LOS ANGELES—With the introduction of Karo II, ICERA has unveiled an iteration of one of its most popular toilets. This sleek design incorporates all the best features of the original Karo model while adding a squared tank and chic transitional lines. Its balanced proportions and advanced engineering combine to create an exceptional toilet that hits the mark in style, comfort and performance. Karo II is a one-piece elongated toilet that features ICERA’s anti-microbial MicroGlaze for an attractive finish that offers better hygiene and superior stain-resistance. The skirted trapway gives the design a clean finished look and allows for easier maintenance....

MUSKEGON, MICH.—EarthTronics, dedicated to developing innovative energy efficient lighting products that provide a positive economic and environmental impact, introduces its new LED Mini Wall Pack to provide additional lighting options for exterior, wide-flood area illumination for commercial, industrial and municipal facilities. Now available in 12 watts, the LED Mini Wall Pack delivers 1,590 lumens in a compact 8.7” x 5.25” x 2.66” durable bronze powder-coated, aluminum alloy housing. Its 4000K color temperature and high 80+ CRI offers improved visual acuity and efficient performance. Plus, the 12-watt fixture comes with an installed dusk to dawn sensor. This new LED Mini Wall Pack...

LAKE GENEVA, WIS.—As part of their ongoing development of innovative energy solutions for hospitality businesses across the United States, Onsite Utility Services Capital (OUS Capital) has launched a free webinar education series to help hospitality owners and operators better understand how energy efficiency solutions can grow their profits. The webinars will reveal important information about the benefits of specific energy efficiency solutions distinct to the hospitality industry, while defining a process that allows hospitality properties of every size to access any of those energy-efficient solutions without the typical up-front financial requirements typically associated with such a project. “Smart hospitality executives understand...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Electrolux, an appliance industry sustainability leader, reported a 66 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from its operations since 2005, and highlighted how significant investments at manufacturing sites and in new product platforms will make a major contribution to the company achieving its climate targets. In the 2018 Sustainability Report, Electrolux presents facts and figures showing the company’s progress towards its targets in the nine key areas outlined in its sustainability framework, For the Better. Read the full report here. Contributing to the CO2 reduction achieved until 2018, 24 of Electrolux manufacturing sites now only procure electricity from renewable energy sources....

BOCA RATON, FLA.—FarFromBoring Hospitality continues to make headlines, eliminating the need for plastic straws by recently signing on to provide clientele at three nationally recognized establishments with a high-quality, paper straw alternative. With Rhino Paper Straws that are unique in color and design, the Boca Raton company is meeting the demand for local product availability while making a global difference. Three hospitality companies will now use Rhino Paper Straws to help reduce the more than 500 million plastic straws that Americans use every day, which pollute our oceans and are ingested by sea birds, turtles and other marine life. The premier luxury restaurant-and-theater brand, iPic...

PAUL, MINN.—There is a growing sense of urgency about water scarcity as a business risk, but almost half of all companies don’t have a plan to achieve their water reduction targets. That is the key finding of a new survey conducted by Ecolab Inc., a global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, and the sustainability news and research organization GreenBiz. Companies are under pressure to reduce their water usage because of mounting water scarcity. According to U.N. projections, the world will face a 40 percent freshwater shortfall by 2030 if nothing changes. This is a growing issue...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Vapur to the “Water Bottles/Reusable” section of its Green Product & Service Directory. Vapur started in 2009 with a mission to reduce the use of single use plastic bottles by creating the most portable reusable water bottle on the planet. Ten years later the mission is still the same and Vapur has won the hearts of millions with dozens of styles of collapsible, reusable BPA-FREE and freezable anti-bottles. Vapur has partnered with Elkay to launch the Vapur Refill Program, offering discounts on bottles and refill stations to national parks, hotels, schools and more....

SEATTLE—Sipping your hot coffee from a paper cup that you can recycle or compost in your community. Enjoying a cold coffee beverage with a recyclable, strawless lid instead of a conventional plastic straw. And checking the Starbucks mobile app to see the journey of your packaged coffee beans as they were grown, processed, traded and roasted. Starbucks leadership will unveil progress and plans on all these fronts at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders, noting that sustainable coffee, served sustainably is an area of particular passion for Starbucks and its more than 380,000 partners (employees) around the world. “It was at...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Banyan Water, a leading provider of total water management software, released its comprehensive leak detection analysis for 2018 following a record-breaking water savings milestone. The company has saved more than 3 billion gallons of water for enterprises since its inception. Banyan Water’s total water management platform, Banyan Water Central, gathers real-time data from multiple sources to provide a complete overview of a property’s—or an entire portfolio’s—water usage over time. Banyan Water Central automates reporting and leak detection analysis to provide corporations with critical data needed to make decisions and mitigate risk. “Data-driven water technology must become the industry standard to...

NAPERVILLE, ILL.—Atkinson Ergonomic Solutions, Inc. has entered the hospitality market with a new product that is generating a lot of industry buzz. The Atkinson BedLift allows a housekeeper to safely and single-handedly raise the heaviest beds with ease. The list of benefits of working on and around a bed when it’s raised up and away from the wall are many. The bed will stay in the raised position until the user simply nudges the bed toward the headboard, then steps back and watches it slowly and gently lower itself back to the floor. Once raised it allows for 360º of...