ANN ARBOR, MICH.—NSF International, an independent global organization that writes public health standards and certifies products for food, water and consumer goods, has qualified the first wallcoverings distributor to the American National Standard for Sustainable Wallcoverings—NSF/ANSI 342. NSF International developed the standard for Sustainable Wallcoverings to help architects, designers, retailers and consumers identify sustainable and environmentally preferable wallcoverings. NSF/ANSI 342: Sustainability Assessment for Wallcovering Products recognizes the important role distributors play in maintaining the sustainability of wallcovering products throughout their life cycle. In order to qualify and distribute certified sustainable wallcoverings, distributors must demonstrate that they follow environmentally preferable practices....

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLA.—TEVA Energy and Redshift Energy announced their funding agreement. With Redshift’s financial support, TEVA Energy will further expand its reach into the large-scale commercial and industrial distributed solar water- heating markets in key geographic areas. TEVA deploys its proprietary line of solar water heating (i.e. thermal solar) technologies in combination with turn-key solutions and sale-of-heat financing (a.k.a. thermal PPA or energy lease). “2011 has been a remarkable year,” said Remo Eyal, CEO of TEVA Energy, LLC. “Our strong sales growth during a down economy proved the strength of TEVA’s unique offering and flawless execution team. Redshift’s funding...

DALTON, GA.—Universal Textile Technologies (UTT) announced a new initiative to incorporate bottles collected from Grand Teton National Park into its manufacturing process. UTT converts the plastic bottles into a non-woven fleece material used to manufacture high-performance environmentally friendly backing for carpet and synthetic turf products. Now termed the PET Park Project, UTT is working in partnership with The Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Solid Waste and Recycling, CPE, Inc., and the United Soybean Board (USB). Americans generate an enormous amount of waste material every day. In the Grand Teton park millions of annual visitors are educated on the positive...

WALTHAM, MASS.—American DG Energy Inc., a leading on site utility, offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality, has reached an agreement to supply clean energy to the Doubletree Hotel Tarrytown, located in Tarrytown, N.Y. Under the terms of the agreement, the Doubletree will soon receive a significant portion of its energy from a 100 kW combined heat and power (CHP) system, which will be owned and operated by American DG Energy. The hotel will receive a discount on the energy produced by the CHP system and reduce its emissions by 403 tons of carbon dioxide...

FRANKLIN PARK, ILL.—Sloan has launched a two-piece, tank-type gravity toilet line. The Gravity Series 9000 toilets, available in single- and dual-flush models, offer another water-saving flushing option for light commercial installations. The Gravity Series 9000 product line includes one 1.6/1.1 gallons per flush (gpf) dual-flush toilet with a flush button on top of the tank and two single-flush models: a 1.28 gpf single-flush toilet and a 1.6 gpf toilet with the option of a left or right hand trip lever. Gravity Series toilets initiate a quiet, yet powerful gravity flush with a siphon jet flushing action. The high-efficiency toilet models enable...

VISTA, CALIF.—A survey conducted in late October 2011 asked facility managers a variety of questions regarding no-water or waterless urinal systems. Forty-two managers who have waterless urinals installed in their buildings completed the survey. Most manage office buildings, while the others are responsible for universities and colleges. The majority of the respondents (57 percent) indicated they have 10 or fewer no-water urinal systems; this was followed by managers with 10 to 50 systems (29 percent), and 14 percent responded that they have more than 100 waterless systems installed in their facilities. Their key reasons for installing waterless urinal systems were the...

NEW ALBANY, MISS.—Master-Bilt announced that Scott Jordan has been named as their new president. Scott served as vice president of operations and general manager of BKI, a Standex Food Service Equipment Group company, since April, 2008. Previous to BKI, he worked with Baldor Electric for 16 years in manufacturing, quality assurance, purchasing, finance, strategic planning, plant management, marketing, and lean continuous improvement roles. Scott earned an MBA from Clemson University and an engineering degree from North Carolina State University. Master-Bilt, a member of the Standex Food Service Equipment Group, offers a complete line of commercial refrigeration including walk-ins, cabinets and...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Travel Oregon, in partnership with Sustainable Travel International, has introduced the Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund. The first statewide program of its kind, this fund will support sustainable tourism development in Oregon by connecting businesses and travelers to projects that improve the environment, support local culture and enhance the destination for future visitors. Participating businesses throughout the state can raise funds for projects via an optional $1 donation from customers. All projects selected as beneficiaries of the fund protect Oregon’s natural assets and/or support communities in a way that improves their appeal as a destination. “Oregonians have a rich history of...

PHILADELPHIA—FMC Corp. introduces the Verifi bed bug detector. It provides continuous detection of bed bugs for up to 90 days at a time in a small, easy-to-use device. Verifi provides three months of active detection before re-activating with replacement components. A pest management professional can quickly and easily install the device for year-round monitoring in hotel rooms, lounges, storage rooms, conference rooms and many other areas where bed bugs may become a problem. And unlike canine and other detection methods, Verifi is discrete and unobtrusive, operates silently, and does not require the room to be out of service. This bed...

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.—Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced the availability of Samsung’s first LED lighting solutions for the U.S. consumer market. Available through Lowe’s, Samsung’s initial product lineup includes A19, PAR20/30/38 and MR16 bulbs—all designed to easily replace traditional incandescent, halogen and CFL bulbs. Seven Samsung lighting products are available immediately on Lowes.com and at select Lowe’s home improvement retail stores nationwide. The bulbs include: • A19 Bulbs: Samsung’s A19 bulb is a directional bulb that is sized to easily replace a conventional incandescent bulb in any fixture where directional light is needed, from certain lamps to vanity lights and wall sconces....