HIGHLAND PARK, ILL.—Hotels looking for upscale recycling wastebaskets for the guestrooms now have viable options thanks to T2 Site Amenities. According to Lori Tilkin, principal at the company, “many hotels do not find blue plastic as appropriate for their design requirements. As a result, guestrooms have gone without recycling wastebaskets despite a property’s green initiatives.” T2 Site Amenities is now offering a wide range of styles available in steel and wicker. The fire-safe steel products can be powder coated in a wide range of finishes. Styles include Round, Half Round, Rectangular and the “Side Saddle.” Many custom options are...

LANSING, MICH.—The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) has published the second edition of the textbook, “International Hotels: Development and Management.” Written by Chuck Yim Gee, dean emeritus of the School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii at Manoa, with contributing author A. J. Singh of The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University, this new edition explores key issues in international hospitality. Readers will learn about new trends and developments that have changed the context of global hotel operations and management and explore international policies affecting travel, tourism, and hotel development. All exhibits and statistics have...

ST. LOUIS—HOK and the Biomimicry Guild have forged a first-of-its-kind alliance linking the natural and built environment. This exclusive relationship between one of the world’s largest architectural design firms and the only bio-inspired innovation company will integrate nature’s innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide. Established by biologists Janine Benyus and Dr. Dayna Baumeister in 1998, Biomimicry is a science that studies nature’s best ideas and imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Biomimicry has inspired numerous commercial products and individual building projects, and the new alliance between the Biomimicry Guild and HOK...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—Pineapple Hospitality has launched two free quarterly e-newsletters, bringing together the latest news, data and trends of the hospitality industry. The first newsletter, “Fresh Ideas,” is aimed at anyone in the industry who has or is considering adding a green component to his/her hospitality offerings. Within this rapidly evolving market, tens of millions of environmentally conscious customers are searching for options that will help them bring their eco-minded practices with them on the road and reduce their carbon footprints as they travel. The newsletter outlines the new products and practices that will help a hotel stand out in...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading provider of centrally managed solutions for integrated energy management, networking, building automation and proactive support services, announced that it has entered into a two-year, $1 million line of credit facility with Thermo Credit, LLC, a funding company specializing in the telecommunications industry. The proceeds from this line of credit, together with the Thermo Credit $2.5 million receivable financing agreement signed in February 2008, will be used for the working capital requirements of the company to support growth opportunities and accelerate revenue. “As we discussed in our second quarter conference call, this completes our goal of...

BUFFALO—Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. (ECS), the largest privately held demand response provider in the country, has announced the launch of its new website. ECS’ new site links together individual market sites, making it easier to navigate and inform the public of ECS’ PowerPay! Demand Response programs in each territory of the United States and Canada. The site will also feature case studies, tips for reducing electric use during reduction events and more opportunities to request information or contact with ECS for conference calls or meetings—additions that were not available on the previous site. “Updating our website is something we have...

OSCODA, MICH.—Oscoda Plastics, Inc., the manufacturer of PROTECT-ALL Commercial Flooring, has become a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Oscoda joins more than 15,000 member organizations working to provide a green future in building and design. “Our flooring products are manufactured from 100 percent post-industrial vinyl,” said John Rouse, national sales manager for Oscoda Plastics. “By joining the USGBC we are reinforcing our commitment to being an environmentally responsible company.” The USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program promotes sustainable building management and construction practices and provides a rating system for evaluating a building’s environmentally-friendly features....

LAS VEGAS—Oriens Travel & Hotel Management Corp., an emerging travel and hotel management company operating online travel booking site 128trip and hotel management subsidiary Hotel PURE, reported that it has added five GREEN certified hotels in Costa Rica to its Hotel PURE portfolio. Following the addition of a new eco-friendly brand, Hotel PURE GREEN, which debuted on August 20, 2008, the company has added five new hotels, which are GREEN certified or participating in the government of Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), to its Hotel PURE offerings. With the recent migration of a large number of vacation tourists...

MOUNT PROSPECT, ILL.—ESCO Institute announces the release of Green Awareness, a new publication that provides a basic understanding of green concepts, terminologies, systems, and the latest in green mechanical technology. Every day the word “Green” enters our lives. We read about it in the news, we see it on TV and we hear about it on the radio, but what is it and how does it affect us? When it comes to mechanicals, (HVAC/R, plumbing and electrical) “Green” means maximizing the energy efficiency of existing equipment, specifying the most efficient systems available for the application and the available...

PARSIPPANY, N.J. —Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, is expanding its environmental efforts through a “Global Green Day” event and the appointment of Faith Taylor as vice president, Sustainability and Innovation. “Global Green Day” will take place in Wyndham Worldwide offices around the globe including U.S. locations in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla.; Indianapolis; Springfield, Miss.; Las Vegas; Parsippany, N.J.; Aberdeen, S.D.; Johnson City, Tenn.; and Redmond, Wash. International locations include: Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The event will include educational components on the WyndhamGreen program, access to eco-friendly...