ORLANDO, FLA.—The Regal Sun Resort, an Official Walt Disney World Hotel, has selected Hospitality Battery Holders’ Electronic Lock Battery Holder to replace its wrap-around battery packs. This will allow the hotel to use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable battery packs, according to Charlie Rodriguez, account manager for Hospitality Battery Holder. The Regal Sun Resort installed the Electronic Lock Battery Holder in its 626 rooms. “The Regal Sun Resort is expected to save more than $8,000 dollars within the next five years,” Rodriguez says. Go to Hospitality Battery Holder.

AUSTELL, GA.—YKK AP America announced the “Building a Better Tomorrow, Today” YouTube video competition to encourage innovation while further advancing the green building industry. Interested participants can now submit videos showcasing their ideas for how America can enhance the built environment for generations to come, whether it’s through an energy-savings, green building or sustainability perspective. Submissions are encouraged from architects, designers, contractors, manufacturers, students and the general public, and can consist of a new or existing idea, design, product or project. Winners will be announced at GreenBuild in Chicago in November. To enter, participants can post their videos, which should...

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Hotel owners have a personal and corporate responsibility to keep nearly a million mattress sets out of landfills each and every year. Mattress Renewal Pro, Saint Paul, Minn., has engineered a system that can eliminate this waste, save 50 percent of the cost of mattress replacement, and provide a sustainable product that will be equal to or surpasses the comfort and quality of the original mattress. Mattress Renewal Pro has been developed by specialists with 45 years of mattress manufacturing knowledge. This program has never been offered before in the lodging industry. The Mattress Renewal Pro system: • The company...

BOULDER, COLO.—Sustainable Travel International (STI) announced that Sonnenalp Resort of Vail has achieved its Luxury Eco Certification Standard (LECS), becoming the first hotel in the western United States to pass the intensive on-site inspection and receive this distinction. Designed to educate, as well as help luxury hotels create and implement a sustainability management framework, LECS is a voluntary, global certification program focusing on people, planet and profit. In order to become LECS certified, hotels must undergo a preliminary desk audit, complemented by an on-site, third-party assessment handled by Leading Quality Assurance. The five areas that are evaluated include: policy and...

NEW YORK—The International Copper Association (ICA) announced a new heat exchanger coil technology that benefits from smaller diameter copper tubes. The new product designs and associated manufacturing processes are a culmination of years of research. Heat transfer from the refrigerant to the tube wall is more effective inside copper tubes with diameters smaller than the conventional diameter. Consequently, coils can be made less bulky and air conditioners with higher energy efficiency can be made smaller and lighter. “It is true that highly efficient air conditioners currently are being made with conventional copper tubes,” says Nigel Cotton, global leader of OEM Initiative...

CHICAGO—Cintas Corp. introduced the Full Circle Eco Polo, a “green” polo made from a recycled polyester/eco-charcoal blend. At the end of its lifecycle, the garment can be recycled into new material, creating a closed-loop system and helping organizations to further enhance their green apparel programs. “Our new polo is one of the most sustainable garments available,” said Todd McKeown, vice president of Hospitality at Cintas. “It keeps water bottles out of landfills and helps reduce resource exhaustion and global warming. This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to show they’re serious about combating the environmental impact of their operations.” Fifty percent...

HORSHAM, PA.—Cvent, a provider of online event management, meeting site selection and Web survey solutions, announced a partnership with Green Key Global to help the more than 65,000 monthly meeting planner users of the company’s online site selection and sourcing tool, the Cvent Supplier Network, plan green meetings and events. Through the “Environmentally Friendly” filter on the Cvent Supplier Network and Green Key ratings on venue profiles, meeting planners can easily research, identify and do business with Green Key-certified hotels and hotel meeting facilities in the United States and Canada. “We are always looking for ways to enhance the Cvent...

PLYMOUTH, MINN.—Advance now offers vacuums that meet the requirements for sustainable cleaning equipment specified by the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Rating System (LEED-EBOM). Advance vacuums that can contribute points to LEED certification include Adgility XP backpack vacuums and Spectrum upright vacuums. The Adgility XP and Spectrum vacuums have been awarded the Carpet and Rug Institute’s (CRI) Seal of Approval and operate with a sound level of less than 70 dBA, both of which are requirements for vacuums under the LEED-EBOM program. The purchase of green cleaning equipment is a prerequisite to Indoor...

ORLANDO, FLA.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has partnered with Safety Source Productions to offer two new training videos on important topics for all hospitality operations—bed bugs and sexual harassment. Based in Southern California, Safety Source Productions delivers video training programs, e-learning, and interactive training for dozens of industries, including hospitality. Bed Bugs: Facts & Prevention is a 12-minute DVD developed to meet the training needs of housekeepers, maintenance employees, and property managers. The program raises awareness of this critical issue and provides information to help employees detect, manage, and prevent bed bug infestations. Sexual Harassment: What Managers Need...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Concept Amenities announced that Gary Coward will be a speaker and presenter at the Environmental Plastics Solutions Conference, September 20 to 21, 2010 at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. The two-day conference, which will feature technology innovators and scientists, will explore the latest developments in plastics sustainability, biodegradation testing, international demand and competition, legislation, developments in biodigestors and plastics of the future. President of sales, and company co-founder at Concept Amenities, Coward will represent the manufacturing sector of the hospitality industry, long considered a sizeable contributor to landfill waste. As a leading supplier of hotel...