DALTON, GA.—J+J Flooring Group is launching the Counterbalance Collection, its second offering of award-winning Kinetex textile composite flooring. Kinetex textile composite flooring, introduced last year, is an effective and efficient alternative to hard surface flooring. Constructed of knitted polyester fabric and cushioned polyester felt backing, it provides the durability of hard surface flooring, the comfort and warmth of soft surface flooring and better acoustics and safety than either. The flooring is virtually unaffected by common stains and resists crushing, withstanding more than 5 million foot traffics. Named one of Environmental Building News’ Top 10 Green Building Products of 2014,...

PORTLAND, ORE.—Viridian Reclaimed Wood announced it has launched a line of paneling derived from reclaimed cedar and redwood fencing, according to Viridian co-owner Pierce Henley.“Robert Frost’s musing verse, ‘good fences make good neighbors’ was the inspiration for our newest product,” Henley said.  “Our pet project to keep old fence boards from going to the landfill has grown into an extensive recycling operation and a gorgeous new paneling line called Good Neighbor.”Available in Weathered Redwood, Fresh-Sawn Redwood and Multi-Toned varieties, Good Neighbor paneling is lightweight and easy to work with.  Good Neighbor Weathered Redwood has been exposed to years of...

DALTON, GA.—Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett Company, has been Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver (v3) for its ethos modular soft surface products from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The Cradle to Cradle design principles provide for continual improvement and innovation around the economic, environmental and social issues of design and use of products. The purpose of the product certification program is to improve the way we design, make, use and reuse products.Tandus Centiva’s ethos is a backing option for Tandus Centiva modular soft surface product platforms. It was developed in 2010 from recycled PVB, which is an abundantly...

DEATH VALLEY, CALIF.—In keeping with its “pillars of sustainability,” the AAA Four Diamond Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park has enacted a series of initiatives designed to minimize the impact of its operations and of its guests. The resort has put in place programs to reduce waste and water usage, generate electricity and offer sustainable choices to its guests.Those efforts are working as the resort reports solid waste has been reduced by 44 percent, water usage has dropped 19 percent and electricity use is down 18 percent since 2010. In that same time period sustainably sourced food...

NEW YORK—The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Sustainability Committee has added a session entitled, “Measuring Hotel Carbon Footprints Using HCMI Methodology,” to the lineup of sessions at the Hospitality Leadership Forum which leads up to the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS). The session will take place from 3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 8 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. IHMRS will take place at the Javits Center from Sunday, November 9 through Tuesday, November 11.Pat Maher, partner, The Maher Group, LLC, will moderate the panel discussion that will include:...

KA‘ANAPALI, MAUI, HAWAII—Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is celebrating its LEED Silver EBOM (Existing Building Operations and Maintenance) certification, awarded as a result of a long term commitment to environmental sustainability. This certification is the first of any building in the state of Hawaii. The property recently completed renovations throughout the resort, including the pool area, Drums of the Pacific Luau, and dining outlets. Throughout the renovation process members of the Hyatt Regency Maui operations team worked closely with property owner Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. and with third-party consultants Green Building Hawaii to make the necessary environmentally...

LOS ANGELES—Energy and environmental enthusiasts are increasingly calling businesses to take green action and implement sustainable initiatives. Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City is continuing to make great strides and is one of the few Green Seal Silver certified environmentally conscious lodging facilities in California. The hotel executives understand sustainability as the ability to meet present needs without comprising that of future generations.The property is committed to energy conservation, waste minimization and executing an environmentally friendly operation. By doing this, the hotel is not only helping to reduce the greenhouse emissions that impact global climate change and save energy; but also...

SAN FRANCISCO—Tens of thousands of Californians, including a pledge of 1,000 California Fairmont Hotels & Resorts colleagues, friends and family members, will volunteer to remove debris from the coast, creeks, rivers, lakes and shorelines all around California protecting wildlife from harm while taking care of the environment. The event, the 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, will take place on Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to noon in most locations.In 2013, close to 65,000 volunteers state-wide removed 674,234 pounds of trash and an additional 75,089 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 749,323 pounds or 375 tons...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—Commercial foodservice and plumbing product manufacturer T&S Brass and Bronze Works announced that EnviroPure, its organic food waste disposal system, has received the 2014 Innovations Award from the Asia Pacific division of Food Consultants Society International (FCSI). The Asia Pacific Division of FCSI is the newest of the society’s worldwide membership organizations, representing a diverse range of cultures from India and China to Japan and the Pacific.“We are delighted—but not surprised—at this distinguished recognition,” said Bill Stella, T&S Director of International Sales, who accepted the award for the company. “The EnviroPure system is revolutionizing food waste handling....

LAS VEGAS—Mirtha Eusebio, a card dealer at Bally’s in Las Vegas, is getting excited about the trip she will be taking to the Dominican Republic from September 23 to 26 with two other Caesars Entertainment employees. The three will be joining Clean the World Foundation staff and representatives of Children International on a trip to distribute soap to those in need in three locations. The soap to be distributed was donated by lodging establishments and sanitized and reprocessed by Clean the World. Eusebio and her two colleagues were selected as a result of a contest held by the Caesars...