DALTON, GA.—Zeftron nylon announced Jerica Sifuentes, a project coordinator and designer at Go Studio in Dallas, as the grand prize winner in its third annual Sustainable Practices Award competition. Tina Hovsepian, a designer with Duvivier Architects and CEO of Cardborigami Inc. in Los Angeles has been selected as the runner-up. The award honors commercial architecture, interior design and facility professionals who are helping create a more sustainable planet by implementing innovative green practices at their work, in their homes and in their communities. As a way to further advance sustainable practices, the award requires the winner and runner-up to select...

MIAMI—Viva Wyndham Resorts announces that the Viva Wyndham Maya Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico has been awarded the Rainforest Alliance Verified mark. This verification by one of the world’s leading environmental nonprofits demonstrates the all-inclusive resort company’s progress towards minimizing its environmental footprint and supporting the sustainability of the local cultures and surrounding communities of its properties. Rainforest Alliance verification is a tool for tourism companies such as hotel and resort chains, tour operators and others to operate sustainably. The organization works with these companies to achieve the verification goal by providing guidance throughout the process, training and technical...

TUPELO, MISS.—Kana Hotel Group announces the grand opening of the green-focused Hampton Inn & Suites Tupelo/Barnes Crossing. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the property took place last month. In cooperation with its sustainability and energy efficiency partner EcoGreenHotel and Humphreys & Associates Contractors, Kana Hotel Group’s mission was to create a property that was eco-friendly, sustainable and energy-efficient. “We go beyond incorporating sustainability initiatives that are visible to our hotel guests including LED lighting, heating and cooling energy management systems that are forward-thinking and environmentally responsible,” said Stephanie Browning, general manager, Hampton Inn & Suites Tupelo/Barnes Crossing. Measures put in place at...

LOUISVILLE, CO.—Unearthed Paints, a new natural paint company, brings a new vision and sustainable reinterpretations to the paint industry with its exclusive selection of eco-friendly paints. Crafted with minimally processed natural ingredients such as clay, chalk, lime, and Italian marble, the paints are biodegradable, vegan, and 100 percent VOC-free. All Unearthed paints are tinted with earth and mineral pigments: Ochers, Sienna, Umbers, Ultramarines and Spinels. These pigments give the paint a depth and radiance that cannot be achieved by the chemical colorants used in conventional paints. Pigments are shipped in a powder form, extending the life period of the paint,...

GARDEN CITY, N.Y.—Reinforcing its Responsible Lighting brand standard with ongoing improvement of the company’s programs for environmental protection and conservation, WAC Lighting received an ISO-14001 Certification for its effective environmental management system of designing and producing luminaires and components. The company operates a clean, wholly owned manufacturing campus with zero landfill status, recycling capabilities and in-house UL authorized labs. “We are proud to be awarded this latest ISO certification,” stated Shelley Wald, president of WAC Lighting. “Our environmental management system is precisely aligned with our ‘Responsible Lighting’ philosophy that provides a holistic, strategic approach to our organization’s environmental policy, plans...

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—3M Architectural Markets introduces Custom Formed Reflectors, polymeric-based reflectors that increase the optical efficiency of LED and CFL light fixtures. Made in a free form custom optical design, the reflectors achieve up to 98 percent in reflectivity and allow product designers to put light exactly where they want it. With Custom Formed Reflectors from 3M, lighting designers can deliver more light with less energy. Designed for use in architectural, commercial and retail lighting, as well as outdoor lighting, the engineered reflective optics of the Custom Formed Reflectors increase the light fixture’s lumen output by up to 30 percent....

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Verve Living Systems as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Verve Living Systems is the one of the innovative brands of Masco Corporation, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s largest manufacturers of brand-name products for the home improvement and new home construction markets. Verve products include wireless, battery-less sensors and controls that can be easily installed in minutes using existing resources. When combined with its HVAC setback module or thermostat and its in-line switch module, Verve Living Systems’ wireless occupancy sensors can be used...

FREDERICK, MD.—Skyware Hospitality Solutions, a global provider of Web based property management systems, has expanded its services to allow users the capability to update both rates and availability securely and instantaneously through SiteMinder applications. The XML connection improves the speed and accuracy at which rates are updated and reflected on the booking system. “Accurate and effective rate updates are important to our clients,” said Mario Gordon, Skyware’s chief technology officer. “The direct connection with Siteminder will enable our hotel clients to save time and be confident that all of their rates are distributed correctly to their booking channels.” The increase in...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Famed explorer, environmentalist and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau is partnering with Concept Amenities and Maricoid to introduce a carefully crafted environmental collection of bath and body care products for planet-savvy hotel guests across the world. This unique collection—Jean-Michel Cousteau by Maricoid—is inspired by the beauty and wonders of the oceans and reflects Cousteau’s life-long commitment to the environment. The line contains a 100 percent organic seaweed extract from Tasmanian waters. Eighteen months in the making, the project is the brainchild of Maricoid, an Australian skincare brand. Pure organic marine ingredients are used from Marinova, an Australian biotechnology company which researches marine...

CARTERSVILLE, GA.—To help combat bed bug infestations, BugBand, Inc. has developed Bed Bugs No More!, a naturally derived pesticide that kills bed bugs and eggs on contact, then continues to repel the blood-thirsty pests for up to two weeks. Bed Bugs No More! relies on Geraniol, the same naturally derived active ingredient in BugBand’s line of environmentally-friendly DEET-free insect repellent products. Bed Bugs No More! uses a highly concentrated, Swiss-developed version of Geraniol, which kills adult bed bugs, eggs, larvae, nymphs on contact by attacking their exoskeletons. Standard pesticide products are nerve agents that only kill insects with developed nervous...