PORTLAND, ORE.—With shared vision and focus, The Heathman Hotel and Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects (AMAA) have partnered to deliver a locally responsible, sustainable and efficient remodel of all 155 of the historic hotel’s bathrooms. Beginning this month hotel guests are able to experience the remodeled bathrooms and see that luxury and sustainability can coexist. In October 2007, AMAA, an integrated architectural and interior design firm based in Portland, Ore., was tasked with implementing a sustainable remodel within a historic and luxury hotel. “We welcomed the opportunity to work with the Heathman Hotel, a renowned Northwest historic icon,” said Karen Bowery, head...

BROADVIEW, ILL.—As public demand for green initiatives in business increases, management and public relations teams are constantly looking for more effective ways to communicate the effectiveness of their environmental programs to current and potential customers. In response to this growing market trend, Air Cycle Corp. has developed Online Recycling Reports, an innovative solution to identify, track, review, and communicate lamp, ballast, battery and electronic recycling totals for any organization. Air Cycle Corp. has already established itself in the recycling services market with the EasyPak pre-paid recycling container program, bulk pickup options for larger facilities, and the Bulb Eater, the original...

IRVINE, CALIF.—Food Recycle Science continues its innovations in food waste recycle technologies with the introduction of the new eCorect system—a high-speed food waste recycling machine, through a distribution partnership with Lancaster, Pa.-based Somat Co., a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Company which was recently named a 2008 Energy Star Partner of the Year. The eCorect system is an environmentally-friendly waste dehydrating machine that rapidly reduces/decomposes the weight and volume of food waste, meat scraps, small chicken and fish bones and paper/cardboard and compostables by 85 to 93 percent and transforms them into a high-quality, humus rich organic soil amendment...

ELLWOOD CITY, PA.—The Energy Services Division of The Eric Ryan Corp. has been contracted to provide utility bill auditing and energy consulting services to a U.S.-based hotel management company with properties in the Caribbean Islands. The Ellwood City, Pa., company signed its first international contract in June with Caribbean Property Group LLC. The company operates 14 properties in the Caribbean Islands, including The Palm Beach Aruba Marriott and Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. “It has become very apparent that the energy crisis has catapulted the request for energy consumption and cost analysis to the forefront of business owners’ minds and...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Since issuing GS-33, the Environmental Standard for Lodging Properties, in 1999, Green Seal, Inc. has certified many lodging properties in a number of states. The standard has been revised in minor ways twice, and remains a leadership standard that challenges the lodging industry to operate more sustainably. After reviewing its Green Lodging Program and the progress it has made over the years, Green Seal has decided to propose a provisional revision of GS-33. This revision will primarily enable properties to be certified at three different levels to reflect the range of performance and the difficulty in achieving a high...

PHOENIX—Many hotels and resorts now tout their environmentally friendly practices to lure eco-conscious travelers. It can be hard for consumers to tell if a hotel is truly eco-friendly or just employing sneaky PR tactics. iStayGreen’s social network will create accountability, forcing properties to own up to whether they’re truly green or greenwashing. iStayGreen.org lists more than 95,000 lodging properties worldwide with just under 3,000 currently Green Leaf Rated (their proprietary green rating system). “Our members separate fact from hype,” says Richard Varner, founder of iStayGreen.org. “We’ve created a social network structure, much like Facebook, where our members can rally together...

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.—The GE outdoor LED area light from GE Lighting Systems, Inc.—the first of many outdoor LED lighting systems the company is introducing—will provide up to 60 percent energy savings, longer life and significantly improved light-level uniformity compared with traditional HID lamp sources and optical systems, such as a standard 400-watt quartz metal halide system. High performance LED systems from Lumination, LLC, also a GE Consumer & Industrial business, enable the GE LED outdoor area light to deliver excellent system and application efficiency with up to four times the recommended service interval of standard HID systems—a 50,000-hour planned service...

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Energy Curtailment Specialists, Inc. (ECS), a privately held demand response provider, announces the addition of its PowerPay! PLUS program to its menu of demand response programs. PowerPay! PLUS is offered to members of PowerPay! PJM and allows businesses to choose when they want to reduce their electricity, giving them an extra revenue stream for their electric demand reduction efforts. This program is a best-efforts, no penalty program in which participants are paid for reducing electricity when electricity prices in the market reach a threshold pre-determined by the company and ECS. ECS will provide detailed price forecasting...

VENICE, CALIF.—Sustainable contemporary furniture-design firm Animavi announced the introduction of the Animavi Artisan Screen, a seven-section, freestanding space-defining sculpture for commercial and custom residential applications. The Artisan Screen is comprised of seven handcrafted steel bases that can be configured in a linear or serpentine form, enabling a six- to seven-foot length. The base unit is available in two finishes: artisan patina or raw steel. The seven-foot vertical planks that make up the screen can be specified in three different material options: Chroma by 3form, Varia Pure Color ecoresin by 3form or Forest Stewardship (FSC)-certified bamboo by Plyboo. “The Artisan Screen is...

SAN DIEGO—Bekaert Specialty Films, LLC reaffirmed its pledge to environmental stewardship by announcing that it has defined its carbon footprint. Bekaert Specialty Films’ solar control window films, sold under the Solar Gard and Panorama brands, have long been recognized for their role in reducing energy consumption, and the company is now the first specialized film manufacturer to make this level of operational commitment to environmentally-responsible practices. “The certification of our carbon footprint is an important step in our overall strategy to improve our environmental practices,” said Christophe Fremont, President, Bekaert Specialty Films. “As leaders, we are pushing the...