GENEVA—The future ISO 50001 standard for energy management was recently approved as a Draft International Standard (DIS). ISO 50001 will establish a framework for industrial plants, commercial facilities or entire organizations to manage energy. Targeting broad applicability across national economic sectors, it is estimated that the standard could influence up to 60 percent of the world’s energy use. The document is based on the common elements found in all of ISO’s management system standards, assuring a high level of compatibility with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management). ISO 50001 will provide the following benefits: • A framework for integrating...

NEW YORK— Recognizing that climate change is at a critical juncture, Designtex has cemented its commitment to operate as a carbon-neutral company. The New York-based textile and surface solutions company announced that it has reduced the greenhouse gas footprint of its operations to net zero. “I am pleased to say that we have reduced or offset 100 percent of the CO2 emissions from all of our facilities,” said Tom Hamilton, president and CEO of Designtex. “In addition, we are offsetting all of Designtex’s business travel, employee commuting, and all product shipments into and out of our warehouse.” Since the mid-1990s, Designtex...

TORONTO— Decreasing waste and improving sustainability is often a function of controlling cost and improving environmental stewardship. WasteLess Environmental Services Inc., of Calgary, is helping Canadian companies reduce waste and reach environmental improvement goals. ZeroWaste, a new program offering from WasteLess, takes this mission one step further. Instead of aiming to reduce waste created by corporations, it completely eliminates it. Through consultative waste audits, new landfill diversion tactics and breakthrough recycling programs, the ZeroWaste application by WasteLess is capturing industry attention because of its design, implementation and results. Coast Hotels & Resorts in Vancouver, B.C., a WasteLess client, has received...

SAN DIEGO—Cali Bamboo, a leading manufacturer of green building materials for residential and commercial projects made primarily from bamboo, announced its first flooring line created from cork, another highly renewable and recycled material. CaliCork is a ready-to-lay product manufactured from cork used in wineries, and is a step up from other cork floors with its proprietary ceramic wear-resistant technology that nearly eliminates the appearance of scratches, scuff marks, scoring and rough spots. “The unique, abrasion resistant surface is a big improvement in the cork flooring market,” said Jeff Goldberg, CEO and founder of Cali Bamboo. “If you are familiar with wine...

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—New high performance, high efficiency toilets (HETs) are now available as part of three complete bathroom collections from American Standard Brands, including the Studio, Tropic and Evolution series, which offer styles that range from traditional to contemporary. “Savvy shoppers can focus on finding the ideal bathroom fixtures and coordinating design accessories, knowing that water efficient technology and top-rated flushing performance are built in,” says James Walsh, director of chinaware for American Standard. The top-rated flushing platforms used in these three bathroom collections, including the new high efficiency toilet additions, are capable of flushing more than 2.2 pounds of solids without...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—Pineapple Hospitality, owner and operator of the EcoRooms & EcoSuites green lodging certification program, announced that the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) has accepted EcoRooms & EcoSuites as one of its recommended green certification programs. Pineapple also announced that its certification program has been approved as a resource for the ECO icon in AAA publications. Green certification programs recommended by AH&LA help guide AH&LA members toward green certification programs that meet their diverse needs for developing an environmentally-friendly and sustainable hotel. AAA created the ECO icon to assist consumers who want to know if a property is...

TORONTO—The Carbon Accounting Company has officially launched Green Hotels Global, a standardized, comprehensive online source of information on the environmental performance of hotels worldwide. Standardized metrics and data on participating hotel properties are available free of charge to meeting/event planners and corporate travel professionals. Each hotel property receives an online portal to enter monthly data from utility and fuel bills, water usage, waste disposal, air-conditioning fugitive gases, employee travel and commute, and supplier purchases. Using international environmental protocols, the online tool then automatically calculates that hotel’s current environmental metrics on a per-room-night and square foot basis, and provides that data...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—As the economy begins to recover and U.S. hotel occupancy improves, demand for sustainable solutions is at an all time high. To meet growing demand for its green products, Concept Amenities, a global manufacturer of hotel toiletries, has added three new positions in the United States. “An estimated 3.5 billion toiletry bottles and caps end up in landfill every year in the U.S. alone,” explains Gary Coward, president of sales for Concept Amenities. “We manufacture our guest amenities with Eco Pure, which allows plastic to biodegrade in landfill within a few years.” Coward clarifies the new appointments were essential, and...

COHOES, N.Y.—Mohawk remains one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 50 Green Power Partners, currently ranking as No. 32 on the list, as well as ranking number nine on the list of 100 percent Green Power Purchasers. Mohawk joins other leading renewable energy purchasers such as Intel Corp., Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Inc., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force, and City of Dallas.  EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,200 partner organizations to voluntarily purchase green power, reducing the environmental impacts of conventional electricity...

SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS—Travelocity announced it will add hundreds of properties to its Green Hotel Directory that have been validated by Hilton Worldwide’s innovative sustainability measurement system, LightStay. Travelocity is awarding its coveted “eco-friendly hotel” leaf tag to more than 300 elite properties among the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, each of which has made significant strides toward sustainability. Travelocity is the only major online travel company that tags eco-friendly hotels site-wide. “Our eco-friendly leaf is a symbol consumers can trust, and it makes shopping a snap,” says Alison Presley, manager of Travelocity’s Travel for Good program. “We’re excited to award it to over...