BROOMFIELD, COLO.—High in the Colorado Rockies a life-saving necessity is making its way to the island nation of Haiti and abroad. By partnering with Orlando, Fla.-based Clean the World, Inc., RockResorts is collecting barely-used soap and shampoo from its collection of eight hotels and enabling the charity to provide the much-needed supplies to needy people in homeless shelters and impoverished countries around the world. Recently Clean the World delivered a shipment of 45,000 bars of soap to Cap Haitien, Haiti. Another 100,000 bars just arrived in Haiti, the poorest country of the western hemisphere, to be distributed in the...

NEW YORK—The total number of exhibitors may have been less than previous years due to the economy and other factors but the number of vendors offering green products and services was stronger than ever at this year’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS). The event was held November 8 to 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visitors to the show found exhibitors featuring amenity bottles that biodegrade much faster than traditional plastic bottles; dispensers that eliminate amenity bottles altogether; a nonprofit that matches up hotels with other nonprofits to help eliminate food, toiletry...

LOS ANGELES—Bentley Prince Street has just moved a few steps closer to “closing the loop” entirely on its products through the introduction of new backing technologies for both its broadloom and carpet tile products. Both High PerformancePC, the company’s new standard broadloom backing, and SelectRC, its new standard hard-back carpet tile backing, incorporate recycled and reprocessed carpet backing into new carpet backing. All manufacturing processes for both backings are performed in the company’s California headquarters, eliminating the need for, and associated environmental impacts of, additional transportation. “Through these new backings, as well as the introduction of our first product using...

NEW YORK—LG Electronics USA, Inc., a leading provider of flat-panel HDTVs to the lodging industry, and the leading recycler, Waste Management, Inc., announced a recycling program for hotel operators to responsibly dispose of outdated television sets and computer monitors. In 2010 alone, hundreds of hotels are expected to upgrade thousands of rooms with energy-efficient LG flat-panel digital TVs, which will displace older analog picture tube TVs. To support this growing trend, LG Electronics will now offer environmentally conscious hotel, motel and resort operators a cost-effective opportunity for recycling the obsolete hotel TVs. Under this new program planned for launch in 2010,...

NATIONAL REPORT—Efforts to green practices in the lodging industry involve many cutting-edge initiatives. But simple steps can also be effective, especially when dealing with an issue that remains problematic. The disposal of feminine care products is a topic no one wants to talk about but the impact on the environment and the health and safety of guests and employees is significant. Toilets are a convenient and quick way to get rid of personal care products. Out of sight, out of mind. But with each unnecessary flush, between 1 and 3.5 gallons of water is wasted. To be water efficient, according...

FORT LAUDERDALE—Valley Forge Fabrics, a leader in sustainable textiles, was honored as a finalist by the Natural Resources Committee of Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce as it hosted its first annual Sustainable South Florida Awards. The Green Business Award honors a South Florida business that provides a superior product, service, or innovation that enables others to practice sustainable and green efforts. The award also recognizes new processes or ways of doing business with a significant environmental benefit. There were over 100 nominees in the first annual Sustainable South Florida Awards and 31 in the Green Business category including giants...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Refinishing Touch, a specialist in environmentally safe and sustainable on-site furniture refinishing, upholstery and armoire modifications, has added new environmentally-friendly materials to its Touch Textiles fabrics brand. The new line includes a range of 100 percent recycled fabrics finished with GreenShield, a Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) recognized, low fluorocarbon treatment that uses two-thirds less chemicals without compromising the durability, moisture resistance, stain resistance or nonflammable qualities of the fabric. In recent years, the industry has seen a massive increase in the use and demand for eco-friendly textiles. Close to 12 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste ends...

TROY, MICH.—ilumisys, Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announced that it has granted a license for patents on its light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescent tube replacement to LED Lighting, Inc., of Northbrook, Ill. “LED Lighting has had the privilege of being an ilumisys channel partner and participating in the development stages of ilumisys T-8 replacement lamps,” said Bill Hood, CEO and founder of LED Lighting, Inc. “This licensing agreement allows us to extend and strengthen our relationship with ilumisys, now giving us the ability to offer both premium and value-engineered products to our customers under the LED Lighting...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Allegheny Printed Plastics as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Allegheny offers eco-friendly material options to meet key card and signage needs: BioPVC has been certified as fully biodegradable; Recycled PVC is made from carefully segregated waste generated in the company’s factory. PLA, made from renewable resources like corn, can be commercially composted. Allegheny also offers customized key card sleeves, door hangers and door inserts. For more information, call (800) 933-4123, e-mail boustead@allegheny.com, or go to www.printedplastics.com.

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Concept Amenities Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. Concept Amenities is the maker of ERP, a complete range of bathroom guest amenities that are biodegradable in the landfill. Designed to reduce solid waste disposal, ERP products, according to Concept Amenities, will not negatively impact the environment in the long term. Concept Amenities offers a wide range of other product lines including Eco Fresh, Basic Earth Botanicals, Ecossential Elements, and Kudos Spa. The company also offers Eco Fresh and VIVE dispensers for public rest rooms, spa...