ORLANDO, FLA.—Marietta Corp., a leading hotel amenities provider to the hospitality industry worldwide, has partnered with Clean the World Global LLC to help recycle hotel soaps and bottled amenities and stop the spread of preventable diseases worldwide. The partnership broadens Marietta’s corporate social responsibility initiatives among its extensive list of hotel partners in North America and extends its eco-friendly portfolio of amenity services, which already include “green” product offerings, such as Aveda, Naturals, PAYA Organics, ProTerra, Sonoma Soap Co., Earth’s Accents, Dispensers and Eco Gallons. Orlando, Fla.-based Clean the World is the largest global recycler of hotel amenities and offers sustainable,...

SNOWMASS, COLO.—Viceroy Snowmass, which opened to rave reviews in late 2009, announced that it has been awarded LEED Gold certification, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Viceroy Snowmass is the first hotel in Aspen/Snowmass to be awarded LEED Gold as well as the first luxury hotel in Colorado to receive this prestigious designation. By incorporating sustainable design and construction, innovative operational practices, and a culture of environmental stewardship, Viceroy Snowmass aims to...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—Neenah Paper has launched an enhanced version of its Neenah Eco-Calculator featuring greater customization capabilities. The Neenah Eco-Calculator instantly calculates the environmental savings achieved by choosing one of Neenah’s large selection of recycled papers made with post-consumer fiber papers. Highlights of the new Eco-Calculator include allowing the user to create a personalized, customizable and printable report and recording each project for future reference. Additional new features include:  • Personalized Environmental Savings Report. Each calculation is saved to a customized report that includes the client/customer’s name, project name and a detailed listing of the Neenah Paper selections including brand chosen;...

VERNON, ALA.—Marathon Equipment Co. and BioHitech America announced a strategic alliance to promote organic waste processing products worldwide. Industry experts estimate that more than 40 percent of the food produced in the United States—more than $50 billion—is thrown into the garbage every year. This equates to more than 32 million tons of food waste, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates costs more than $1 billion annually in disposal costs. In its commitment to help customers reduce the costs associated with managing solid waste, Marathon, an industry leader in compaction and recycling equipment, has sought the expertise of Allendale, N.J.-based...

DALTON, GA.—California consumer support is needed to ensure the success of a new, ground-breaking Carpet Product Stewardship Law that will increase the recycling of carpet into valuable new products, preserve landfill space, reduce dependency on fossil fuels and create green jobs in California communities. Signed into law on September 30, 2010, AB 2398 is the first product stewardship law in the country to specifically address carpet. Beginning July 1, a $.05 per square yard stewardship assessment will be added to the sale of all carpet sold or shipped into California. The assessment will appear as a separate, after-tax line item...

MORROW, GA.—TOTO announced that it has expanded its sustainability initiatives at its manufacturing facility in Morrow, Ga. The company has formed a cross-industrial strategic partnership with Crossville, Inc., manufacturers of premium Porcelain Stone tile, which has developed proprietary systems for processing pre-consumer sanitary ware, fired tile, and filtrate waste back to powder that is used in the manufacture of new tile. Crossville will introduce its new EcoCycle Recycling Processes at NEOCON, where both companies will display in Chicago, June 13 to 15, 2011. “There’s no ‘silver bullet’ when it comes to reducing a facility’s carbon footprint,” said Bill Strang, senior...

DALTON, GA.—Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has increased the recycled content in Eco Solution Q, the company’s premium branded Cradle to Cradle Silver certified carpet fiber, to 45 percent. Eco Solution Q now contains 20 percent pre-consumer recycled content and 25 percent post-consumer recycled content sourced from caprolactam (the monomer or ‘building block’ of Nylon 6) recovered through Shaw’s Evergreen Nylon 6 Recycling facility in Augusta, Ga. The recycled content is based on allocated nylon fiber from Shaw’s total nylon fiber production and determined as a percent of total Eco Solution Q nylon output; based on this method, recycled content...

RICHMOND, CALIF.—Excellent Packaging & Supply, a wholesale distributor of sustainable, biodegradable, and nature-based packaging for foodservice and other applications, has added the complete range of Bridge-Gate compostable serving ware and take-out packaging made from 100 percent renewable resources to its extensive selection of products available through its BioMass Packaging division. Excellent Packaging now carries Bridge-Gate plates, bowls, clamshells and hinged containers, trays, platters and lids—all of which are made entirely from renewable, organic, GMO-free agricultural wheat fibers that are a natural by-product of crop harvests and certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI). “Consumers and foodservice businesses are looking for...

SILVER SPRING, MD.—For Earth Day this year Choice Hotels International issued a press release that included an update on its more than two-year-old Room to Be Green program (see article). Room to Be Green is an optional program for Choice licensees that gives them an opportunity to receive marketing recognition—a green leaf icon—on the Choice website based on their commitment to implement at least three green programs at their properties in the areas of energy conservation, water conservation, and recycling. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Christopher Schrader, project director of brand programs for Choice, to get more details...

WAYNE, N.J.—RecyclingBin.com, a provider of recycling equipment, announced a new program designed to help green up the environment. With each order placed at the company’s website for recycling bins and other recycling equipment, they will ship a free tree sapling. RecyclingBin.com specializes in creating green recycling bins, bringing the process full circle. All bins are manufactured with a minimum of 35 percent recycled materials. In addition, all of their equipment is recyclable. Each product is designed and manufactured in the United States as well, which reduces the impact of international shipping on the environment. Finally, there is no middleman for...