ORLANDO, FLA.—The Regal Sun Resort, an Official Walt Disney World Hotel, has selected Hospitality Battery Holders’ Electronic Lock Battery Holder to replace its wrap-around battery packs. This will allow the hotel to use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable battery packs, according to Charlie Rodriguez, account manager for Hospitality Battery Holder. The Regal Sun Resort installed the Electronic Lock Battery Holder in its 626 rooms. “The Regal Sun Resort is expected to save more than $8,000 dollars within the next five years,” Rodriguez says. Go to Hospitality Battery Holder.

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Hotel owners have a personal and corporate responsibility to keep nearly a million mattress sets out of landfills each and every year. Mattress Renewal Pro, Saint Paul, Minn., has engineered a system that can eliminate this waste, save 50 percent of the cost of mattress replacement, and provide a sustainable product that will be equal to or surpasses the comfort and quality of the original mattress. Mattress Renewal Pro has been developed by specialists with 45 years of mattress manufacturing knowledge. This program has never been offered before in the lodging industry. The Mattress Renewal Pro system: • The company...

SAN DIEGO—The city of San Diego is working with businesses that dispose large amounts of food waste to recycle the material and potentially reduce their disposal costs. Businesses participating in the program could save as much as $30 a ton in disposal fees by recycling food scraps at a discount rate. "Here is a program that benefits businesses in these tough economic times," said Chris Gonaver, director of the city's Environmental Services Department. "This program also helps to extend the life of the Miramar Landfill by diverting food waste from disposal," Gonaver said. "Food scraps are turned into rich compost that...

NATIONAL REPORT—The American Hotel & Lodging Association is about to release the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey. Green Lodging News was provided with a copy of the survey results prior to the survey’s official release. The survey, which is conducted approximately every two years, was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and prepared by Smith Travel Research. A total of 48,954 hotels were polled. The response rate was 18 percent (more than 8,500 participants). The survey report covers 14 green-related areas: Allergy-Free Rooms, Air Purifiers, Liquid Soap Dispensers, Linen/Towel Reuse Program, Energy Management Sensors in...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Concept Amenities announced that Gary Coward will be a speaker and presenter at the Environmental Plastics Solutions Conference, September 20 to 21, 2010 at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. The two-day conference, which will feature technology innovators and scientists, will explore the latest developments in plastics sustainability, biodegradation testing, international demand and competition, legislation, developments in biodigestors and plastics of the future. President of sales, and company co-founder at Concept Amenities, Coward will represent the manufacturing sector of the hospitality industry, long considered a sizeable contributor to landfill waste. As a leading supplier of hotel...

NEW YORK—FoodBizSupply.com, an online leader for quality sustainable foodservice supply and to-go packaging, announced the availability of ConServe gloves on the company’s retail site. Manufactured by FoodHandler, the compostable gloves provide foodservice operators and handlers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastic, polyethylene and other harmful materials. “The foodservice industry is slowly, yet increasingly becoming more eco-conscious and ConServe gloves is a clear, responsible choice for companies that want to reduce waste, avoid landfills and lessen their carbon footprint,” said Rosetta Mitchell, CEO, FoodBizSupply.com. “Implementing the use of ConServe  gloves in any establishment is an easy, yet significant step toward going...

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Jinjiang Inns, a leading Chinese budget hotel chain, recently introduced a range of new green hotel initiatives that aim to reduce disposable item usage, encourage recycling and reward environmental consciousness. One major new initiative is the “6 Small Pieces” plan, which will offer six different toiletry essentials to guests in rooms. These essentials will be recycled into either plastic or aluminum alloy items after usage, rather than going to landfill. Guests at Jinjiang Inns are also encouraged to bring their own toiletries and supplies, and are actually rewarded for doing so. Non-traditional Approach “We realize that our approach is definitely non-traditional for...

We are getting the little things right. We dutifully recycle plastic bottles. We’ve started bringing reusable bags to grocery stores. We even cut those plastic six-pack rings like the old public service announcements used to tell us to do. More and more, consumers are making environmentally responsible decisions. Why, then, are we still failing on some of the bigger things? In this case, our desire for new bigger things might be the source of the problem. In the past decade, televisions have grown bigger, then flatter, then bigger again. The emphasis is on the new: buy now, because your old...

PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010,...

TORONTO— Decreasing waste and improving sustainability is often a function of controlling cost and improving environmental stewardship. WasteLess Environmental Services Inc., of Calgary, is helping Canadian companies reduce waste and reach environmental improvement goals. ZeroWaste, a new program offering from WasteLess, takes this mission one step further. Instead of aiming to reduce waste created by corporations, it completely eliminates it. Through consultative waste audits, new landfill diversion tactics and breakthrough recycling programs, the ZeroWaste application by WasteLess is capturing industry attention because of its design, implementation and results. Coast Hotels & Resorts in Vancouver, B.C., a WasteLess client, has received...