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,...

CHICAGO—Hotel Felix Chicago has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for commercial interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first hotel in Chicago to earn this environmental status. The LEED rating system is the preeminent internationally recognized building certification system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high performance buildings. Designed by Chicago-based Gettys, whose design and procurement team is largely staffed by LEED Accredited Professionals, Hotel Felix meets LEED standards for its adaptive reuse of an existing urban structure, convenient access to public transportation, and the use of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) announced that it has awarded the LEED Green Associate credential to more than 10,000 individuals. The credential, which was introduced to the market just last year, has secured its status as the preeminent designation for professionals who support the green building industry. The LEED Green Associate exam tests for fundamental understanding of sustainable building practices and principles.  It is specifically designed for those individuals who work in industries that support sustainable building, such as manufacturing, sales, policy, real estate, property management, law, marketing, and many others. It is also a starting point for...

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo, a leading manufacturer of green building materials for residential and commercial projects made primarily from bamboo, announced its first flooring line created from cork, another highly renewable and recycled material. CaliCork is a ready-to-lay product manufactured from cork used in wineries, and is a step up from other cork floors with its proprietary ceramic wear-resistant technology that nearly eliminates the appearance of scratches, scuff marks, scoring and rough spots. “The unique, abrasion resistant surface is a big improvement in the cork flooring market,” said Jeff Goldberg, CEO and founder of Cali Bamboo. “If you are familiar with wine...

VANCOUVER, B.C.—Vancouver City Council recently approved a policy that requires all new building rezonings to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard, the highest green building standard for rezonings in North America. The change takes effect January 31, 2011, and is expected to result in 20 to 30 new green buildings being constructed annually, creating new green job opportunities in the city. “Setting a new standard like LEED Gold for new building rezonings is a significant step for Vancouver,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “This is another example of the innovative leadership our city’s development and tech...

NATIONAL REPORT—The great irony of building green is that the very concepts intended to enhance a building’s performance over its entire lifetime are many of the same things that make a building highly susceptible to moisture and mold problems during its first few years of operation. While green buildings have many positive benefits, there is also strong evidence to suggest a direct correlation between new products/innovative design and building failures. Simply put, departing from the “tried and true” often means increasing the risk of building failure. Two strong characteristics of most green buildings are: 1) the use of innovative, locally-produced products...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Eco-chic boutique Element Hotels, which is the first major hotel brand to mandate that all its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, has achieved LEED Volume Pre-certification from USGBC for its prototype design which will automatically qualify new build hotels to pursue LEED designation. With the Volume Pre-certification approval, Element Hotels makes it more simple, faster, and less costly for developers and partners to pursue LEED certification of new properties, according to Paul Sacco, senior vice president of development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. “Building from a prototype...