CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes ARTGANiKS.com as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. The women-owned company is a provider of sustainable framed artwork and framed mirrors. The company strives to incorporate recycled components in its framed mirrors and artwork and offers a manufacturing lead time of just three weeks. Designers and architects can earn LEED points for their projects by specifying ARTGANiKS. The company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information, call (630) 305-8849, e-mail Dan Thomas at dthomas@witc.us, or go to www.ARTGANiKS.com.

DALLAS—Motel 6 is saying “goodbye” to carpet and “hello” to a clean, green, wood-effect laminate flooring in its new Phoenix Prototype and property renovations (retrofits). Motel 6’s new flooring is made of 80 percent pre-consumer recycled material, including an inner wood core comprised of oak and cherry wood chips that would otherwise be burned or thrown into a landfill. The new flooring is also a critical component of the updated Motel 6 design. As the literal foundation of the room, this flooring plays a major role in defining the feel of the space, giving it an updated, larger, and...

HASTINGS, MINN.—The Minnesota Bed & Breakfast Assn. (MBBA) is taking steps to add green criteria to its quality assurance inspection process. The program will be discussed at the association’s conference that will be held April 20 to 22 at the Greysolon Ballroom in Duluth, Minn. The conference will be followed by workshops that will be held throughout the state to help explain the new program. According to Pam Thorsen, MBBA has not yet decided whether or not to tie a tiered rating system to the QA process. The Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild, for example, awards one, two or...

CRYSTAL CITY, VA.—Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA-8) and Chris Zimmerman, Arlington County Board Member, joined The JBG Companies and Marriott International, Inc. this past week to officially break ground on two major hotels: the Renaissance Crystal City Potomac Yards and the Residence Inn Crystal City Potomac Yards. The hotels are owned by The JBG Companies and will be managed by Marriott. Both properties are anticipated to be LEED certified “green” buildings when complete—the first hotels of such distinction in Arlington County. Wells Fargo arranged $128.7 million in construction financing for the project. Three other financial institutions participated in...

NATIONAL REPORT—Carpet cushion, also known as underlayment, has been one of the greenest products available to the lodging industry for years. More than 80 percent of carpet cushion sold today is made from bonded polyurethane foam cushion (“bonded” or “rebond”). It comes from a combination of salvaged, scrapped or recycled polyurethane foam generated during the making of furniture, bedding and other products—cushions for car seats, for example. Polyurethane is ground up into small pieces, bonded under pressure with a binder into blocks, and then cut into thin slices of different thicknesses and widths. Used carpet cushion is also recycled...

BERKELEY, CALIF.—Raksha Bella Organic introduces its Indian organic cotton duvet covers, quilts, pillow cases and Euro shams, handblocked in classic Indian patterns with low impact dyes. Raksha Bella means “protector of beauty.” “As a designer, I believe it’s my responsibility to create sustainable solutions to the things we consume every day,” said Carrie Peters, founder of Raksha Bella Organic. “With a handcrafted approach to the Raksha Bella line, I want to show the interconnectedness between product and person.” Cotton is one of India’s most important cash crops. Conventional growing methods (which use harsh chemicals and pesticides) harden the land and make...

ATLANTA—CQ Construction and CQ Capital Partners, both parts of the Clarkston, Ga.-based Charania Group of Companies (CGC), are completing construction of a new Cambria Suites property that is located less than one-half mile from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The 143-room hotel, which includes a restaurant, bar, swimming pool and meeting space, is well on its way to earning a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. According to Rahim Charania, president of CGC, the Choice Hotels International franchised property will open in the first quarter of 2009 and is expected to...

ATLANTA – Chicago, with one of the most recognizable skylines in the world, has long-standing status as a livable urban center. That the city has stood the test of time makes it the perfect backdrop for ASHRAE’s 2009 Winter Conference. The theme will be “Sustainable Urban Design: Engineering Tomorrow…Today.” With a focus that resources must be conserved and environments respected even in urban settings, the ASHRAE Conference takes place January 24 to 28 at the Palmer House Hilton. Held in conjunction with the meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, January 26 to 28 at McCormick Place. Meeting highlights include...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Two leading nonprofit organizations—the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Island Press—have teamed up to launch GreenWorks, a book club that will offer the newest and best books on green building at discounted prices. GreenWorks, created expressly for USGBC members, will offer a selection of featured reads each month, while also connecting readers to a vast selection of the latest green building industry books and noteworthy authors. “This book club is about starting a conversation,” said Peter Templeton, senior vice president, U.S. Green Building Council. “USGBC members are full of ideas and solutions. The book club will...

AVON, COLO.—The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Vail Valley’s newest green resort, has opened here in Colorado. The upper-upscale resort offers scenic views of Beaver Creek Mountain, access to the Eagle River and signature Westin services and amenities. The Westin Riverfront is on track to be the first upscale resort in Colorado to achieve coveted LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Unique green programs include guest recycling stations on every floor, preferred parking for hybrid vehicles, an on-site organic garden and the protection of open space through the donation of a five-acre park to the Town of...