NEW YORK CITY—Sina Pearson Textiles, contemporary designer/manufacturer of upholstery fabrics, introduces its latest sustainable collection: Earthy Greens. The collection is comprised of two complementary patterns: Big Dots and Eco-Pile. Big Dots features a dramatic all-over polka dot motif, with two-and-a-half-inch spheres floating above a subtle multi-colored stripe ground. Metallic yarn woven into the dots adds a night-sky, planetary gleam. It is available in six saturated colorways: olive with brown, orange with red, purple with brown, blue with charcoal, teal with olive, and taupe with brown. Big Dots incorporates Crypton Green technologies. Woven of post-consumer recycled polyester, the manufacture...

DALLAS—Motel 6 recently announced the opening of its 1000th Motel 6/Studio 6 property and the first corporately-built and owned location to feature the new “Phoenix” room design. The property in Biloxi, Miss., showcases the chain’s room of the future, with a modern, European boutique-style design. This event also represents a rebirth for Motel 6 in Biloxi, as the original location was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In addition to its modern styling, the Phoenix design also incorporates a number of green and environmentally friendly features, such as wood-effect laminate flooring made of 80 percent pre-consumer recycled material, as well...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Clinton Climate Initiative and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) expanded their partnership to radically reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment on a global scale, with an initial focus on accelerating efforts to drive efficiency in existing buildings. Homes, schools, offices and other buildings account for 38 percent of CO2 emissions globally, according to the U.N. Environment Program. In the United States alone, the “low hanging fruit” in building efficiency could save the economy more than $160 billion by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Looking ahead, new program development is underway...

ADAIRSVILLE, GA.—Beaulieu Commercial has become the first carpet manufacturer to certify products with NSF to a new, sustainability-focused certification standard, NSF/ANSI 140-2007. The new sustainable carpet assessment standard—the only one of its kind for the floor covering industry—establishes performance requirements for public health and the environment, and addresses the critical economic, environmental and social requirements that can help create a path to a more sustainable carpet product. The standard also provides benchmarks for continual improvement and innovation within the building industry. “From a sustainability standpoint, NSF 140-2007 is one of the more important initiatives for the floor covering industry,” said...

MONTEREY, CALIF.—Security National Guaranty (SNG) announced plans to develop the greenest ecoresort in the world on the Monterey Peninsula. To be located on a degraded former sand mining site, Monterey Bay Shores Ecoresort will be an environmentally friendly development that will provide visitors, tourists and residents with an ideal green living environment as well as educational facilities for instruction on sustainability and environmental principles. The ecoresort will aim to achieve LEED Platinum certification upon completion and will yield more than 500 construction and permanent green jobs for Monterey’s local economy. In the first-of-its kind development, every single detail of Monterey...

AUBURN, Calif.—As more people focus on creating ‘green’ buildings, a new guidebook makes the case for the only truly renewable building product: wood. The booklet, “The Wood User’s Guide to Green Building,” details the important role wood plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, underscores the energy efficiency of wood and shows how well wood rates when compared to other primary building materials. In a time when sustainable practices are becoming more desirable, the booklet outlines the benefits of building with wood, including scientific data that shows how wood outperforms steel and concrete across a range of environmental performance criteria. “Wood is...

SEATTLE—The Hyatt at Olive 8 has opened its doors in the heart of Seattle’s thriving entertainment and dining district. Located at the corner of Olive and 8th, the new hotel—on track to be Seattle’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified hotel—is a striking addition to the city’s skyline and adds a new, more eco-friendly experience to the Pacific Northwest hospitality market. One of the first in a new generation of environmentally conscious hotels across the country, Hyatt at Olive 8 offers its guests a uxurious “green” stay, from energy-efficient rooms to the locally sourced food and...

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF.—What was once a tired Days Inn here has been transformed into a vibrant resort that blends modern architecture with a “Rustic-Zen” feel. Owned by G8 Partners, 968 Park Spa Resort features items such as organic linens, towels and duvets, organic food and wines, and a day spa that offers treatments heavy on homemade ingredients. Throughout the property, every attempt was made to use reclaimed materials from the old Days Inn or other sources to create a style unique to Tahoe. Standing outside the resort, one is struck by the rust-friendly sheet metal that accents the...

VAN NUYES, CALIF.—CaesarStone, a quartz surface manufacturer, is now offering six different colors that contain recycled materials. CaesarStone’s Carbone, Marrone, Ruby Reflections, Quartz Reflections, Smoky Ash and Chocolate Truffle colors all have the distinction of being part of this collection. Ruby and Quartz Reflections have been two of CaesarStone’s colors for the past several years. The colors contain post-consumer recycled glass. Carbone and Marrone colors both contain recycled CaesarStone material. These wondrous colors are created by taking remnants from fabricators after production and mixing in new CaesarStone material. These two shades are only available in New York, the Northwest or...

LOS ANGELES—Artisan Precast, a leader in precast concrete walls and fences, is offering a more eco-friendly line of precast concrete fencing and walling solutions for 2009. Artisan Precast’s brands have been used for residential, commercial, industrial and government projects for more than 27 years. By utilizing eco-friendly products in the manufacturing process—including VOC and mercury-free molds, water-based release agents, and recycled materials to reduce the use of cement—Artisan Precast has found a way to make a durable, sustainable, aesthetically pleasing material, while reducing the product’s carbon impact. Precast concrete is concrete that has been poured into molds or forms, and allowed...