CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes down etc as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The San Francisco-based company offers myriad products including pillows, mattress pads, down comforters, duvets, feather beds, spa accessories and other items. The company is currently offering a new organic and natural product line: d.o.e. down on earth, Conscious Luxury: Custom Hotel Collections. The collection is manufactured with authentic, certified organic, green processes. For more information, call (415) 348-0084, e-mail downetc@downetc.com, or go to www.downetc.com.

DUBAI, U.A.E.—Zabeel Properties unveiled details of a new five-star landmark hotel and leisure development for Dubai. The Dubai-based luxury developer also confirmed the appointment of innovative LA-based architecture firm, GRAFT, whose team of design consultants for the project will include the Hollywood actor, Brad Pitt. The actor’s involvement in the design for the resort demonstrates his deep-seated interest in the project. It is set to become a flagship hotel complex for Dubai and a world leader in environmental sustainability. The proposed hotel and resort is striving for a minimum of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold status....

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Lynden Door as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Lynden, Wash.-based Lynden Door is a wood interior door manufacturer. Since 1978, the company has earned a reputation for design leadership, quality and superior service. Its comprehensive product portfolio includes both residential and commercial products. Lynden Door features in-house machining, a UV finish line (no VOCs) and an extensive “GreenDor” line of environmental attributes including no added urea formaldehyde, agfiber cores, and FSC/SFI certification. Call (877) 852-3667, e-mail mitch.toews@lyndendoor.com, or go to www.lyndendoor.com.

NATIONAL REPORT—For many designers, and the clients they represent, interior doors’ value as a design element has slowly diminished in recent years. No more the attention-grabbing “wall furniture” of the classical period and unlike their contemporary hardwood kin in floors and cabinetry, wood doors have been largely commoditized. For many, a door is just a door. But to those in the industry—and for a rapidly growing number of astute practitioners in the design/building community—doors have been rediscovered as a “haute commodity” in interior design. Interior doors are enjoying a significant renaissance as new materials, fabrication technologies and sustainable design invigorate...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has released a study of three green building rating systems (Green Globes, SBTool 07, and LEED NC 2.2). The study assesses their effectiveness in supporting the goals of the AIA sustainability position statement. In late 2007, the initial results were shared with the three groups whose systems were reviewed. After receiving feedback, the study was modified and further refined into the final report. The purpose of this exercise is to offer analysis to both industry and the public as an opportunity to learn how three unique, creative and evolving green building rating systems...

LOS ANGELES—JL Furnishings (JLF)/lone meadow, a producer of fully sustainable hospitality seating, has partnered with ForrestPerkins, a renowned hospitality design firm, to create a chic new seating collection—ForrestPerkins for lone meadow. As with all JLF/lone meadow furnishings, the collection exemplifies the firm’s commitment to bringing sustainable practices and progressive designs to the hospitality industry. With 20 pieces, ranging from side chairs to sofas, the new line will offer designers and hoteliers a wide assortment of elegant, custom seating options to suit most every design concept while providing peace of mind through the knowledge that each piece was thoughtfully designed and...

CODY, WYO.—Cody’s newest hotel, a luxury property called “The Cody,” opened earlier this month. The property is located on the west side of town near the Cody Rodeo Grounds, site of the Cody Nite Rodeo. The Cody is operated by MOA Hospitality of Chicago. Low-impact environmental initiatives are plentiful throughout The Cody, and the hotel is working toward LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Examples of sustainable features include low-VOC paints, guestroom doors made of recycled material, porcelain tile purchased from a LEED-certified manufacturer, reclaimed lumber used for accent trim, cabinets made from quick-growing alder, and mattresses made...

SEATTLE—Shaun Hannah, AIA, LEED AP, has been appointed WATG’s director of sustainability. He has been with WATG for 10 years, and during that time he has committed himself to finding sustainable solutions for clients that balance economics, culture and the environment. In Hannah’s new role, he will focus on spearheading WATG’s internal and external sustainability initiatives. “As design professionals in the hospitality industry, we have the unique opportunity through design to have a positive effect on countless numbers of hotel and resort guests on a daily basis,” Hannah said. “By addressing environmental and cultural sensitivity through our projects, we are...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened the first public comment period on LEED 2009, the next evolution of the LEED green building certification system. LEED 2009 represents a reorganization of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings, combined with a series of major technical advancements focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other environmental and human health outcomes. “Continuing to seek the right balance between technical advancement and market transformation was a driving force behind the LEED 2009 work,” explained Scot Horst, Chairman of the volunteer LEED Steering Committee, which leads the...

BALTIMORE, MD.—The Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel is taking green building to another level—the roof level. The $301 million, 750-room hotel next to the Baltimore Convention Center will include the Baltimore area’s largest green roof when construction is completed in August. The 32,000-square-foot green roof is located on the hotel’s east and west buildings. Dan Freed, principal of RTKL Associates, the architectural firm with offices in Baltimore that designed the hotel, said he didn’t know of another hotel in Maryland with a green roof the size of the Hilton’s. “Hotels are a little behind the curve on sustainable issues,” Freed said....