HOWARD, PA.—For Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the 16-room, 18,500-square foot Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is just the first of many more green buildings to come. DCNR has committed to pursue the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the inn and at least LEED certification for all of its future buildings. The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is green from ground to rooftop and a great start for DCNR. The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle had its grand opening on September 2 earlier this month and innkeeper...

PHILADELPHIA—Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and the City of Philadelphia, announced that one year after opening, Kimpton Hotel Palomar Philadelphia and Square 1682 restaurant have been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at the Gold level by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The milestone marks the first LEED certified hotel and restaurant for Kimpton and for Philadelphia. “This achievement truly marks a milestone in Kimpton’s history and 29-year initiative of sustainability,” said Mike Depatie,...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) has just released a fire and building safety guide to green construction called “Bridging the Gap: Fire Safety and Green Buildings.” This guide identifies some of the key areas where rapidly growing green building construction issues coincide with building and fire safety needs. “This guide will give both the fire service and the green construction community a reference point for developing buildings and sites that are not only environmentally sound, but also continue to meet fire safety needs,” said NASFM president Alan Shuman. “This will provide a much-needed reference on issues...

DENVER—The Colorado Convention Center recently announced its certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The achievement makes the Colorado Convention Center the largest LEED certified building in the state and one of the three largest convention facilities to earn this designation in the United States. As part of the LEED process, the Colorado Convention Center made significant reductions in energy usage, as well as gains in the area of sustainable purchasing, green cleaning, building occupant comfort, improved air quality and waste diversion. The implementation of the USGBC...

AUSTELL, GA.—YKK AP America announced the “Building a Better Tomorrow, Today” YouTube video competition to encourage innovation while further advancing the green building industry. Interested participants can now submit videos showcasing their ideas for how America can enhance the built environment for generations to come, whether it’s through an energy-savings, green building or sustainability perspective. Submissions are encouraged from architects, designers, contractors, manufacturers, students and the general public, and can consist of a new or existing idea, design, product or project. Winners will be announced at GreenBuild in Chicago in November. To enter, participants can post their videos, which should...

NATIONAL REPORT—The American Hotel & Lodging Association is about to release the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey. Green Lodging News was provided with a copy of the survey results prior to the survey’s official release. The survey, which is conducted approximately every two years, was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and prepared by Smith Travel Research. A total of 48,954 hotels were polled. The response rate was 18 percent (more than 8,500 participants). The survey report covers 14 green-related areas: Allergy-Free Rooms, Air Purifiers, Liquid Soap Dispensers, Linen/Towel Reuse Program, Energy Management Sensors in...

LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.—Days two and three of the West Coast Green Lodging Conference, held at the Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe—Hotel & Ski Resort, were highlighted by presentations by the following: Kelly May, who is with the California Department of General Services’ California Green Lodging Program; Janine Chicourrat, general manager, Portola Hotel & Spa; and Sara Schoen, LEED AP, commercial real estate associate, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In her presentation, May described how more than 200 hotels in California are benefiting from participating in that state’s Green Lodging Program—a program focused on minimizing waste, conserving energy and water, green purchasing,...

DALTON, GA.—Healthier Choice Flooring announced that the company has acquired Flexitions, LLC, manufacturer of the flooring industry’s one and only stainable flexible transition molding product line, which is sold and marketed under the brand name Flexitions. Developed for use with hardwood and laminate flooring applications, Flexitions is the solution to installation headaches when dealing with a curve, arch or radius. Available in t-molding, threshold, reducer, stair nose and quarter round profiles, Flexitions can be stained and finished to match and or coordinate floor coverings such as wood, laminate, tile, vinyl, stone and more. Flexitions takes stain just like natural wood and...

NEW YORK— Recognizing that climate change is at a critical juncture, Designtex has cemented its commitment to operate as a carbon-neutral company. The New York-based textile and surface solutions company announced that it has reduced the greenhouse gas footprint of its operations to net zero. “I am pleased to say that we have reduced or offset 100 percent of the CO2 emissions from all of our facilities,” said Tom Hamilton, president and CEO of Designtex. “In addition, we are offsetting all of Designtex’s business travel, employee commuting, and all product shipments into and out of our warehouse.” Since the mid-1990s, Designtex...

PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010,...