WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in conjunction with The Home Depot, has launched an online green home products database. The database is a special microsite within homedepot.com that features products geared toward green home building, many of which may contribute towards earning LEED points and prerequisites for the LEED for Homes program, making it easier for homeowners and builders to find the products they need. Currently, more than 2,500 products sold at The Home Depot are listed on the website. “The LEED green building program helps homeowners measure green home performance across a range of categories, and products play...

HOUSTON—When Deer Lake Lodge & Spa opens this summer, guests will stay in 11 rooms, eight of which were once shipping containers. A total of 23 shipping containers are being used at the resort; 15 will comprise the main building area. The shipping containers are just one recycling example found on the 50-acre property located a 40-minute drive from Houston.Developer Tracy Boulware says that given Houston’s port location, shipping containers are easy to find and very inexpensive. “They are sturdy and very unique,” she says. Where needed, spaces have been cut out of the containers. Blue jean and spray...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—Móz Designs expands its Metal Laminates product line with the introduction of a new Neutrals Collection. Featuring subtle shades that offer elegant design solutions, the Móz Neutrals color palette includes tones of champagne, oyster, khaki, clay, graphite, cream and pewter.The Neutrals Collection was created to complement trend-setting designs in hotels and restaurants, spas and lounges, retail centers, healthcare facilities and other public settings where decorative laminates are installed as design elements. The versatile range of applications includes wall coverings, column covers, bar dies, elevator walls and more. They can also be utilized as room dividers or railing infill panels. Stronger...

LAS VEGAS—For its 20th annual trade event, taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas May 15 to 17, Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (HD Expo) will delve into the topics of sustainable design, social responsibility, and eco-conscious practices in a new initiative called Green Conversations with the Experts, sponsored by NEWH. These half-hour Q&A-style talks will occur at exhibitors’ booths on Tuesday and Wednesday of the show and cover a range of pertinent topics, including raw materials, education, and green design in action. In years past, the Hospitality Design Group has offered a separate...

STAMFORD, CONN.—The Florida sun is shining its light on a new lodging option for travelers, with the opening of Element Miami International Airport. Element , the eco-wise brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., brings a fresh update to the Miami hotel scene with 209 guestrooms and suites built green from the ground up.Element Miami International Airport typifies the “balance” that Starwood’s Element brand offers to business and leisure travelers. The hotel’s strategic location puts it at the doorstep of one of the world’s busiest air-travel hubs—Miami International Airport—and just two blocks from the long anticipated Miami Central...

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International, an independent global organization that writes public health standards and certifies products for food, water and consumer goods, now offers Green Squared Certification for sustainable ceramic tiles, glass tiles and installation materials. NSF’s Sustainability division is a leading developer of sustainable standards and certification programs for building and furnishing products such as furniture, wallcoverings, and furnishing fabrics, carpets and flooring. Developed by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), Green Squared certification provides accurate, third-party verified information on the environmental impacts of certified tile products. Green Squared certification through NSF Sustainability helps manufacturers and suppliers of...

LAGRANGE, GA.—InterfaceFLOR has chalked up another sustainability first, continuing its legacy of leadership in the contract furnishings industry. The global manufacturer of modular carpet tile has aligned with “Architecture 2030” and is the first manufacturer to adopt the nonprofit organization’s 2030 Challenge for Products. The 2030 Challenge for Products initiative calls on the architecture, planning, design and building communities worldwide to specify, design and manufacture products that will meet a carbon footprint of 30 percent below the product average through 2014, and subsequently improve on this reduction: 35 percent in 2015; 40 percent in 2020; 45 percent in 2025;...

ATLANTA—Changes to help make buildings and systems more sustainable are part of the newly published version of the high performance green building standard from ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides a green building foundation for those who strive to design, build and operate high performance buildings. It covers key topic areas of site sustainability, water-use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources. When first introduced in 2009, the...

COMMERCE, CALIF.—Nora Lighting introduces Cori, a new LED track lighting fixture for architectural applications. Cori can be installed in new or existing Nora track systems and “H” style tracks, or can be specified with “L” or “J” adapters and retrofitted to existing “L” or “J” style tracks.The fixture includes an integral driver unit with a die cast aluminum head containing the LED array. Cori is available with 12W or 23W LEDs and both models are available in 3000K warm white and 4000K cool white. Architecturally-styled fins dissipate the heat and assure longer performance life.The unit can be installed in...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that the third public comment period for the proposed 2012 update to its LEED green building program will open March 1, 2012. The comment period, which will close on March 20, marks the start of the LEED 2012 program delivery process.“LEED sits at the core of the green building movement, and is critical in realizing our collective mission,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. “LEED’s strength comes from its continuous evolution. This continuous improvement is the outcome of thousands of technical volunteers working to develop the program and...