BERKELEY, CALIF.—VASKA, a Berkeley, Calif.-based producer of green, botanically-based laundry care products for the commercial, institutional and consumer markets, announced that Royal Laundry of South San Francisco, the largest privately owned commercial laundry on the West Coast, is washing one million pounds of laundry a week using Vaska’s green laundry solutions in its three state-of-the-art tunnel systems. Royal Laundry washes laundry for more than 100 Northern California hotels. Royal Laundry has been a major commercial laundry service provider in the Bay Area for 47 years. When Royal began to encounter challenges with its previous chemical supplier, Don Luckenbach , Royal’s...

SAN DIEGO—HD Supply Facilities Maintenance, a supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products to the multifamily housing, hospitality, and healthcare industries, has released its new Commercial Product Line Catalog, a 224-page document with more than 3,000 products for use in mid- and high-rise buildings. “Commercial product expansion is one of our key initiatives for 2009,” said Robin Soehl, vice president, marketing and business development, HD Supply Facilities Maintenance. “During these challenging economic times, our customers are looking to reduce the number of suppliers they do business with to streamline their purchasing process. The stocking of these products enhances our...

MILWAUKEE—Timber Holdings International, the original Iron Woods brand of naturally durable hardwood products, announced a partnership with MEISTER of Germany to be the U.S. distributor of the first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified laminate flooring line for the United States. The new flooring is suited for both commercial and residential buildings, and complies with LEED requirements set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council for green buildings. The laminate line includes both cork backed (9.3 mm) sound-absorbing, and non-cork backed (8mm) products in 4" and 5 1/2" widths. This floor is produced using the newly-developed direct printing technology, so there...

RIPON, WIS.—Who says efficiency isn’t fun? Probably somebody who’s never turned their old dryer into a soda cooler. UniMac, a leader in manufacturing energy- and water-efficient commercial laundry equipment, believes thinking “green” can be loads of fun and has launched its “Tumbler Re-use Project” to prove it. Located at www.unimac.com/promotions/tumbler/, the site takes an amusing turn in offering laundry managers and general managers of hotels and other properties ways to “re-purpose” their old, inefficient drying tumblers. From a soda cooler to a backyard fire pit, the Tumbler Re-Use Project will explore a variety of creative ideas to keep that old...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Two new lamps from GE Consumer & Industrial—a 7-watt GE Energy Smart LED PAR20 lamp and a 10-watt GE Energy Smart LED PAR30 lamp—enable restaurants, retailers and other commercial customers to make significant strides toward general lighting with white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). These products, available as spots or floods, feature advanced optical control to concentrate the white LED light on the targeted area and effectively diminish wasted extraneous light. “One noticeable technology achievement is the superior beam,” says Gus Lanese, manager of growth initiatives, GE Consumer & Industrial. “It’s a better directed light. Some retailer customers have already purchased...

LAKE ELMO, MINN.—PTAC MAGIC, which specializes in the installation and recycling of Packaged Terminal Air-Conditioning (PTAC) units for hotels and resort properties, announced that it is now offering free pickup of working PTACs to hoteliers across the United States. According to David Triemert, president of the Lake Elmo, Minn.-based company, the majority of PTAC air conditioners that are replaced with new units during hotel renovation projects may still have a useful life. Triemert says he receives a number of phone calls each day, about half from motel operators, who are interested in inexpensive, used PTACs. Triemert tries to source local...

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.—UL Environment Inc. announced it has validated environmental claims for Serious Materials’ new drywall product, EcoRock. This represents the first validation of claims by UL Environment since its launch in January 2009, and the first product in the 115-year history of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to receive an Environmental Claims Validation. UL Environment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UL, a world leader in product safety testing services. UL Environment validated Serious Materials’ environmental claims for EcoRock by performing assessments and laboratory tests. An audit was conducted for recycled content, environmental chamber tests were performed to determine volatile organic compound (VOC)...

SAINT-GEORGES, QUEBEC—Victor Group, a leading North American textile company, and a leader in the development of environmentally friendly fabrics, has joined the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) as a Silver Corporate Exemplary Member, earning the distinction of being the first textile manufacturer to join at this level. The Sustainable Furnishings Council is a nonprofit balanced coalition of industry players founded in High Point, N.C., in October 2006 to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike. The SFC recognizes the scientific consensus that the world is experiencing global climate change. SFC members acknowledge the tremendous urgency, and take immediate steps...

NASHVILLE—Uniguest, a leading public computer kiosk company, announced that it has joined the EPEAT Partner Reseller Program, to support the hospitality industry with its “green” purchasing decisions. EPEAT (www.epeat.net) is the preeminent environmental ratings system for desktops, laptops and monitors, with 30 manufacturers currently registering a total of 1,141 products in the system. The EPEAT system rates products as Bronze, Silver, or Gold based on a multi-attribute standard (IEEE Standard 1680 for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products) encompassing 51 environmental performance criteria. “Our customers are seeking environmentally-friendly product choices,” said Shawn Thomas, CEO of Uniguest. “However, most do not...

PHOENIX—On Friday, June 26, Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, located in Dover, Delaware, became the 700th lodging property to complete iStayGreen.org’s online self-audit. The hotel and casino earned a 4 Green Eco-Leaf Rating. The eco-rating allows the public to know the specific environmental initiatives in place at a property. Properties complete the comprehensive online self-audit and earn a Green Eco-Leaf Rating ranging from one to five Eco-Leafs with 5 Green Eco-Leafs being the highest level attainable. Ratings are based on environmental initiatives in place at the property. Only 14 properties have earned the 5 Green Eco-Leaf Rating thus far; eight...