LEAVENWORTH, WASH.—The Washington State Department of Commerce recently announced that the nation’s first “electric highway” along Interstate 5 (I-5) will now be extended to include Highway 2—connecting the cities of Monroe, Leavenworth and Wenatchee to a network of public access electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort just announced that it will install its own on-site charging station to help support the use of electric vehicles—such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Ford Focus—along nearby Highway 2. Sleeping Lady is currently the first resort in Eastern Washington to purchase an EV charging station. “Sleeping Lady has always...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International was presented with two awards by the U.S. Green Building Council Nevada Chapter for its outstanding leadership in sustainable development and advocacy. During the awards ceremony held in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts took home the awards for “Exceptional Leadership and Advocacy—LEED Project” and for “Organizational Excellence.” “One of our strongest values is practicing sustainable development to provide our guests with an exceptional experience when they come through our doors,” said Cindy Ortega, senior vice president of the Energy and Environmental Services Division at MGM Resorts International. “For us as a company, environmental responsibility is a commitment...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its guidance on how to properly clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Included with the guidance is a new consumer brochure with CFL recycling and cleanup tips. EPA encourages Americans to use CFLs for residential lighting to save energy and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change. CFLs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a CFL breaks, some of the mercury is released as vapor and may pose potential health risks. The guidance and brochure will provide simple, user friendly...

BOULDER, COLO.—Despite the general weakness in new construction due to the global recession, one building-related field has continued to grow: retrofits tied to improving the efficiency of facilities. A number of factors have been driving this growth, including the need to improve the energy performance of buildings for cost savings as well as the desire to obtain green building certification. A new white paper from Pike Research identifies 10 key trends that are having a strong influence on the worldwide building industry. The paper, which includes predictions about the building efficiency market in 2011 and beyond, is available for...

WESTPORT, CONN.—With two weeks still remaining before the 2011 AHR Expo in Las Vegas, January 31 to February 2, show management reports that it is already bigger than the largest Western event ever held, which was in Anaheim, Calif., in 2004. Nearly 1,900 exhibiting companies have already reserved more than 374,000 square feet of booth space. This represents a 15 percent increase in both the number of exhibiting companies and booth space reserved. These numbers include 100 first-time exhibitors and nearly 400 international companies from 31 different countries. In addition, visitor pre-registration is running ahead of last year’s AHR Expo...

ST. LOUIS—Michael Jantzen, an artist strongly influenced by nature and technology, who has been producing conceptual art and architectural projects for almost 40 years, has released his latest hotel design—The Solar Winds Desert Hotel. An idea still in need of a developer, the hotel design, according to Jantzen, evolved from his thoughts about desert plants and how they function in a hot dry climate. The 140-room luxury eco-hotel, vertically cylindrical in design, would be powered by the sun and the wind. The “stem” of the hotel would house the hotel rooms, a vertical axis wind turbine would sit atop...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Two renowned global brands in the fitness and hospitality categories are joining forces to empower travelers to stay healthy and fit when away from home. New Balance and Westin Hotels & Resorts have forged an exclusive, worldwide partnership to help hotel guests overcome the hurdles of exercising on the road by providing New Balance footwear, apparel and fitness program content. The program recently launched at 10 Westin properties across the globe and will begin rolling out brand-wide in 2011. Guests of the 10 Westin pilot properties have complimentary access to New Balance shoes, apparel and accessories through a...

BOULDER, COLO.—Green building certifications from programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) are quickly becoming the standard for the construction industry in many countries. While green building certification programs are well-known for their importance in new construction projects, a recent report from Pike Research forecasts that by 2020, nearly half the total certified footprint—25 billion square feet—will comprise certifications for existing buildings. “As the new construction market has slowed during the global recession, green building certifications for existing buildings have become an increasing area of focus,” says research...

CHEVY CHASE, MD.—More and more, corporate retreats are using community service as a way to build camaraderie, improve morale and find positive and encouraging ways to improve the lives of others. To help work productively and give back to the communities they serve, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has developed several socially responsible programs. When guests book one of the many meeting rooms available at The Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts in the United States, Mexico or the Caribbean, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will donate 10 percent of the guestroom revenue equally between a charity of its client’s choice and The...

DALLAS—The Fairmont Dallas announces Sean Springer of Springer Design Studio as the first Artist in Residence of 2011. Springer crafts furniture, home accessories and sculptures using salvaged wood creating purposeful, functional pieces from materials that would otherwise end up as waste. Springer’s resume is a veritable journey through a series of high-profile internships and jobs, working for and learning from artists, each in a different craft, who shaped him and helped hone the skills that allow him to create poignant, consequential pieces. The deliberate edges, complimentary contours and fluid arches of Springer’s work are manifestations of his experience, which...