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Lighting

According to industry experts, lighting accounts for up to 35 percent of a hotel’s energy bill. Fluorescents, light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures and other products all provide significant savings--both indoors and outdoors. Innovative daylighting techniques are also helping to reduce costs and improve interior spaces. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Lighting

Home Lighting
According to industry experts, lighting accounts for up to 35 percent of a hotel’s energy bill. Fluorescents, light-emitting diode (LED) fixtures and other products all provide significant savings--both indoors and outdoors. Innovative daylighting techniques are also helping to reduce costs and improve interior spaces. Got news or a story idea to share? Contact Glenn Hasek, editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at: greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.

Vendors Use HITEC to Introduce Innovative Energy-Saving Products

ORLANDO, FLA.—Some of the world’s leading technology companies gathered here June 25-28 at HITEC to unveil their latest products and chat about their plans for the coming year. The hub of activity at the trade show and conference was the Guestroom 2010 exhibit, where one could find everything from energy-efficient hair dryers to recyclable carpet. Elsewhere on the show floor, companies displayed new, state-of-the-art environmental systems. The following are highlights from Guestroom 2010: Andis Co. featured its fast-drying Quiet Ionic Lighted Hair Dryer. It generates negative ions that dry hair faster by breaking up water molecules. Faster drying time means less...

TCP Inc. Introduces Fluorescent Bulb Recycling Program

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.—TCP’s RECYCLEPAK will encourage consumers to return used light bulbs to home improvement stores, designated city buildings and schools, and have them sent to a recycling facility. “All CFLs must contain small amounts of mercury in order to glow and give light,” says Ellis Yan, president and CEO, TCP, Inc. “Even with the trace amounts of mercury, which is roughly equivalent to the tip of a ballpoint pen, they should be recycled. The recycling program we developed makes it easy for consumers to drop off a CFL at a big box retailer, city hall, or even their children’s...

Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre Addition to Include ‘Living Roof’

VANCOUVER, B.C.—A green facility since it opened in 1987, the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (VCEC) is on track to triple its size in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The addition to the existing building will be a dramatic one and will include a six-acre green “living” roof, seawater heating and cooling, a fish habitat built into the building’s foundation, and an on-site water treatment facility. Forty percent of the addition will sit over the water, creating a striking contrast to the famous fabric roof sails that are part of the original building. According to Catherine Wong, vice president...

Eclipse Lighting Introduces New Green Series Fixtures

SCHILLER PARK, ILL.—Eclipse Lighting introduces its new Green Series fixtures. All 20 listed styles in the Green Series have earned the Energy Star. In addition, these energy efficient fixtures meet California’s Title 24. Replacing wasteful incandescent lighting with the Green Series compact fluorescent fixtures can abate a significant amount of pollution. During the 10,000-hour life of just one bulb, once can achieve the following: • Eliminate nearly 574 pounds of CO2 emissions—a major source of global warming; • Eliminate nearly 4.2 pounds of SO2 emissions—a cause of smog and acid rain; and • Eliminate nearly 2.7 pounds...

Follow the Lead of Motel 6; Implement a CFL & Battery Recycling Program

Motel 6’s announcement last week that it will roll out a fluorescent light bulb and battery recycling program throughout its almost 900 properties was an important step that other companies should emulate. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which offer so many benefits, also include mercury, a hazardous substance. Not disposed of properly, liquid mercury quickly turns into a vapor that can be inhaled. Long-term exposure to it can damage the nervous system, the kidneys, lungs and other organs. Batteries are used throughout a hotel in items such as door locks, TV remotes and myriad other places. They consist of...

Motel 6 Rolls Out National Fluorescent Light Bulb, Battery Recycling Program

DALLAS—Motel 6, the largest corporately owned and operated hotel chain in North America, announces the rollout of the first national fluorescent light bulb and battery recycling program within the hospitality industry. Motel 6, with nearly 900 properties across the country, is the first chain to implement this type of program without a federal mandate. The Motel 6 Fluorescent Light Bulb and Battery Recycling Program will be rolled out regionally over a six-month period, with complete implementation expected by the end of 2007. This recycling policy is a continuation of Accor’s Earth Guest initiatives that demonstrate Accor North America’s...

Osram Sylvania Unveils Two New CFL Recycling Options

DANVERS, MASS.—At a time when many are searching for a convenient compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) recycling option, North American lighting leader Osram Sylvania has unveiled two CFL recycling options: the MiniPak CFL mail-back recycling kit, and the Community Pail RecyclePak. “It’s exciting to be the first lighting manufacturer to offer all of our customers a recycling solution,” says Jennifer Dolin, environmental marketing manager, Osram Sylvania. “With recycling and disposal options available in only a few communities, our MiniPak and Community Pail options allow consumers and small communities everywhere to recycle their spent lamps easily. Simply purchase the pre-labeled...

Stairwell Lighting: An Area of Opportunity to Reduce Energy Costs

NATIONAL REPORT—When looking for ways to green your hotel, one of the first things you should focus on is energy efficiency. Pure economics show it is cheaper to save a kilowatt hour then it is to produce it. Couple this with reduced carbon emissions, and efficiency is one of the first things a property should consider, even before looking at renewable energy sources. The first energy conservation measure that should be evaluated in hospitality, whether it is a small 100-room property or a large destination resort, is lighting. Common lighting opportunities include T-12 to T-8 or super T-8 linear fluorescent...

Watt Stopper/Legrand Introduces New Card Key Room Entry Switches

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.—Watt Stopper/Legrand has developed a line of card key switches for hospitality facilities that help hotels stop the energy waste of guestroom lighting being left on when no one is present. Unique in the United States, these switches comply with IECC and ASHRAE/IESNA energy codes which require that hotel guestrooms have a master switch at the entrance of every room. Lights being left on in hotel guestrooms when the rooms are left vacant is a common problem and great source of energy waste. The HS series switches enable or disable power to a select number of...

Atlanta Marriott Marquis Builds Upon Green Meetings Initiative

ATLANTA—The Atlanta Marriott Marquis, known for its stunning 50-story atrium, is using its ambitious resource-saving initiatives as a launching point to attract groups interested in holding green meetings. The 1,663-room hotel began its green push in April with a press release highlighting the hotel’s environmental accomplishments. Green meetings make a lot of sense, according to Chris Anderson, director of sales and marketing at the hotel. The Atlanta property is doing the little things that are part of green meetings—using recycled paper, and mugs instead of paper cups, for example. However, a more significant component of the hotel’s program is the...