PHILADELPHIA—Aramark announced that its global headquarters office space, located in Philadelphia, has received LEED Silver certification, by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for its sustainable workspace design and construction. The building is certified under the LEED for Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C) rating system, which encourages the design and construction of commercial interiors that are good for people and the planet. Earlier, the 2400 Market Street building, owned by a joint venture of The Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds and PMC Property Group, was initially awarded LEED Gold certification as a new construction project. Both certifications underscore Aramark’s sustainability...

SOLON, OHIO—Tarkett, a worldwide leader in sustainable flooring, is elevating rubber tile to a new level of style and performance with the introduction of Color Splash Speckled Rubber tile. The new collection offers 50 on-trend standard colors inspired by the outdoors in standard 24” x 24” square tiles, including tonal visuals that work alongside multi-colored chipped colorations. Additionally, Tarkett’s industry-leading Color Match technology for rubber flooring enables the creation of any running line or custom color—precisely, every time, without dye lots. With Color Splash rubber tile, architects and designers can customize the field color or the accents and carry the...

ORLANDO—Rhinoceros may be the world’s second largest land animal, but at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there’s a tiny new one. Kendi, an endangered white rhino, gave birth to a male rhino at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida on Sunday, October 25. Disney is now offering a first look at him bonding with mom in newly released video. Rhinos have a long gestation period—approximately 16 to 18 months. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom team of veterinarians, scientists and animal keepers have been monitoring Kendi throughout her pregnancy, conducting regular checkups and ultrasounds. The yet-to-be-named male rhino was standing up within the first hour....

Every so often someone comes along in our industry with a grand idea to affect major change in hotel operations. I have been fortunate to meet Shawn Seipler, CEO of Clean the World, who has done so much to change the way our industry thinks and acts about soap and amenity waste. Shawn is based in Orlando. Another person I have met is also based in Florida but in Sarasota. His name is Richard Ferrell, and he is President of Purlin, LLC. I first wrote about Purlin in 2018. Richard’s vision is to dramatically change the way hoteliers think...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International has been recognized for making significant investments in clean energy according to the latest Solar Means Business report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The annual report tracks both on-site and off-site installations, highlighting the strong appeal of cost-saving solar energy for American businesses. In 2018, MGM Resorts and Invenergy announced the development of a 100-megawatt solar array. At full production, the MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array, in Nevada, will provide up to 90 percent of total daytime power needs across MGM Resorts’ 13 Las Vegas Strip properties, representing nearly 70 million square feet...

SARASOTA, FLA.—Purlin, LLC, maker of recyclable linens for the hospitality industry, has won the Lee School Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Hospitality category. The Lee Business School at UNLV and Ted and Doris Lee Family Foundation created a worldwide $1,000,000 Lee School Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship with the goal of discovering and funding innovative technologies and solutions that make the food and beverage, hospitality, casino, sports and entertainment and travel industries a safe place for employees and guests in the post pandemic world. Purlin’s prize in the hospitality category is $250,000. There were 250 submissions from...

STOCKHOLM—Together with Stena Recycling, Electrolux has developed a vacuum cleaner made of 100 percent recycled and reused materials. The plastic and components originate from consumers’ electronic products, such as used hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, and computers. The project addresses some of today’s key recycling challenges while exploring circularity in household appliances. More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally every year, but less than 12 percent of this comes from recycled materials. Therefore, manufacturers have difficulty finding enough safe and consistently high-quality recycled material. As a pioneer, Electrolux was first in the industry in 2010 to raise awareness...

ATLANTA—Interface, Inc., a worldwide commercial flooring company and global leader in sustainability, introduces the world’s first carbon negative carpet tile.* To achieve this milestone, Interface has transformed key manufacturing facilities and incorporated new materials to create its new CQuest backings line, which includes a new carpet backing that stores more carbon than any before. One of these new backings—CQuestBioX—combined with specialty yarns and proprietary tufting processes, results in a carbon negative carpet tile when measured cradle to gate. This means that after it is made, there is less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than if the tile had not been manufactured...

Cars, just like human beings, need regular maintenance and checkups occasionally. This is to improve and maintain vehicle performance. For most people, servicing and maintenance usually happen after every three months or 3,000 miles. Regular maintenance on hotel vehicles helps cut back on costs due to wear and tear. A smooth running and well-oiled machine is cheaper to run and also more reliable. Besides, regular car maintenance helps conserve the environment. It reduces the chances of oil spills or leaks from brake fluid or radiators. Vehicles owners can do this by properly disposing of materials such as engine oil and battery...

PAUL, MINN.—One in nine people around the world currently lack access to clean water. As communities grapple with the impacts of climate change, economic recessions and public health crises, the need for access to clean, safe water is more crucial than ever. On the sixth annual Imagine a Day Without Water, Ecolab is announcing a partnership with Water.org to help enable access to sustainable water and improved sanitation in at-risk watersheds in India. Water.org, an organization co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, leverages a scalable, microfinance-based model that has mobilized billions in capital to support small loans that bring...