CARLSBAD, CALIF.—The La Costa Resort and Spa, a 400-acre property located near the beach in Carlsbad, Calif., has reduced its kitchen food waste volume by a factor of almost five times thanks to two industrial compost machines that rely on heat and agitation. According to Sam Bumgarner, purchasing director for the property, the machines, which each handle 250 pounds of food waste per day, are located in two different kitchens and compost 182,000 pounds of food scraps annually. Each day, approximately 40 pounds of compost is produced and given to the groundskeeping team to use around the property. "It sends...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes BioHitech America as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. BioHitech America distributes a machine that eliminates food waste at the point of generation, diverting the waste from state landfills. The GOHBio 1001 uses microbe technology to break down large volumes of food waste in less than 24 hours in a stainless steel waste decomposition machine, returning the effluent to the ecosystem as water. The GOHBio 1001 can safely and quickly decompose virtually all organic food waste, including: meat, poultry, fish, fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, bread, noodles,...

CHICAGO—Green Planet Bottling has launched a new entry to the $11 billion bottled water market, packaged in an organic, 100 percent plant-based bottle. Unlike the dominant petroleum-based plastic bottles, Green Planet’s are made from 100 percent plants that are toxin free and carbon neutral. They do not leach chemicals into contents, are reusable, completely recyclable and commercially compostable in just 80 days. The water itself is vapor-distilled for purity and taste and when possible sourced within 500 miles of its destination, so it is less environmentally detrimental than brands transported long distances. Green Planet water is currently available in a...

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Consumers today are inundated with green messages that can be confusing to the average person, as they sift through mounds of technical and scientific data to figure out what’s really green and what is or is not easily biodegradable. In an effort to educate consumers, Concept Amenities, an Australian manufacturer of hotel bathroom toiletries, has taken steps to simplify the message that biodegradable products dissolve easily in the environment, without destroying nature, by launching a short 90-second educational video featuring Mikey the Microbe; a green cartoon character who gobbles landfill waste including Concept Amenities’ biodegradable amenity bottles. The video opens...

HOWARD, PA.—For Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the 16-room, 18,500-square foot Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is just the first of many more green buildings to come. DCNR has committed to pursue the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the inn and at least LEED certification for all of its future buildings. The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle is green from ground to rooftop and a great start for DCNR. The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle had its grand opening on September 2 earlier this month and innkeeper...

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...