FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.— Valley Forge Fabrics, Inc. has been honored by Sustainable Florida with a Best Practice award in the Large Company Category. The winners were announced June 9 at an awards ceremony in Tallahassee. Sustainable Florida is an alliance of business, government, and civic leaders and organizations committed to defining excellence for Florida’s economic, environmental and social future. Winners of the Best Practice award were selected by an independent panel of nine representatives from private and public sectors involved in the sustainability movement. Valley Forge, in business for 30 years, recently took a FRESH look at its business model....

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, located on Main Street in Lake Placid, N.Y., has installed a green roof. On June 10, the 3,400-square-foot GreenGrid Green Roof System was installed atop a portion of the Golden Arrow roof; the project was completed June 11 by Weston Solutions, Inc. and GreenGrid, the company responsible for growing and installing the green roof system. While many businesses are taking steps to becoming green, The Golden Arrow is currently the only resort in New York and the North Country to offer a green roof. The Golden Arrow’s green roof will provide many...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Healthier Choice as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Healthier Choice is a leading producer of carpet cushion and underlayment. Its products incorporate the soy-based BiOH system from Cargill for enhanced sustainability. Ensuring superior indoor air quality, Healthier Choice’s products are Greenguard certified. The company’s products offer Ultra-Fresh antimicrobial protection against allergens from mold, mildew, bacteria, and dust mites. “No other cushion can contribute more to LEED,” says Mike Norton, vice president, Commercial Products for Dalton, Ga.-based Healthier Choice. For additional information, call (800) 872-8426, e-mail info@healthierchoice.com, or...

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—Ethisphere Magazine named Milliken & Company to its second annual World’s Most Ethical Companies list for the second year. The Ethisphere Institute, a think-tank dedicated to the research and promotion of profitable best practices in global governance, business ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility, revealed the award at the Ethisphere and Forbes joint-conference, Driving Profit through Ethical Leadership, held on June 3. The list of the World’s Most Ethical companies will also be featured in the Q2 issue of Ethisphere Magazine. “This recognition highlights one of the core philosophies of Milliken—a belief that doing the right things for the...

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.— Thayer Lodging Group CEO Leland C. Pillsbury broke ground here recently on a project that will introduce Florida’s first LEED-certified, PURE-designated conference center that will be approved by The International Association of Conference Centers. Shortly after the ceremonial first shovel of dirt was tossed, Pillsbury escorted the crowd to a ceremonial tree planting in recognition of the project’s commitment to the environment. A few days prior to the event, invited guests received a handcrafted wooden box that contained a 12-inch sapling of a Longleaf Pine tree that would be planted in their name as...

NATIONAL REPORT—Summer-like weather is here and there is nothing better than kicking back on the beach or close to a pool. Why not kick back on some recycled plastic? There are a number of U.S.-based companies that manufacture outdoor furniture from high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE is made from recycled plastic milk and water jugs. By purchasing furniture made from HDPE, one can help to close the recycling loop. In fact, at the end of its life, the furniture can be recycled and made into new furniture. From a design standpoint, there are literally hundreds of appealing color and style...

VANCOUVER, WASH.—The Hilton Vancouver, Washington, one of America’s first sustainably-designed hotels, is making history again this month as the first hotel in the world to earn both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Seal certifications. The Green Seal environmental certification accolade comes three years after the hotel became the first major U.S. hotel—and the first Hilton Hotel—to earn LEED certification. “The Hilton Vancouver, Washington is the only hotel in the world to achieve environmental sustainability certification from two top universally accepted and independent analysts,” said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president, brand management—Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “This hotel...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. East Teak is now approved to stock Forest Stewardship Council certified hardwoods; including FSC 100 percent recycled teak lumber and FSC reclaimed rosewood columns. East Teak’s FSC Recycled Teak is 100 percent reclaimed from post-consumer sources such as old structures and is carefully recovered by hand, thereby avoiding the need to fell living teak trees. East Teak FSC Recycled Teak guarantees buyers both a legal and environmentally sustainable supply chain and also ensures compliance with...

STAR ISLAND, BAHAMAS—There have been many changes in the few years since “travel” and “sustainable” first appeared in the same sentence. Emerging technologies coupled with mounting consumer demand have given us thousands of green travel options—from luxury eco-lodges (that make a negligible impact on their ecosystems) to carbon-neutral resorts, tours and airlines. A new leader in this green revolution is Star Island, a private-island destination currently under development in the Out Islands of the Bahamas. It will open its doors in late 2009. “This is a very exciting time in the field of green technology and, by extension, sustainable tourism,”...

VANCOUVER, B.C.—The hospitality industry has a new resource at its disposal. Eden Textile, one of the country’s leading hospitality suppliers, has launched a unique textile-recycling program aimed at reducing vast amounts of the industry’s post-consumer waste. Now Eden Textile’s clients can take advantage of this recycling program while also alleviating the suffering of families in Africa. Through a nonprofit partnership with the organization Africa We Care, textiles will be diverted from the landfill and donated to a worthy cause each year. The donation of products like bedding, towels, pillows, drapes and duvets to Africa We Care will not only...