LAS VEGAS—It was pretty easy to determine what vendors were selling green products at this year’s HD 2007 Expo and Conference. A separate vendor directory was created for them and green, circular markers sat within each participating exhibitor’s booth. A separate Green Room on the show floor also featured environmentally friendly products. Vendors had to pony up additional funds to have a presence there.
There is no possible way to mention every company that introduced a green product at this year’s show but here are some noteworthy examples:
Simmons Hospitality Group announced its EverNU mattress top to help hotels get the most use out of their Beautyrest mattresses. Most hotel bed replacements occur because the mattresses’ comfort layers have compressed over time, causing the beds to lose their original feel. The EverNU top enables a hotel to replace the comfort layers of its mattresses without replacing the beds’ coil springs, which last far longer than the fabrics and foams used in comfort layers. The EverNU product will help reduce the volume of mattresses going to landfills each year.
Dispenser Amenities introduced its WAVE line of shower liquids to complement the AVIVA dispenser system. The liquids include: citrus and sea foam body wash; rosemary and mint shampoo; rosemary and mint conditioner; and lavender and chamomile body lotion. Dispensers eliminate the mountains of waste generated by the millions of amenity bottles disposed of each year.
INNCOM International Inc. displayed its guestroom control and energy management systems. INNCOM’s solutions work in tandem with lighting, HVAC and other types of systems to provide hotel properties with significant energy savings, benefiting the environment at the same time.
Helping to reduce furniture waste, Transformations at Home unveiled its renewable furniture line that features removable fabric coverings. If the fabric wears or is damaged in any way, one need only replace the covering, not throw the furniture away. The company offers many fabric styles.
Lutron Electronics Co. Inc. featured its GRAFIK Eye QS fully customizable preset light and shade control system. The system includes connections to shades and A/V devices and enables direct powering of occupancy sensors. The GRAFIK Eye QS allows one to program “scenes” that include preset lighting and shading levels. The control panel includes an energy savings indicator.
East Teak Fine Hardwoods Inc. exhibited its lines of recycled and reclaimed prime grade teak and exotic hardwoods. The company, a strong proponent of sourcing only sustainable hardwoods, offers products for lobbies, guestrooms, restaurants and bars, pool and spa decking, and walkways.
LSI Wallcovering introduced its Second-Look vinyl wallcovering. It includes at least 20 percent recycled content. Unique to Second-Look is a retrieval program whereby LSI customers will have the ability to return wallpaper to LSI after its use for recycling. Second-Look also has low-VOC (volatile organic chemicals) qualities and a mildew-inhibiting agent that protects against fungal and microbiological growth.
Valley Forge Fabrics Inc. was on hand at the expo with what amounted to a recyclable booth. The carpet squares, for example, made by InterfaceFLOR, were to be returned for recycling after the show. Valley Forge, a maker of upholstery and drapery fabrics, introduced FRESH: Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality.
As the acronym implies, FRESH represents the first environmentally friendly comprehensive fabric program designed specifically for the hospitality industry. With more than 200 fabrics spanning three opening volumes, FRESH creates a new benchmark for selection and diversity in environmentally friendly fabrics. FRESH fabrics are made with synthetic yarns derived from post-industrial and post-consumer recycled products.
Bentley Prince Street Inc., which offers a carpet reclamation program to its customers, (it will take back carpet at the end of its life for recycling), featured a variety of its sustainable product lines in different colors and styles. They included the following: Illuminaire, Mystic Journey Collection, Natural State, Oceanic Collection, and Saturnia Collection.
Cypress Luxury Bed and Bath Amenities introduced its new line of organic robes, towels and sheets. Certified organic, the Au Naturel by Cypress line is targeted toward hotels and spas concerned about the environment.
Milliken & Co., which currently has 47 manufacturing plants that send zero waste to landfills, featured some of its more than 2,000 carpet designs, and Lone Meadow displayed its collection of innovative hospitality seating designs. At every step in the manufacturing process, Lone Meadow puts the environment first. A portion of its profits go to The Nature Conservancy.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
