Home Kitchen & Laundry

Kitchen & Laundry

Cooking, cooling, washing and drying all consume large amounts of energy and water. By simply using Energy Star-qualified equipment, a hotel operator can sharply reduce resource consumption. The kitchen and laundry can also be large waste generators. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Kitchen & Laundry

Home Kitchen & Laundry
Cooking, cooling, washing and drying all consume large amounts of energy and water. By simply using Energy Star-qualified equipment, a hotel operator can sharply reduce resource consumption. The kitchen and laundry can also be large waste generators. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Continental Debuts New Energy-Efficient Hard-Mount Washer with Increased Control Features

OSHKOSH, WISC.—Continental Girbau has unveiled the new M-Series hard-mount line of washer-extractors, available in 25-, 40- and 55-pound capacities. The new M-Series Washers deliver improved energy efficiency and higher G-force extract speeds than many hard-mount washers on the market, according to Joel Jorgensen, vice president of sales and customer services at Continental. “M-Series Washers are built using the same manufacturing platform as our high-performance E-Series Washers,” Jorgensen said. “They share many of the same components including the control systems—resulting in a higher performance hard-mount washer with unrivaled energy efficiency. This will save on-premise laundries gas, water and electricity. Superior programmability...

Dixie Insulair Offers New EcoSmart Insulated Paper Cup Design

ATLANTA—Georgia-Pacific Food Services Solutions announces the latest addition to its product line of Dixie Insulair insulated paper cups—the new Interlude design. The new look of Interlude combines vibrant musical accents and warm red and gold hues to complement the performance of triple-wall layering that keeps beverages hot. “The new Interlude design is created to provide operators with a product that matches the experience demanded by today’s consumers,” said Chuck Knudsen, senior Hot Cup category marketing manager, Georgia-Pacific Food Services Solutions. “Our goal is to continually provide operators with single-use products that perform at a very high level in functionality and...

Green Lodging News Welcomes AquaRecycle as Directory Partner

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes AquaRecycle as a Green Product & Service Directory sponsor. AquaRecycle manufactures systems that recycle 100 percent of laundry wastewater. That water is then reused within the laundry. AquaRecycle’s proven technology provides customers with 80 percent water and sewer savings and 50 percent energy savings. The company’s innovative technology can qualify a facility for LEED points. Call (866) 272-9253, e-mail sales@aquarecycle.com, or go to www.aquarecycle.com.

Variable-Speed Hood Controllers Can Quickly Cut Kitchen Energy Consumption

NATIONAL REPORT—When looking for the “low hanging fruit” in a hotel—those areas that offer the easiest and fastest opportunities to save energy—one piece of equipment that is often forgotten is the kitchen exhaust hood. Unfortunately, most commercial kitchen hoods include single-speed fans that operate at 100 percent capacity all day long, even during idle (non-cooking) periods when ventilation rates can be safely reduced. The annual cost of wasted energy can be thousands of dollars per hood, or as much as $2 billion a year for the entire foodservice industry. One way to reduce energy consumption and costs is to control...

Aleco Introduces New Line of ImpacDors, Air Curtains

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA.—Aleco, with 30 years of experience as one of the largest manufacturers in the United States of energy saving impact doors and PVC strip doors for the food service industry, featured its new line of rigid and flexible ImpacDors, the JetStream Air Curtain and Economy Pan Rack Covers, at the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York last month. The company’s line of ImpacDors offers an extremely wide variety of features and construction. The FS-250 is specially designed for high-volume traffic between the kitchen and the front of the house in restaurants. It is a lightweight and...

Fairmont’s Kitchen Experts Find Creative Ways to Pursue Sustainability

TORONTO—As part of Fairmont’s Hotels & Resorts’ new commitment to organic, sustainable and local menus, measures are taken everyday at Fairmont hotels across the globe to also find creative ways to run an environmentally responsible kitchen. Going beyond simply purchasing sustainable food items, these efforts include recycling, and reusing and donating—all resulting in an overall impact that lessens the luxury brand’s footprint on the planet. Fairmont properties have long had partnerships in place that provide them with the freshest local ingredients, and many of these purveyors are as committed to sustainability as Fairmont. For example, Fairmont locations in the Pacific...

Phase II of Destiny USA to Include Green Hotel with 1,300-Plus Rooms

CHICAGO—In a presentation at Greenbuild earlier this month, Destiny USA founder and chairman Robert J. Congel introduced the initial design of a hotel and conference facility that will be the next phase of the Destiny USA project in Syracuse, New York. The hotel, which will feature more than 1,300 rooms, is being designed to LEED Platinum standards and will serve as a showcase for sustainability. “Five years ago, Destiny USA was still learning what it takes to build a living laboratory for environmental stewardship, renewable energy and innovation,” Congel said. “Fortunately, we were ahead of the curve. Today we are...

Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. Wraps Up ‘Lodging Forecast: Green’ Conference

COLUMBUS, OHIO—The Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. (OH&LA) held its annual conference on Monday, November 19 in Columbus. Approximately 400 attendees met at the Hilton Columbus at Easton to learn about green industry trends and how to simultaneously save energy, water and improve profitability. The theme for the event was “Lodging Forecast: Green” and featured speakers including Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. (AH&LA), and Chris Lane, v.p. environmental affairs for Xanterra Parks & Resorts. McInerney was the keynote speaker during the luncheon. He commended OH&LA for its focus on environmental issues and...

IH/M&RS Was Place to Be to Discover Cutting-Edge Green Innovations

NEW YORK—The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show may have seen its greenest collection of products in its history, as this year’s collection of exhibitors featured everything from towels with organic cotton and bamboo blends to touch-activated faucet systems that allow one to choose hot, warm or cold water with the touch of a button. Environmental concern was evident in exhibitor booth marketing as well, as vendors used green themes to catch attendees’ attention. The following are just some of the product announcement highlights from the show this past week. HD Supply rolled out its ideallygreen campaign, which emphasizes the environmental...

Hilton Garden Inn Placing All-Natural ecotainer Cups at 340 Locations in North America

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—Hilton Garden Inn, the award-winning mid-priced hotel brand, announced the introduction of the ecotainer, an environmentally friendly coffee cup, in more than 340 locations across North America. Developed by International Paper, the cup is the only all-natural hot beverage paper cup available that is coated with a corn-based plastic that requires less energy and generates less greenhouse gas during manufacturing. The corn-based coating also allows the cups to be composted, rather than landfilled. Features of the ecotainer: • Made from fully renewable resources. • Compostable in municipal and commercial composting systems. • Requires less energy to produce. • Certified by the Biodegradable Products...