LONDON—Travelife has announced the appointment of Peter Grandell to the Travelife Board. Grandell is Director of Operations for Hotel & Resorts at Thomas Cook including the hotel brands: Sunwing, SunConnect, Sunprime, Smartline and Sentido. It is a position he has held for the past three years. Nikki White, Managing Director of Travelife, remarks, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Peter to our board of directors. His wealth of industry experience and proven commitment to sustainable tourism will add a new dimension to the Travelife Board.” Grandell 's appointment to the Travelife board highlights Thomas Cook’s strong commitment to Travelife, and emphasises...

KELOWNA, B.C.—Stemming from a mission to help businesses profitably tackle climate change, sustainability consulting firm GreenStep Solutions has created an innovative program, ecobase Certified, that has helped award winning green hotelier, Greg Salloum, achieve his dream of installing a solar PV array at the Best Western Plus Kelowna Hotel and Suites. “We strive to go above and beyond with our green initiatives,” says Salloum, proprietor of the Best Western Plus Kelowna. “We started with a solar thermal system in 2002 and we’ve done almost everything else we can to reduce our impacts, including our recent LEED Silver Certified environmental wing and...

BEACON FALLS, CONN.—Sean Crimmins, a career laundry professional with management experience at several facilities on the east coast, is the new Regional Sales Manager Northeast for Lavatec Laundry Technology. Sean began in the laundry industry in 1997 and most recently was general manager of CleanTex Laundry Services in Irvington, N.J. He previously served as a plant manager for Alsco in Alexandria, Va., after stints in Pennsylvania with Penn Linen Laundry, Sodexo and HCSC Enterprises, where he managed various healthcare and senior care laundry operations. Having enjoyed success in many roles, Sean believes his experience has prepared him well for the next...

LOS ANGELES—Pan Pacific Seattle has earned Green Globe certification for the fifth consecutive year. “We are beyond honored to receive this prestigious certification for the fifth year in a row,” said Webster Polk, Community Relations Manager of the Pan Pacific Seattle. “At Pan Pacific, global responsibility and sustainability are essential parts of our property’s DNA and we are committed to continually uphold and improve our practices. As a luxury boutique hotel, our guests can always expect genuine care, unique innovation and customized services along with a dedicated desire to minimize our overall impact on the environment.” Pan Pacific Seattle’s sustainable practices...

OTTAWA, ON.—Green Key Global announced that ARIA Resort and Casino, a Green Key Global member since 2010, has received a 5 Key rating with the new GSTC Recognized Green Key Eco-Rating Program. A 5 Green Key rating, the highest rating a property can achieve in the program, demonstrates the ARIA Resort and Casino is a resort that exemplifies the highest standards of environmental and social responsibility throughout all of its operations. The hotel employs cutting edge technologies, policies and programs that set the international standard for sustainable hotel operators. “At ARIA Resort and Casino, we continually seek opportunities to improve our...

MUSKEGON, MICH.—EarthTronics introduces its new energy efficient, smooth dimming 2200 lumen, 15-watt T8 LED linear tube that delivers 146 lumen per watt and its 25-watt, 3200 lumen T5 that easily replaces 54 watt T5HO fluorescent lamps providing 128 lumens per watt. These LEDs feature glass tube construction to ensure proper cooling to support high lumen maintenance for a 50,000 hour rated life combined with over 50 percent energy savings to offer a quick return on investment. The energy efficient T8 and T5 Type A LEDs from EarthTronics are Design Light Consortium (DLC) listed and UL rated for Type A “plug...

Denver—Hydropods, Inc., a Denver-based technology company, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Clinton, N.C.-based CropBox, to integrate its cloud-based grow controllers into their shipping container agricultural systems. “We’re proud of this partnership with CropBox,” said Ted Tanner, CEO of Hydropods. “CropBox is already in use by some major restaurants and retailers and we’re excited by their growth potential. We admire their mission to bring local farming to more communities, providing safe nutritious food grown in a sustainable environment.” A CropBox, manufactured by greenhouse builder Williamson Greenhouses, is a repurposed shipping container that can fit 2,800 planting spots in...

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO—Moen has expanded its Magnetix line of showerheads with the new Attract Combination Handshower and Rainshower with Magnetix, the first combination showerhead to feature the brand’s magnetic docking technology. “Showerheads with Magnetix offer a powerful magnetic dock that allows for easy release of the handshower, as well as a secure return back into place, even with your eyes closed,” said Maribeth Kwasniewski, Director of Retail Marketing, Moen. “With the introduction of Magnetix, we transformed the way people use handshowers, making them simpler and more intuitive to use. We wanted to take this technology and provide even more options...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Sealed Air Corp. announced the publishing of its annual Sustainability Report. This year’s report chronicles the company’s journey to achieve its 2020 Sustainability Goals, and provides data showing progress in the year 2015. Sealed Air’s 2020 Sustainability Goals, announced last June, outline the company’s commitment to reduce the overall impact of its operations, including waste, water, energy, and greenhouse gas intensity reduction goals. In addition, Sealed Air committed to products and solutions goals which include an ethical supply chain standard, responsible materials standards, and product development processes which will ensure new products are vetted for both sustainability improvements and...

CINCINNATI—With America Recycles Day having taken place on November 15, Cintas Corp. has signed the Green Umbrella’s recycling pledge in an effort to help Cincinnati achieve a top 10 ranking on the list of the most sustainable cities in the United States. The Green Umbrella, an alliance of organizations across 10 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, hopes to reduce landfill waste by 33 percent by 2020 through rotating recycling initiatives. “We hope to add 50 new corporate pledges each year in order to make the biggest impact.” “Paper is one of the simplest things to recycle, yet the landfill in...