WINCHESTER, VA.—Rubbermaid Commercial Products has introduced its Premium Step-On Container line. Rubbermaid’s new Premium Step-On makes waste collection more efficient and helps reduce labor costs. Innovative features include an integrated lid damper and heavy-duty can liner retaining straps. With aesthetically pleasing designs, Rubbermaid’s Premium Step-On Containers are the smart choice wherever a large capacity, hands-free waste collection solution is required. “A recent CleanLink survey found that labor-related costs are the number one concern for maintenance professionals,” says Christen Brooker, product manager for RCP. “Our new Premium Step-On Containers, in 23-gallon and new 30-gallon capacities, help cut labor costs by reducing...

LAGRANGE, GA.—Milliken Hospitality announced Trees for Carpet, an education program offering customer incentives for acts of stewardship, during HD Expo in Miami Beach. “We are committed to spreading the principles of sustainability along the supply chain and using these opportunities to educate our industry about the value of green building,” says business manager for Milliken Hospitality, Steve Hillis. “Trees for Carpet provides a simple platform for our customers to make a difference.” Milliken & Company, an international carbon negative manufacturer, has demonstrated its passion for stewardship for more than a century. Trees for Carpet is a program under Milliken’s Trees for...

SAN DIEGO—Oster and Associates, Inc., a San Diego-based marketing agency, has announced a shift in agency branding to a focus on green marketing. “Being environmentally conscious is not a new philosophy for us,” says Bev Oster, the agency’s president. “It has been at the core of much of the business the agency has done over the past 21 years.” “If we had announced that we were a ‘green’ agency five years ago, no one would have noticed,” she adds. “Today, green is attracting everyone’s attention. And that has triggered some significant growth for the agency.” The agency’s green...

MINNEAPOLIS—Honeywell introduced EXCEL 5000 OpenViewNet, a secure network device that connects the EXCEL 5000 family of controllers to the Internet, delivering remote, Web-based monitoring and control of heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems. “We’re bringing secure Web access to a legacy control system without forcing users to migrate to a new platform,” says Mike Taylor, vice president of Americas marketing, Honeywell Building Solutions. “With OpenViewNet, facility managers always have control of their EXCEL 5000 systems at their fingertips, saving time and increasing efficiency.” OpenViewNet gives users quick access to building data via Internet Explorer or a Pocket PC-enabled mobile device using...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has added its first case study to its new Vendor Case Studies section. The case study focuses on the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston and how it successfully implemented Excel Dryer’s XLERATOR hand dryer. After receiving a recommendation from the deputy director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, John Donahue, building superintendent, selected the Excel XLERATOR. It is designed with a high-velocity air stream that blows off excess water droplets and rapidly evaporates the remaining layer of moisture. XLERATOR dries hands in 10 to 15 seconds, three times faster than traditional...

TUALATIN, ORE.—Hartmann & Forbes, a fabricator of sustainable handcrafted window coverings, has converted its signature ColourWeave Collection to use exclusively Low and No VOC paints (Volatile Organic Compounds). ColourWeave is now one of the most environmentally friendly painted matchstick collections of its kind in the industry. “The mission of Project Green is to do our best to minimize the environmental impact across our business,” says Michael Jones, Hartmann & Forbes’ founder and CEO. “The recent strides that paint companies have made in environmentally friendly paints have allowed us, in turn, to provide our clients a more environmentally responsible shade.” Each weave...

ATLANTA—Simmons Hospitality Group’s new ComforPedic by Simmons next-generation memory foam bedding line received the Hospitality Design Best of Boutique Award at the HD Boutique 2007 Exposition & Conference. The honor, which recognizes unique product introductions exhibited at HD Boutique, was awarded to just 11 of the more than 80 Best of Boutique entries. “We are thrilled that Hospitality Design named the ComforPedic by Simmons line one of the best new product introductions at HD Boutique,” says Steve Tipton, vice president of Simmons Hospitality Group. “The Best of Boutique distinction reinforces that our ComforPedic NxG Advanced Memory Foam is truly innovative...

SOMERSET, N.J. – Philips Lighting Co., a division of Philips Electronics North America Corp., an affiliate of Royal Philips Electronics, announces the introduction of ALTO II, its next-generation low-mercury fluorescent lamp technology for the professional lighting market. Twelve years ago, Philips Lighting introduced its original ALTO technology and set a new industry standard by reducing the amount of mercury in its T8 fluorescent lamps to an industry low of 3.5 mg. Today, through Philips Lighting’s innovative technology, ALTO II T8 lamps now contain only 1.7 mg of mercury, a 50 percent reduction from previous levels. Now incorporated into...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Unique Amenities as a Green Product Directory partner. Unique Amenities provides natural ingredient toiletries that are made from environmentally friendly, GE-free (not genetically engineered) ingredients, and are 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable. All of the company’s products are imported from New Zealand for purity and cleanliness. Call (888) 786-4783, go to www.uniqueamenities.com, or e-mail lsheiner@uniqueamenities.com for more information.

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Master-Bilt as a Green Product Directory partner. New Albany, Miss.-based Master-Bilt provides a complete line of refrigerated coolers and freezers—from ice cream dipping cabinets to refrigerated warehouses. Many products are designed with energy-saving features and options such as demand defrost, alarms and light management systems. Master-Bilt also offers Energy Star and CEC certified reach-ins, milk coolers and other equipment. Call 800-647-1284 or e-mail sales@master-bilt.com for more details. Go to Master-Bilt.