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...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Even as the dire financial news continues to dominate headlines, a cascade of newly released studies and reports points to green building as one of the growing bright spots for the U.S. economy. In fact, as economic experts call for a recovery plan focused on green jobs and infrastructure, as consumers look to live in more economically sustainable homes, as businesses strive to cut operating costs, and as the United States’ national security needs depend on an end to reliance on foreign energy sources, green buildings’ ability to deliver solutions to these pressing challenges promises to change the...

BOSTON—Seattle-based O Ecotextiles, which debuted in the United States last year, announced that its fabric was selected as one of BuildingGreen’s 2008 Top 10 Green Building Products by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec. This seventh annual award recognizes the most innovative and exciting green building products added to the GreenSpec Directory during the past year or covered in Environmental Building News. O Ecotextiles’ message is that being an “organic textile” means not just that a fabric uses organic fibers in the yarn, but that every step of the production process has been certified eco-friendly. The company produces...

TEMPERANCE, MICH.—MTS, a leading manufacturer of premium seating for the hospitality industry, announced that Bart Kulish has been named president of the company. Kulish, who joined the company in 1985, most recently served as vice president and general manager. Phil Swy, who has held the title of president since 1993, will assume the role of CEO. “Bart is an exceptional leader who has managed our day-to-day operations very effectively for the last several years,” said Swy, whose family co-founded and continues to own and operate MTS. He is uniquely qualified to continue our growth and to guide our company going...

NATIONAL REPORT—For those who specify and/or purchase fabric for items such as furniture and draperies, options that include recycled content have been around for a long time. Over the last year, however, fabric suppliers have increased the number of “green” options they offer. Today, it is easy to find polyester fabric made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. Sustainable fabric made from natural fibers is also quite common. While the price point for some sustainable fabrics can be higher, some vendors are able to offer sustainable lines at the same price as traditional fabrics because of the high...

TRINITY, N.C.—Sealy Global Hospitality, one of the world’s leading hospitality mattress manufacturers, has created a new line of Sealy Posturepedic sleep systems with convertible pillowtops. They were created specifically for hospitality environments looking to balance the demand from customers for greener practices without compromising cost or comfort. While conventional pillowtops cannot be detatched from mattresses, the innovative reversible pillowtop on the Sealy Posturepedic Convertible Collection mattress has been engineered to be easily removed, rotated or replaced by a single person using VELCRO brand fasteners, which adhere the pillowtop to the mattress’ core. Rotating and inverting the pillowtop allows for four...