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.

NATIONAL REPORT—Last summer, when oil prices were at record highs, thieves were actually stealing yellow grease—used vegetable oil—from storage bins outside of restaurants. Since that time, oil prices have fallen of course but used fryer oil has remained a valuable commodity. Some is still picked up and ultimately used in fertilizers, as animal feed, or in cosmetics, but waste vegetable oil is beginning to be used as a biofuel in cogeneration systems to generate electricity and useable heat. For quite some time it has been converted into biodiesel to power automobiles or even trains. Hoteliers and restaurateurs around the...

ATLANTA—Brintons, the world’s largest producer of custom woven Axminster carpet, has reached a significant landmark in its bid to guarantee its customers the best possible service after becoming the first Axminster carpet supplier to launch its own large format strike-off simulation program. The Axminster Modeling Program (AMP) allows Brintons’ customers to visualize custom designs and color schemes in Axminster construction through computer-generated paper simulations, rather than through traditional woven strike-offs. The use of AMP ensures significant time savings can be achieved at various stages during an installation project and it also brings a number of valuable environmental benefits. Brintons has taken...

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—NYLO Providence/Warwick has received Green Hospitality Certification from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM). In a ceremony before Rhode Island’s hospitality industry elite, the 163-room, urban loft hotel was honored for its outstanding conservation and recycling programs. NYLO Providence/Warwick is the state’s first hotel to run on 100 percent renewable energy. Through a partnership with People’s Power & Light, the property offsets its entire electricity usage with a mix of local and regional solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric power sources. “Despite New England’s high energy costs, NYLO is deeply committed to sustainability,” says Christine Nevers, general manager,...

WAIKOLOA, HAWAII—Hydrologix Grease Reduction Systems, Inc. announced that its new Hydrologix Grease Reduction System, the Hydrologix GRS, is being used by the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa in Waikoloa, Hawaii, to turn its restaurants’ brown grease waste into clear water—on the spot, in the grease trap. “This is huge for the hotel industry, restaurants, food plants and other food service operations,” says Cindy Furtado, vice president of sales for Hydrologix Grease Reduction Systems. “It’s the wave of the future. Our GRS is the most ‘green’ solution commercially available and very affordable. With no more pumping and dumping, we are...

TEMPERANCE, MICH.—MTS Seating and True Textiles teamed up recently to divert nearly two tons of waste from the landfill during a re-upholstery project at the historic Waverly Renaissance Hotel in downtown Atlanta. MTS Seating, a leading manufacturer of hospitality and banquet furniture, had been specified to re-upholster the 2,000 banquet chairs at the hotel. When confronted with the removal of the old materials, MTS’s first goal was to recycle them and avoid the landfill. “We try to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into everything we do,” said MTS CEO Phil Swy. “We wanted to extend that philosophy into the...

HONOLULU, OAHU, HAWAII—You’ve spent several glorious days playing in Hawaii and as you pack up to go home, you’re wondering: What to do with the beach floaties and body boards you’ve amassed during the trip? Well, if you’re into being green, and if you’re staying at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach, you should just “dump” them…in your hotel room, not the garbage bin. The oceanfront hotel’s housekeeping staff will gladly collect them as part of its eco-friendly efforts. The hotel donates plastic beverage bottles collected from guest rooms to PACT (Parents and Children Together), a private, nonprofit...

SURREY, B.C.— Biway Products, based in Surrey, B.C., has introduced the Loo Loo. This patented product was designed to decrease the excessive waste of toilet paper. While doing that, it will save consumers and businesses money and will have a positive impact on the environment. The Loo Loo is a small, lightweight device made out of expanded polymers that attaches to a standard spring-loaded toilet paper roller that is found in 95 percent of all bathrooms in North America. The Loo Loo slides simply over the toilet paper roller, and then the roll of toilet paper slides over the Loo...