ANDERSON, CALIF.—Just south of the town of Redding, Calif., a new 122-room green hotel is nearing completion in the town of Anderson. Gaia at Anderson, built for $14 million and scheduled to open in March, is the latest project from Wen-I Chang, creator of America’s first LEED Gold certified hotel—the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon, Calif. Maintaining his high standards for the ultimate in an eco-friendly hotel, Chang has directed the construction crew to use state-of-the-art green building practices. Scraps of wood, cardboard and metal left over from the nearly completed construction are recycled. The contractor...

LAS VEGAS—Travelworm, a leading provider of casino and leisure travel, recently announced a marketing strategy designed to aid in raising awareness of the issues affecting the state of the environment. The 15-year-old travel company plans to do this by launching a promotions campaign focused specifically on ecologically sustainable travel, starting with earth-friendly accommodations, or green hotels. To be labeled a green hotel, a business must be able to prove a commitment to the ideals espoused by the green movement. Evidence of this commitment may be presented through participation in a state-sponsored program such as the Green Lodging Programs initiated by...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Building project teams pursuing certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System now have the opportunity to view the Innovation & Design Credit Catalog—a listing of proven green building strategies that have been submitted and utilized by LEED Certified projects. Building projects earn Innovation & Design LEED credits by demonstrating quantifiable environmental benefits through new strategies and techniques not specifically specified in the LEED Rating System—innovative strategies and techniques that go above and beyond. Points, or credits, are awarded to projects that develop innovative solutions, employ new technologies...

LAS VEGAS—Last July, when Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. announced its approximately $1 billion expansion of Caesars Palace—an addition that includes a new 665-room hotel tower and 263,000-square-foot meeting and convention center—it did not talk about one important element of the project: its pursuit of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. According to Eric Dominguez, Director of Energy and Environmental Services for Harrah’s, the LEED initiative is just one of many of the company’s efforts to build and operate in an environmentally responsible fashion. The new Caesars Palace hotel addition—named Octavius Tower for the...

CHERRY HILL, N.J.—Harbor Linen, a leading manufacturer and distributor of quality linen for the hospitality and cruise line industry, has gone green with its new Orchid Towel Collection made with Bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most eco-friendly textiles available. Bamboo thrives naturally without the use of pesticides. This natural cellulose fiber is converted into yarns without the addition of chemicals, and is 100 percent biodegradable. “This is an extremely luxurious, soft and rich, absorbent towel,” said Dennis Doucette, hotel manager of The Biltmore in Coral Gables Fla., which recently upgraded its entire resort and spa with the Orchid...

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF.—Bentley Prince Street announced that its Cool Carpet program now comes standard on all of its broadloom and carpet tile products. Through the expanded program, every company product will now be third-party certified as carbon neutral, with zero net greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted during the entire life cycle. Expanding this program to all products is Bentley Prince Street’s latest step toward its Mission Zero goal of eliminating any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020. “Climate change is a significant issue for all of us, with consequences already evident across the...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Syndecrete LLC as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based company’s Syndecrete countertops have the look of concrete but with an eco-friendly twist. Syndecrete is made of recycled carpet fibers, natural minerals and aggregates. It’s half the weight of ordinary concrete, yet has twice the compressive strength. Resistant to cracking and chipping, it contains no polymers or resins. Syndecrete comes in 8-foot slabs in several trademarked colors and aggregates. Syndecrete’s concrete tile alternative comes in three standard sizes: 12”x12” 18”x18” and 24”x24”. It is...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes LSI Wallcovering as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Louisville, Ky.-based company’s award-winning Second-Look is the first vinyl wallcovering to include post-consumer recycled content. New from Versa, Cirqa and Plexus, Second-Look has the same look, performance and price as standard designs but with 20 percent recycled content. LSI’s Second-Look Retrieval Program converts reclaimed vinyl wallcovering into recycled post-consumer product without compromising the original aesthetic appeal and durability of the wallcovering. Call (866) 522-6072 for information., e-mail info@secondlookwc.com, or go to www.secondlookwc.com.

TOBERMORY, ONTARIO—With its six suites, the E’Terra Inn here serves as one of the best examples of sustainable building in Canada and the United States. Ninety-five percent of products and materials used throughout the inn were made in North America, and the property is one of the first in the world to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status. It was awarded that designation in 2005 by the Canada Green Building Council. E’Terra sits within the Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve, at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula separating Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. The luxury property...

MINNEAPOLIS—Healthier Choice, a premium carpet cushion manufacturer, will use BiOH polyols, a soy-based ingredient in greener foam production, to offer a more responsible, greener choice in cushioning for carpet and flooring. Derived from natural vegetable oils such as soybean oil, BiOH polyols can deliver unique performance benefits while helping customers reduce their environmental footprint and market themselves to downstream customers. Healthier Choice, an environmentally conscious maker of functional foam underlay, sees a partnership with BiOH polyols as a logical step. The company is now integrating the use of BiOH polyols throughout its total product line, including Healthier Choice Carpet Cushion,...