BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Eight decades after McDonald’s restaurant revolutionized a speedier way to prepare and serve meals, the fast-food giant is once again setting new standards in the industry, laying the groundwork for a more ecologically responsible place to dine. The façade of the 8,000-square-foot McDonald’s at Disney World in Buena Vista, Fla., not only appears strikingly different than its traditional restaurant chain, but every segment of the building has been meticulously designed to create the world’s first “net-zero” fast food restaurant. “It’s McDonald’s goal to reduce its carbon emissions across its portfolio,” said Jean Gibbons, WSP USA Buildings Vice President. “McDonald’s...

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Snowmass Base Village (SBV) introduces the all-electric and appropriately named Electric Pass Lodge. Designed to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, this development will be one of the first of its kind in the country. The building will include 53 ski-in/ski-out, for-sale residences at the base of the iconic Snowmass Ski Area. “If you own a home at a ski resort, you’re inherently invested in the preservation of snow,” says Andy Gunion, Roaring Fork Valley Managing Partner for East West Partners. “Nobody wants their ski home to contribute to climate change, but the reality is most do—either...

KENNESAW, GA.—Carrier has released i-Vu Pro v8 software for the i-Vu building automation system. This latest update features new commissioning and visualization tools to help building owners and operators gain more insights on how their heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are operating. In addition, the software now supports the latest industry-standards for building automation, providing enhanced interoperability, usability, and security. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corp., a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. “The latest i-Vu software tools provide building operators with more visibility into their day-to-day operations, and...

RIDGEFIELD, CONN.—The innkeepers of The West Lane Inn in Ridgefield and the Connecticut Green Bank are pleased to announce the completion of a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financed energy efficiency project at their inn, located at 22 West Lane. The project replaced an old oil-burning heat system with a new heat pump system designed to handle the heating and cooling needs of the 17-room historic property. The innkeepers, Christine Carnicelli and Danille Petrie, who purchased the inn in the fall of 2019, are working hard to balance the colonial charm of the 1840s building with the need for...

SINGAPORE—Ascott Residence Trust (ART) has obtained a S$50 million five-year green loan from DBS Bank Ltd (DBS), making ART the first hospitality trust in Singapore to secure a green loan. Proceeds from the green loan will be used to finance ART’s maiden development project and coliving property, lyf one-north Singapore. lyf one-north Singapore is one of ART’s 15 properties that attained green certifications in 2020, bringing the total number of ART’s green properties to 21. This is about four times more green-certified properties compared to 2019. lyf one-north Singapore achieved the Green Mark GoldPLUS award by Building and Construction Authority...

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF.—Zen Ecosystems’ Zen Air was recognized as the winner of Best Innovation in Energy Efficiency by the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC). The Zen Air product and initial software applications offer immediate energy savings of up to 30 percent. “These people, projects and programs represent the best in residential, industrial, commercial and government efficiency and demand response in Australia. We at the EEC are always excited to be recognizing world-class energy efficiency projects through the National Energy Efficiency Awards,” said Luke Menzel, CEO of the Energy Efficiency Council. Zen Air, launched in August of 2019, turns a compatible smartphone into...

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA.—Carrier Global Corporation’s BluEdge service platform continues to expand its reach with 1,000 signed service agreements in just six months and expanded geographic reach. The global, best-in-class service program that was originally launched in North America and Asia, is now available to Commercial HVAC customers in the Middle East and Europe. Through a deep understanding of customer needs and investments in cutting edge digital tools, BluEdge can help customers achieve enhanced equipment efficiency and performance—key components of Carrier’s Healthy Buildings Program and Healthy, Safe, Sustainable Cold Chain Program. Carrier Global Corp. is a leading global provider of...

RACINE, WIS.—Modine Manufacturing Co., a leader in technology in the HVAC industry, has announced a new Modine Control System (MCS) option for their line of Indoor Separated Combustion Heating and Make-Up Air units. Equipped with a 32-bit microprocessor for fast processing speed, the MCS Carel pCOOEM+ programmable controller features a number of I/O’s for complex HVAC/R applications. The controller is fully configured at the factory for the customer’s preferred application settings to make job-site startup and commissioning easier. “With this new control system, Modine has addressed the increasing demand for building management system integration,” said Mike Schires, Senior Product Manager for...

In this, my last column of 2020, I would like to thank Green Lodging News readers, advertisers, guest columnists, public relations representatives, and others for their support during this unprecedented year. This year, to be able to say your business survived, is an accomplishment. My heart goes out to all of you who lost your business or jobs in 2020. My wish for everyone in our industry is for a much healthier and safer 2021. No matter what my website article tracking data says, COVID-19 was of course the story of the year in 2020—how our industry was hurt by...

In next week’s column I will be highlighting the 10 most read Green Lodging News articles of 2020. It will be interesting to see how many had to do with COVID-19. While the article I just posted on Hotel Marcel may not make it because of its posting late in the year, it certainly deserves consideration as one of the most important hotel stories of both this year and 2021. Be sure to read the article. Hotel Marcel is the project of architect Bruce Becker, Founder and Director of Becker + Becker, Westport, Conn. Becker purchased the New Haven, Conn. building...