TORONTO—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) annual conference and expo is making its way to Toronto next week to celebrate “what’s next” in green building. Greenbuild is the world’s largest green building conference and expo and is expected to make an economic impact of $26 million CAD, bringing 25,000 delegates from more than 115 countries to the event. A release from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre earlier this week also stated that Greenbuild will generate a positive impact on the local economy of more than $58 million from delegate spending. Toronto was selected by USGBC as the host city for...

WAALWIJK, THE NETHERLANDS—Desso, a global carpet manufacturer renowned for its Cradle to Cradle design vision, has launched an interactive website for its Hospitality division. Visitors to the site can view Desso’s range of products and services for the hospitality sector, recolor or design their own carpet, and then see how it would look in a virtual environment. The Design Library includes a broad reflection of a total of 25,000 designs that Desso has created. A thousand of these, sourced from completed client projects and themed collections including recent collections such as “Intrinsic Energy” and “Renaissance Redux,” have been selected for...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) next update to the LEED green building program, coined LEED 2012, will include updates to the Materials & Resources (MR) credit category. The updates reflect thousands of write-in comments received through the first LEED public comment period and include changes to existing LEED credit categories as well as two new credit categories, Integrated Process (IP) and Performance (PF). The second public comment period for LEED 2012 wrapped up on September 14, 2011. Public comment periods are part of the continuous development process of the LEED program. The Materials & Resources (MR) credit category,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Grammy award-winning band, Maroon 5 will perform for more than 25,000 members of the green building community at the upcoming Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Greenbuild, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, will take place October 4 to 7 in Toronto. “We’re thrilled to host one of music’s biggest bands, Maroon 5, for what will be an unforgettable evening of inspiration and celebration,” said Kimberly Lewis, vice president, Conferences & Events, USGBC. “The green building community has so much to celebrate, and there is no better place...

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has released its third annual corporate sustainability report. Focused on Shaw’s commitment to sustainability through Innovation, the report highlights the Berkshire Hathaway company’s environmental and social responsibility leadership. Beginning with the question, “What if Sustainable Business Meant Smarter Business?”, the report covers Shaw’s significant investment in sustainability initiatives during the 2010 calendar year, substantiating the organization’s progress with metrics and data for more than 40 performance indicators. “Stakeholders are looking to private enterprise to take the lead in addressing the most critical questions facing today’s businesses—including questions about environmental and social risks,” said Shaw CEO...

ROCKVILLE, MD.—Foulger-Pratt Companies and Choice Hotels International recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the new headquarters building for Choice Hotels in Rockville, Md. When completed, more than 400 Choice Hotels associates will move to the new 190,907-square-foot Class A office building. Leaders from state, county and local government worked closely with Choice Hotels and Foulger-Pratt to finalize the negotiations for the relocation, which keeps hundreds of job opportunities in the local economy and will result in continued economic growth and stability for the Rockville area. The groundbreaking event was celebrated with speeches by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Montgomery County Executive Ike...

DETROIT—Lighting Enterprises (LEI), a leading maker of decorative lighting and energy saving LEDs for hotel and resort guestrooms and public spaces, has introduced a new line of exclusive hand stitched faux-leather wrap arms for their series of headboard-mount LED flexible reading lights for hotel guestrooms. LEI has been testing this leather feature for a year with a select group of key luxury hotel brands including Grand Hyatt, prior to presenting to the entire hospitality market. The launch at HD Boutique earlier this month showcased Taupe Faux-Leather fixture samples and include black or white options. New literature accompanying the fixture introduction...

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.—Charter House Innovations (CHi) has opened its second green CityFlats Hotel—this time in the heart of Grand Rapids, Mich. The Holland, Mich.-based company, which also manufactures sustainable furniture, is pursuing LEED for New Construction certification at the Gold level for the 28-room property. CHi also has a CityFlats Hotel in Holland, Mich., that opened almost four years ago and, according to Chuck Reid, owner of the CityFlats Hotel brand, investors have expressed interest in developing additional CityFlats properties in Michigan and on the East Coast. CityFlats Hotel Grand Rapids, which includes the CitySen Lounge on the main floor,...

LOUISVILLE, CO.—Unearthed Paints, a new natural paint company, brings a new vision and sustainable reinterpretations to the paint industry with its exclusive selection of eco-friendly paints. Crafted with minimally processed natural ingredients such as clay, chalk, lime, and Italian marble, the paints are biodegradable, vegan, and 100 percent VOC-free. All Unearthed paints are tinted with earth and mineral pigments: Ochers, Sienna, Umbers, Ultramarines and Spinels. These pigments give the paint a depth and radiance that cannot be achieved by the chemical colorants used in conventional paints. Pigments are shipped in a powder form, extending the life period of the paint,...

SPICELAND, IND.—Draper, Inc. is continuing the company’s commitment to sustainable building products with the introduction of a new eco-friendly window shade fabric. Draper’s all-new GreenScreen Revive provides excellent solar control, reducing heat and glare while offering a clean view through to the outdoors owing to its finely knitted weave. This fire retardant, PVC-free fabric is constructed of 100 percent polyester yarn, with a minimum of 89 percent REPREVE polyester. REPREVE is made from 100 percent recycled materials, is recyclable, contains low VOCs, and is made in the United States. GreenScreen Revive featuring REPREVE is RoHS compliant (free of heavy metals)...