CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News announces the addition of Continental Girbau, Inc. as a Founding Sponsor. Continental Girbau, a manufacturer and supplier of commercial and industrial laundry equipment, offers a web of support services to its hospitality clients, including financing, laundry design, technologically-advanced laundry equipment, a parts facility, and a professional distributor network.Continental and Girbau Industrial washer-extractors, tunnel washers, drying tumblers, flatwork ironing systems, folders, stackers and feeders withstand the rigors of multiple cycles, offer highly programmable controls and are designed to reduce utility consumption. Continental E-Series Washer-Extractors, for example, feature up to 387-G-force extract to curb dry time and...

HOUSTON—In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, Hilton Americas-Houston, the city’s largest hotel and first Green Seal certified hotel in Texas, is now even greener with the installation of the AquaRecycle water recycling system in the hotel’s laundry. The laundry facility, covering 27,000 square feet and rivaling most commercial laundry plants in both size and capacity, is by far the largest hotel laundry in the city, washing and finishing more than 675,000 pounds of linens per month.The two massive Lavatec tunnel washers wash 100 pounds of linens every two and half minutes, with a maximum working capacity of...

WALTHAM, MASS.—EuroSite Power Inc., an On-Site Utility offering clean electricity, heat, hot water and cooling solutions to hospitality, healthcare, housing and leisure centers in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe, announced that it has extended its agreement with The Ability Group by adding a contract to supply clean energy to the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro hotel. Under the terms of the 30-year agreement, the company will install and operate a combined heat and power (CHP) system which will produce up to 200 kW of power or approximately 1.63 MWh of total energy per year. The Ability Group will receive...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced the introduction of  “American Classics,” a new line of reclaimed red oak, white oak and rustic oak solid-plank hardwood flooring, according to Viridian co-owner Joe Mitchoff. Like Viridian’s other flooring lines, the oak is derived from industrial shipping crates. These domestic hardwoods are reclaimed from the southeastern United States and are milled in Portland, Ore.“This red and white oak provides a uniquely sustainable option for classic North American species, with a hint of character to let you know its reclaimed,” Mitchoff said. “And the rustic option provides a vintage look with saw marks, nail...

MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.—Alto-Shaam introduced a new grease collection unit that safely and conveniently collects grease and meat by-products from their Combitherm ovens in high volume production facilities. The Combitherm Automatic Grease Collection System is designed to save labor and provide greater employee safety by eliminating the handling of hot grease that is normally collected in the drip pan.Through patent-pending technology, the system is electronically activated during the chicken cooking process. Chicken grease and other by-products are automatically pumped from the cavity drain into nearby mobile grease collection containers, which can hold enough volume for multiple batches of chicken during...

TOLEDO, OHIO—Betco Corp. introduces its Smart Restroom System. The Smart Restroom System provides a comprehensive solution to building owners, managers, and facility management to reduce building operating expenses while conserving natural resources while generating higher customer retention and satisfaction. Betco’s Smart Restroom System includes SmartValve and SmartScreen. These patent pending components turn most any urinal with a standard or automatic flush mechanism into a water conserving urinal avoiding costly tear-outs and installation of water free urinals as well as monthly cartridge maintenance costs. SmartValve and SmartScreen: •    Install quickly. The locking unit replaces handle or automated flusher in less than five...

WATERFORD, N.Y.—North America’s fourth largest producer of towel and tissue paper, Cascades Tissue Group, announced the launch of Cascades Moka 100 percent recycled unbleached bathroom tissue, a first-of-its-kind product available to the Away-from-Home market. Beige in appearance, Cascades Moka offers commercial purchasers the highest hygienic qualities and softness while significantly reducing the environmental impact associated with manufacturing a highly common, yet also single-use product.In addition to eliminating chemical whitening, Cascades’ value-added tissue product is made of a pulp mix composed of 100 percent recycled fiber, 80 percent of which is post-consumer material and 20 percent are recovered corrugated boxes....

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Valley Forge Fabrics announced that it has implemented UPS’ carbon neutral shipping program. In an effort to continuously reduce its effect on the environment, the company partnered with UPS to reduce its carbon dioxide (C02) impact while further demonstrating its commitment to a healthier planet.Valley Forge, the world’s largest supplier of decorative textiles to the hospitality industry, ships thousands of packages to customers across the globe every year. Shipping is one of the company’s largest emissions sources and makes up 95 percent of all the company’s greenhouse gases. Every package Valley Forge ships will now automatically include...

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—Designed with architectural aesthetics and performance in mind, WAC Lighting introduces energy efficient LEDme Line Voltage Step and Wall Lights that offer functionality ideal for safety and style on indoor and outdoor stairs, walls and other pathways in hotels, restaurants and other commercial spaces. The new LEDme Step and Wall Lights are offered in versatile, horizontal and circular scoop designs for a clean, seamless installation without any visible hardware. Easy to retrofit, square and rectangular shaped Step and Wall Lights can be mounted to a single gang standard styled junction box. Round shaped Step and Wall Lights...

MIDLAND, MICH.—Building insulation products from Dow Building Solutions have been recertified by the Cradle to Cradle Certified program, a well-known, multi-attribute eco-label that assesses a product’s material content, recyclability and manufacturing characteristics. Originally certified in 2010 and recertified in 2011, after rigorous analysis in 2012, STYROFOAM Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation recertified at the SILVER level and THERMAX Insulation achieved BASIC recertification.“When evaluating sustainable building materials, Dow advocates taking a ‘holistic’ approach, and we feel the Cradle to Cradle Certified program provides a strong indication of a product’s comparative value when looking at energy efficient solutions and underscores...