NATIONAL REPORT—“Leading the hospitality industry in promoting education, inter-cooperation, and endorsed policies for environmentally responsible practices, construction methods, materials and environments.” That is the mission of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality’s Sustainability Committee. Formed last year, the committee currently includes 11 members representing design, architecture, purchasing, manufacturing, and hotel asset management. “Two years ago, NEWH recognized the need to get involved in sustainability,” says Jillian Van Dresser, principal, The Van Dresser Co. in Atlanta and the committee’s sustainability adviser. “We identified several initiatives, the first of which is a Resource Directory.” Now available on the...

NATIONAL REPORT—State-of-the-art concrete building systems can save a hotel owner money through energy savings. But equally important, concrete systems can provide hotel guests with a comfortable, healthy, environmentally friendly place to relax during their time away from home. Concrete can provide a sustainable structure that will maintain its durability, energy savings and beauty for the full life of the building. Hotels built with concrete wall, floor and roof systems that incorporate rigid foam insulation with concrete, have optimal energy performance because of their inherent thermal mass properties. Thermal mass has the ability to store heat during the hottest periods of...

EL CAJON, CALIF.—Artflor Inc. announced the release of Enviro Tile, a new product line of environmentally friendly tiles. The tiles are made in sizes 16” x 16” x ½” and 20” x 20” x ¾” and come in five earthen colors: Arctic, Tideland, Greenland, Rainforest, and Volcanic. Custom colors are available upon request. Artflor’s distinctive manufacturing process allows for unusual textures and multiple inlays of recycled glass and metals. The average recycled content of Artflor Enviro Tile is 34 percent, and packaging uses approximately 80 percent recycled materials. Around 90 percent of raw materials are pulled from local...

NEW YORK—Carnegie, a leading manufacturer and innovator of textiles and wallcoverings, has introduced Surface IQ, a breakthrough wall covering technology. Surface IQ is built from the polymer up, eliminating the hazardous use of vinyl, chlorine, plasticizers, heavy metals, formaldehyde and dioxin. Built on thermoplastic olefin technology (TPO), it delivers both performance and ecology simultaneously, and features the bold colors, striking patterns and rich, subtle textures that the Carnegie name has become synonymous with. Using only water-based inks and coatings, the first Surface IQ collection consists of eight designs including three signature patterns: Bloom, Mix and Intersect. The...

AMERICAN CANYON, CALIF.—Wen-I Chang, founder and president of Atman Hospitality Group Inc., announced that the company’s Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The hotel is the first in the United States to achieve this level of certification. The 132-room property, located here in American Canyon, opened last October. It sits on 4.6 acres and includes green touches such as chemical-free landscaping; 100 percent recycled tile; a guest van that uses alternative fuel; waterless urinals; plates on guestroom doors that include the name of...

NEW YORK—Starwood Capital Group announced that the recently launched “1” Hotel and Residences, the world’s first luxury, eco-friendly global hotel brand, will open New York City’s first five-star green hotel on West 40th Street in Manhattan, across from Bryant Park. The “1” Hotel and Residences will be part of a proposed 31-story mixed-use green tower being developed by 40th Street Development, LLC, an affiliate of Ascent Real Estate Advisors, LLC, of New York. The new luxury project, which will also feature condominium residences and dining concepts developed by restaurateur Stephen Hanson, will be a green project built to...

Sometimes good, green intentions are not good for the economy. Take Nevada, for example. In 2005 the Nevada Legislature approved a measure that cut property taxes up to 50 percent for 10 years and lowered sales taxes for building supplies to 2 percent for energy-efficient construction that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The tax incentives, the idea of a former state assemblywoman, were approved with little discussion by the Legislature. They never thought developers would actually want to participate in the program—at least to the extent they have. Original estimates put state abatement costs...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—New from LSI Wallcovering, Second-Look is the first program to reclaim previously installed vinyl wallcovering and turn it into new fashionable wallcovering designs with 18 percent recycled content and a minimum of 10 percent post-consumer. Recycled wallcovering collections are available through LSI’s Versa, Cirqa and Plexus distributors. The recycled selections have the same aesthetic quality, durability, warranties and price as the company’s standard wallcovering. Three Second-Look collections include fresh designs in versatile colors and tactile embossed textures as well as some of LSI’s best-selling classics. The initial recycled offering includes 62 selections in the Versa collection, noted...

LAGRANGE, GA.—InterfaceFLOR unveiled four new product collections at HD Expo in Las Vegas. Breaking traditional boundaries, the styles take modular flooring to the next level, providing enhanced color and texture. Styles range from soothing, nature-inspired patterns to diverse stripes with a hip velour finish, to modern Asian-inspired designs. “The beauty of modular carpet is its flexibility,” says Cindi Marshall Oakey, vice president of hospitality strategies for InterfaceFLOR Commercial. “Our products demonstrate to designers that they are not confined by pattern, color or size with InterfaceFLOR Commercial. The design opportunities are virtually limitless.” InterfaceFLOR is committed to providing...

ONTARIO, CALIF.—Met-Tile Inc., an Energy Star partner, has launched a redesigned website that features its metal tile panel “cool roofing” system. The Met-Tile roof system, which combines the popular look of tile with all-weather performance and energy savings, can be viewed at www.met-tile.com. The redesigned website incorporates a new easy-to-use navigation system and expanded product and application information for architects, builders, contractors, and home and building owners. The site includes separate areas for residential and non-residential applications, expanded photo galleries, a rep./distributor locator section, updated project case studies, technical data and more. Suitable for use in all...