ANN ARBOR, MICH.—Global public health organization NSF International has launched a new program that helps hotels, resorts and other hospitality settings prevent food and water contamination. The NSF International StaySafer program provides the hospitality industry with a credible means to demonstrate the safety of its food and water to travelers, agencies and hotel rating websites.The NSF StaySafer program combines inspection and testing for both a hotel or resort’s water systems and foodservice operations, which is essential as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 10 million overseas travelers contract illness from food and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—An emerging online waste removal sourcing agent and management system is tackling the concerns of home and business owners who want to reduce waste and implement a green waste program for their infrastructures. Grid Waste, started by D.C. entrepreneur Walker Lunn (founder of Envirelation, a D.C. composting service provider serving businesses throughout the D.C. metropolitan area), is connecting waste generators nationwide, with green waste haulers. Co-mingled recycling, single-stream recycling, paper and cardboard recycling and even organic recycling/composting are made available via the website’s interface. Understanding today’s society and its increased awareness of the ecosystem, Grid Waste hopes to...

CROSSVILLE, TENN.—Crossville, Inc. has launched SpeakEasy, a porcelain tile collection offering the look of authentic, old barn wood interpreted in a range of contemporary, large format plank sizes. With its modern take on time-worn wood’s appearance and texture, this line is designed for ease in selling, design and specification as an alternative to traditional hardwoods.According to Crossville’s V.P. of Marketing Lindsey Waldrep, the name of the product reflects Crossville’s intention to present a product that reinvents the wood look and is very simple to work with across commercial and residential markets.“SpeakEasy is all about ease of selection...a great option...

DURHAM, N.C.—Cree, Inc. introduces SmartCast Technology, a self-programming wireless lighting control system that reduces energy consumption by more than 70 percent at half the cost of traditional lighting controls. According to Cree, luminaires enabled with Cree SmartCast Technology remove the initial and ongoing complexity associated with lighting controls.  “Commercial lighting customers have resisted installing traditional lighting controls because of excess cost and complexity, and the majority of those who have installed controls stop using them as intended after the first year because they’re difficult to maintain,” said Norbert Hiller, Executive Vice President, Lighting. “Cree SmartCast Technology eliminates these barriers...

SHELTON, CONN.—Due to the increasing importance of sustainability in the events industry and calls for more independent certification, global assurance provider BPA Worldwide announced new responsibilities for John Mikstay, who will now oversee BPA’s events supply chain certification services under the new title of Manager, Assurance Services.Effective this month, Mikstay will devote his efforts to new business development for BPA’s growing event sustainability certification offerings to industry standards, including APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards and ISO 20121. He will focus on those organizations seeking industry sustainability certification, including venues, convention/visitor bureaus, destinations/cities and accommodations.”Throughout the supply chain, customers and...

ALSIP, ILL.—Litetronics introduces its new, improved Neolite Miniature CFL lamps that are more energy efficient and shorter than previous models. With redesigned T2 glass spiral tops and new micro ballasts, these latest Neolite lamps are on average 15 percent brighter while reducing their maximum overall length by 8 percent. Neolite CFLs are available in four wattages and three Kelvin temperatures. Neolite Miniature CFL lamps provide instant one-for-one replacements for 40-, 60-, 75- and 100-watt incandescent lamps in any commercial or residential application. With their small size, high light output and range of available Kelvin temperatures, they are ideally suited...

MOORPARK, CALIF.—Jim Dilbeck, General Manager of Cireon, announced that his LED systems manufacturing company recently completed a major outdoor lighting project for Universal CityWalk Hollywood at Universal Studios, Hollywood. Completed in conjunction with Tako Tyko, Signs & Lighting of Los Angeles, the parking lot project encompassed 600 parking spots and a footprint of more than 70,000 square feet. The project included 75 Cascade 145-watt fixtures, replacing 290-watt metal halide fixtures.Los Angeles County has stringent light pollution guidelines and Cireon was asked to develop a custom solution that would not only increase the light levels for the attraction, but do...

BOURNE, MASS.—Chilled water system performance is often overlooked in plant operations, yet optimizing performance can significantly improve chilled water plant efficiency, and thereby reduce costs.  A new guide from Onset, “Using Data Loggers to Improve Chilled Water Plant Efficiency,” focuses on using data to evaluate the potential positive impacts to overall efficiency by controlling chilled water coil differential temperature. The guide covers how to use portable data loggers at the individual coil level to help assess opportunities for saving energy, and includes a case study describing a real-world deployment and analysis of collected data. A free copy of the...

RIPON, WIS.—UniMac, a leading provider of on-premises laundry equipment, has expanded its product offering with the introduction of the UT200, a 200-pound tumble dryer. “The UT200 is just one example of UniMac’s commitment to increasing our customers’ satisfaction by offering a comprehensive range of equipment with innovative features that help on-premises laundries operate more cost-effectively,” said Bill Brooks, North American Sales Manager for UniMac. “The 200-pound tumble dryer will allow operators to improve throughput and increase savings, ensuring the lowest cost of ownership.” With the addition of the UT200, UniMac has one of the most extensive lines of on-premises tumble...

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y.—Rubicon Global, a leading provider of sustainable waste and recycling solutions, and BioHitech America, a leader in the development of food waste disposal technology, have teamed up to add BioHitech America’s (BHA) Eco-Safe Digester and BioHitech Cloud to Rubicon Global’s arsenal of green technological tools.It is estimated that as much as 34 million tons of food waste are sent to landfills in the United States each year. Given the momentum of statewide policies requiring food waste recycling, the message of burying food waste in landfills being no longer a sustainable or acceptable solution is being heard loud...