GATLINBURG, TENN.—The Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg, adjacent to The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, is on its way to becoming the first LEED certified hotel in Tennessee. The 118-unit property opened on May 28. According to Logan Coykendall, part owner of the hotel and owner of Hospitality Management Solutions, the Sevierville, Tenn.-based management company that operates it, the Hilton Garden Inn should achieve a “solid Silver” LEED rating later this year. LEED, a certification program for new and existing buildings run by the U.S. Green Building Council, offers four levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The decision to...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—The design vision of global lifestyle brand Joseph Abboud comes to commercial interiors for the first time with the introduction of a wallcovering collection for Versa. The 14-pattern collection is inspired by Joseph Abboud’s roots in menswear, incorporating tailored details, textures resembling nubby linens, brushed silks and burnished suedes, and designs influenced by glen plaids, paisleys, stripes and damasks. Earthy organic looks also emphasize artisanal, irregular, handcrafted qualities and include interpretations of burled wood, foliage and weathered materials. Made of Type II, 20-ounce vinyl, the collection features deeply embossed 3-D textures and 20 percent recycled content reclaimed and recycled...

BOYLSTON, MASS.—Restaurants can now run their operations on waste vegetable oil, thanks to the development of Vegawatt from Owl Power Company. This new product enables restaurants to reduce their need for electricity and natural gas supplied from utility companies by using their waste vegetable oil to create electricity and hot water. Owl Power is a developer of clean energy systems and the Massachusetts-based company has been hard at work for the last four years creating, testing, and now unveiling the Vegawatt, a cogeneration system that uses waste vegetable oil as fuel to generate on-site electricity and hot water. “It’s with great...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Liberty Hotel, in Cleburne, Texas, has reopened following a refinishing and refurbishment project with The Refinishing Touch. The hotel appointed The Refinishing Touch to preserve and enhance its furniture while preserving the environment. The Refinishing Touch is a leader in on-site, environmentally safe furniture refinishing and reupholstery services. The company enables its 20,000 customers across government, hotel, hospitality and academia to save up to 80 percent of their budgets and maintain environmental sustainability. The Liberty Hotel boasts a range of original and unique features, from its elegant lobby, custom-made chandeliers, original black and white terrazzo flooring, and guestrooms...

HIGHLAND PARK, ILL.—Solo Cup Company announced the introduction of Bare by Solo compostable plates made with sugarcane. The ivory-colored plates feature an on-trend, square design that offers a stylish alternative to traditional round single-use dinnerware. The new plates also offer consumers an environmentally preferable way to serve meals every day or on special occasions using renewable materials that can also reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. “Being ‘greener’ doesn’t have to equal boring or difficult,” said Kim Healy, vice president of consumer marketing at Solo. “Bare by Solo products offer fresh designs that reflect our consumers’ environmentally...

LOS ANGELES—Meeting new, stringent definitions for sustainable carpet, Bentley Prince Street, Inc. announced that all of its standard broadloom products are certified at the highest Platinum Level with the new NSF 140-2007 Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard. In addition, all of Bentley Prince Street’s standard carpet tile products, as well as all broadloom products using the optional Prestige PlusRC backing, are certified at the Gold Level. NSF 140 is the first multi-attribute American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for environmentally preferable building materials in the construction industry. The product rating system was conducted by NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit...

NATIONAL REPORT—For the breakfast area, employee break rooms, meetings, weddings, and instances when “to go” type utensils are needed, biodegradable, compostable spoons, forks and knives should be an option. Many vendors now sell these types of utensils. They are an environmentally favorable alternative to petroleum-based plastics because they are made from renewable resources such as corn, rice, sugarcane, and potatoes. Billions of plastic utensils are sent to landfills every year—destined to remain unchanged for hundreds or even a thousand years. Utensils made from plant-based products, however, can biodegrade in less than 100 days under the right conditions—in a commercial...

HOLLYWOOD, FLA.—The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., has been awarded the Florida Green Lodging Program One Palm designation from The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The voluntary state initiative provides the lodging industry with free technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving green practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is the first hotel/casino in the State of Florida to earn this distinction. This designation directly supports Hard Rock International’s “Save the Planet” global philanthropic initiative to make the Earth a safer, healthier and...

CARLISLE, PA.—EcoStar, a leading manufacturer of steep-slope roofing products, recently won an award in the 2009 PCBC Annual Cool Products Competition for its 10-inch Majestic Slate roofing tiles. The synthetic slate tiles were named the winning product of the Conserves Natural Resources category. Manufactured with 80 percent post-industrial recycled rubber and plastic, EcoStar Majestic Slate tiles produce minimal impact on the environment and do not require the mining of hills, unlike traditional slate products. Because of the recycled content, the manufacture of Majestic Slate tiles also utilizes tons of material annually that would otherwise end up in landfills. EcoStar tiles...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes EcoHangersExpress.com as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. EcoHangersExpress.com offers environmentally friendly clothes hangers as a green alternative to non-recyclable wire, wood or plastic hangers. The hangers are available in 10 nature-inspired designs. EcoHangers are ready to ship in boxes of 250 units. Custom wholesale programs are also available. EcoHangers are 100 percent recycled, recyclable, reusable and made in America. For additional information, call (877) 888-9932, e-mail products@ecohangersexpress.com, or go to www.ecohangersexpress.com.