CHARLOTTE, N.C.—When The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte opens in October, it will be the first LEED hotel to open in the greater Charlotte, N.C. area and the first Ritz-Carlton property anywhere to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED designation (the company is also pursuing LEED for its new Lake Tahoe property expected to open later this year). The 146-room hotel has been designed to earn LEED Gold certification once it opens, to be followed by LEED Gold for Existing Buildings certification a year later. The luxury hotel, which is managed by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., will minimize its environmental impact...

RIPON, WIS.—Who says efficiency isn’t fun? Probably somebody who’s never turned their old dryer into a soda cooler. UniMac, a leader in manufacturing energy- and water-efficient commercial laundry equipment, believes thinking “green” can be loads of fun and has launched its “Tumbler Re-use Project” to prove it. Located at www.unimac.com/promotions/tumbler/, the site takes an amusing turn in offering laundry managers and general managers of hotels and other properties ways to “re-purpose” their old, inefficient drying tumblers. From a soda cooler to a backyard fire pit, the Tumbler Re-Use Project will explore a variety of creative ideas to keep that old...

LAKE ELMO, MINN.—PTAC MAGIC, which specializes in the installation and recycling of Packaged Terminal Air-Conditioning (PTAC) units for hotels and resort properties, announced that it is now offering free pickup of working PTACs to hoteliers across the United States. According to David Triemert, president of the Lake Elmo, Minn.-based company, the majority of PTAC air conditioners that are replaced with new units during hotel renovation projects may still have a useful life. Triemert says he receives a number of phone calls each day, about half from motel operators, who are interested in inexpensive, used PTACs. Triemert tries to source local...

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.—UL Environment Inc. announced it has validated environmental claims for Serious Materials’ new drywall product, EcoRock. This represents the first validation of claims by UL Environment since its launch in January 2009, and the first product in the 115-year history of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to receive an Environmental Claims Validation. UL Environment is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UL, a world leader in product safety testing services. UL Environment validated Serious Materials’ environmental claims for EcoRock by performing assessments and laboratory tests. An audit was conducted for recycled content, environmental chamber tests were performed to determine volatile organic compound (VOC)...

NASHVILLE—Uniguest, a leading public computer kiosk company, announced that it has joined the EPEAT Partner Reseller Program, to support the hospitality industry with its “green” purchasing decisions. EPEAT (www.epeat.net) is the preeminent environmental ratings system for desktops, laptops and monitors, with 30 manufacturers currently registering a total of 1,141 products in the system. The EPEAT system rates products as Bronze, Silver, or Gold based on a multi-attribute standard (IEEE Standard 1680 for the Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products) encompassing 51 environmental performance criteria. “Our customers are seeking environmentally-friendly product choices,” said Shawn Thomas, CEO of Uniguest. “However, most do not...

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...