MINNEAPOLIS—Advance’s EcoFlex System introduces a new level of scrubber flexibility that ends compromises between green cleaning and the cleanliness of floors. Now available on the Advenger rider-scrubber and coming soon on additional Advance scrubbers, the EcoFlex System lets operators easily control the level of cleaning performance needed to scrub hard floors while using environmentally preferable methods. “Cleaning green makes sense for a lot of reasons,” says Sara Thurston, commercial market manager for Advance. “However, every facility, surface type and cleaning program is different, so assuming that the same green cleaning technique will work in every situation just isn’t realistic.” The EcoFlex...

LOS ANGELES—The Radisson Los Angeles Airport Hotel has achieved Green Seal, Inc.’s Silver Level certification under the GS-33 Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties. This accomplishment gives the Radisson LAX the distinction of being the first hotel within the Radisson brand and one of only four hotels in the state of California to achieve Green Seal lodging certification. “It’s an honor to be among the leaders in L.A.’s hospitality industry making strides in environmental stewardship,” says Cindy Boulton, the hotel’s general manager. “We are thrilled to be associated with Green Seal, and are very proud to have achieved the...

ROANOKE, VA.—The Best Western Clock Tower Inn, Billings, Mont., has installed Lodging Technology’s GEM Link Wireless Energy Management in all 127 guestrooms. GEM Link Wireless reduces hotel/motel guestroom HVAC energy consumption 35 percent to 45 percent by resetting room temperature to an energy conserving level, pre-selected by the hotel, only while the guest is out of the room. GEM Link uses the reliable ZigBee wireless protocol and consists of wireless passive infrared (PIR) occupancy sensors, wireless door switches, and a transceiver control module connectable to any HVAC unit. The Best Western Clock Tower Inn has a mixture of GE and...

ATLANTA—The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners announced that 100 percent of their new vending machines and coolers will be hydrofluorocarbon-free (HFC-free) by 2015. Coca-Cola is committing to use its scale to aggregate demand and encourage supply as a means of accelerating the transition to HFC-free refrigeration equipment. This announcement is a direct result of work with Greenpeace that began in 2000, and a demonstration that phasing out the use of HFCs is a tangible and near-term action corporations can take to protect the climate. The transition to HFC-free refrigeration will reduce the equipment’s direct greenhouse gas emissions by 99...

HILLSBORO, ORE.—Caroma, a leader in dual flush toilets and stylish bathroom sinks, was chosen by Goodman Realty Group to furnish high efficiency toilets (HETs) for the historic Hotel Andaluz in Albuquerque, N.M. The hotel, with 107 guestrooms, opened on October 1, 2009, after a $30 million renovation. One goal for the Andaluz is LEED Gold certification, potentially the first for a hotel listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Caroma was chosen by Goodman Realty Group to help maximize water savings in the guestrooms and because of toilet design. The hotel has been retrofitted with Sydney Smart 270 and...

PATTERSON, N.Y.—Golden Group International, Ltd. (GGI) recently introduced Sani SAC to the hospitality industry. It is a sanitary, sealable, degradable plastic bag, and is the company’s environmentally friendly solution for the disposal of tampons/napkins, diapers and other similar items in public restrooms. GGI has created a 50-bag box, a 125-bag roll and a 5-bag handi-pack that can be used as a courtesy item in a hotel room. Jackie Transue, president of GGI, said she had the idea for founding GGI in 2007 while traveling on business as the president of her own mortgage company. She said practically every restroom in...

LOS ANGELES—The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Falcon Waterfree Technologies, a leading global supplier of water-free urinals, has received the President’s “E” Award for Export Growth. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke presented Falcon CEO James Krug and president Phillip Hermann with the award recently in Washington, D.C. “Exporting U.S. manufactured goods and services plays an important role in rebuilding the American economy and creating jobs at home,” explained Secretary Locke, while congratulating Falcon. “With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside our borders, there is great potential to boost economic growth and to create new jobs in America through...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—ClearWater Tech, LLC, a leading manufacturer of ozone generation systems for water and air purification, announced it has received the UL and ULC (equivalent to the Canadian Standards Assn. certification program) safety certification mark for its EcoTex Advanced Laundry Oxidation Systems. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that tests products and writes standards for safety. It has done so for more than a century. Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) is an independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization accredited by the Standards Council of Canada, under the National Standards System. ClearWater Tech completed...

BROOMFIELD, COLO.—The government’s recent Cash for Clunkers program helped the environment by getting thousands of gas-guzzling cars off the roads. Now, PhoneSuite is bringing that concept to the hospitality industry in an effort to rid hotels of older, energy-guzzling telephone systems. PhoneSuite, a leading provider of telecom solutions designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, and participating Authorized PhoneSuite Resellers have set up a $1 million fund to reward hoteliers for replacing their aging, environmentally unfriendly phone systems. From now until March 31, 2010, or when the fund is gone, hotel owners who purchase an energy-efficient PhoneSuite hotel/motel PBX will...

NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS—Mr.greenpoints has launched a website to help architects, contractors and builders sort through the confusing green building product marketplace. Mr.greenpoints provides product sustainability information based on user-defined criteria as well as a clear summary of the growing number of certifications that confirm and validate green product attributes. In addition, the website will allow users to determine when a product may help achieve regional materials credits by calculating and ranking the mileage from the manufacturing location to a project site, a feature not currently available anywhere else. Regional credits are intended to help limit energy use on transportation,...