009 to 2016. This was planned to help sell what they called clean diesel cars in the United States. You may recall this as “Dieselgate.” Because of that, VW agreed to spend $14.7 billion. These settlement funds are split into three areas: a...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Energy announced a decision to roll back rules that would have required lightbulbs to be more efficient, a decision that could cost consumers up to $100/year per household starting in 2025, according to estimates by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). David Friedman, Vice President of Advocacy for Consumer Reports, and a former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary (2015 to 17) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said, “This is, excuse the pun, a dim decision. This administration’s latest rollback will reduce consumer choice and increase utility...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—SolarWindow Technologies, Inc., developer of transparent liquid coatings that convert passive windows into electricity-generating windows, announced the use of a new high-performance polymer for the fabrication of its transparent electricity-generating SolarWindow coatings. Incorporating an exclusive, non-fullerene polymer designed by Raynergy Tek, into the company’s proprietary new coating formulation generates greater power output than the polymers previously used. The new polymer also provides for higher visible light transmission and expands the range of coating colors for future potential customers of the planned electricity-generating window product line. “Today’s announcement is a result of our important collaboration with Raynergy Tek in the pursuit...

WORCESTER, MASS.— Access Fixtures, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of commercial, industrial, and sports lighting, has introduced a budget-friendly canopy light called the SYRF which is available in both a round and a square design. SYRF is a fixture that flush mounts to ceilings and canopies at retail facilities, schools, hotels, hospitals, and any other similar commercial location. The SYRF boasts great value and efficiency at 22 lumens per dollar, and an L70 rated life of 147,000 hours, guaranteeing years of maintenance-free use. A smooth frosted polycarbonate lens emits light in a wide 110-degree beam spread and prevents glare, even when...

POKHARA, NEPAL—Swiss International Hotel Sarowar, an upscale, 96-room hotel in Pokhara, Nepal, offers stunning views of the Himalayan Ranges and the famous Phewa Lake. What is most impressive about this property is its eco-efficiency—the attention to green design and sustainability from below ground to the rooftop. Swiss International Hotel Sarowar opened at the beginning of this year. The hotel is powered by the sun, heated and cooled using geothermal technology and sells its digested combination of human and food waste as organic manure at the local market. Swiss International Hotel Sarowar sits 2,655 feet above sea level. Its design incorporates...

ROANOKE, VA.—Bay Gardens Resorts, St. Lucia, announced that three of its properties, Bay Gardens Beach Resort, Bay Gardens Inn, and Bay Gardens Hotel have been awarded the prestigious Green Globe Gold Certified designation. Green Globe is a hospitality focused sustainability certification. Gold level certification requires that properties be “certified” five consecutive years with continuous improvement in audit scores. Located on St. Lucia’s Rodney Bay, Bay Gardens Resorts earned Green Globe Gold Certification through such initiatives as installation of LED lighting, removal of single use plastics, and installation of GEM Link Wireless occupancy sensors from Lodging Technology in all guestrooms to...

Modern, high-efficient rooftop HVAC units can mean substantial savings on annual energy costs for green facilities, but facility managers need to take an active role in managing the systems to get the most out of them. One of the pitfalls of operating a rooftop HVAC system is that it is out of sight, out of mind. It is easier to neglect maintenance for a system you see only rarely and must make a trip up to the roof to inspect. But, if you don’t keep your rooftop system maintained properly, it lowers the system’s efficiency and shortens its lifespan. In...