TORONTO—In an effort to advance far-reaching strategies for energy efficiency and fossil fuel independence in new and operational buildings, the International Living Future Institute unveiled the Net Zero Energy Building Certification program. The program is linked to the Living Building Challenge, widely considered to be the world’s most stringent and progressive green building program. As with the Living Building Challenge, certification is based on actual performance rather than modeled outcomes. Buildings must be operational for at least 12 consecutive months prior to evaluation. “In the next two decades, we are looking at the disappearance of cheap oil, a scarcity of...

TORONTO—Interface, Inc. announced that the company is on track to complete environmental product declarations (EPDs) for 90 percent of its total products, measured by production volume, by the end of 2011. The update comes as part of Interface’s pledge to obtain EPDs on all products globally in 2012, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to product transparency. “With the multitude of labels and claims in the marketplace, only EPDs offer full transparency and allow customers to evaluate products based upon verified facts,” said Dan Hendrix, president and CEO of Interface, Inc. “Adopting EPDs is one way we are responding to confusion in...

NEW YORK—Tai Ping, a multinational manufacturer of woven Axminster carpet and carpet tiles, announced that it has received the highest ratings from NSF 140. The first multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved measure for environmentally preferable materials in the building industry; NSF 140 is the only recognized trademark in the industry with respect to environmental responsibility. Tai Ping continues to work closely with NSF as part of its global sustainability initiative, Tai Ping Toward Sustainability. Last year, Tai Ping’s woven Axminster became the very first wool carpet to achieve Silver certification. This year, the company excelled further, garnering Gold...

PLANO, TEXAS—Glass Recycled, a manufacturer of environmentally-friendly products that serve the construction and interior design industry, announces hundreds of new color combinations that are now available for use in their recycled glass countertops, walls, flooring and décor items. GlassSLAB is the company’s premier product. Made from recycled glass and epoxy in a terrazzo-like manufacturing process, GlassSlab can be used in kitchens, bathrooms, bars and in other countertop applications. Offering the durability of granite, GlassSLAB’s patented process brings the added benefit of nearly limitless color combinations. Whereas granite users may only select from what nature provides and is currently being mined,...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Las Vegas community of Summerlin is now the home of Nevada’s newest LEED certified hotel. Designed to be “green from the ground up,” Element hotels blend eco-inspired smart design, bright, open spaces, and flowing layouts in guestrooms. Element serves as Starwood’s green innovation lab, where sustainable practices are tested before migrating to other brands. With Element Las Vegas Summerlin’s certification, six Element hotels in North America now boast a LEED designation. Element, from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., made history in 2008 by becoming the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Grand has revealed designs for its new rooms and suites. Underway this week, the $160 million remodel includes all 3,570 guestrooms and 642 suites in the hotel’s main tower and is expected to conclude by September 2012. The initial set of redesigned rooms will be complete by the end of November 2011. “Our new rooms complement MGM Grand’s incredible collection of accommodations,” said Scott Sibella, president and COO for MGM Grand. “This is one of many exciting announcements on the horizon, all of which will solidify MGM Grand’s position not only as an entertainment destination, but as a...

TORONTO—BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of GreenSpec and Environmental Building News, announced the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2012. This tenth annual award, announced at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Toronto, recognizes the building products representing important green building innovations for the year ahead. “There are more ‘green’ building products than ever, but not all of them address a real need—or worse, some of them may create new problems down the road,” says BuildingGreen founder and GreenSpec executive editor Alex Wilson. “In selecting this year’s Top 10 products, we looked for companies that solved pressing needs in energy...

TORONTO—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo kicked off in Toronto yesterday with 23,000 delegates from around the world learning about the latest in green building products, technologies and innovations. Beginning with an opening plenary celebration event at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday evening, 2011 marks Greenbuild’s 10th year. Greenbuild is the world’s largest green building conference & expo. “This is the first time Greenbuild has been held outside of the U.S. and Toronto is a fitting place to celebrate 10 years of Greenbuild,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “Last night’s...

BALTIMORE—The majority of architects and interior designers, 87 percent and 86 percent respectively, acknowledge that they are concerned with how products are manufactured with regard to sustainability, according to new research released by IMRE. The research showed that the number of sustainable projects performed by architects and interior designers is projected to rise in the next year, and that sustainable products are often associated with higher cost. These are some of the results released from the survey in which 812 architects and designers responded to an online survey fielded between September 19 and 23, 2011. The survey was spearheaded by...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. is closer to reaching its goal of 300 LEED-certified hotels by 2015—now that three of its brands—Courtyard, TownePlace Suites and Residence Inn—have all earned LEED Volume pre-certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Courtyard Scottsdale Pima in Arizona, scheduled to open in early 2012, and the TownePlace Suites Frederick in Maryland, will be the first of their brand categories to be built using Marriott’s LEED Volume pre-certification. Residence Inn projects are under development. “We live in a world where concerns about the environment and about sustainable development are a necessary and growing consideration for everyone,”...