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...

MIAMI—Cradle to Cradle, the highly regarded design paradigm that qualifies products by their eco-effectiveness, has bestowed Bio-Glass with its Silver Certification. “Coverings ETC has developed a valuable, ecologically-intelligent product made from 100 percent recycled content that can easily be recycled by the final customer as well. Bio-Glass has no colorants or other additives. Following its use, Bio-Glass can be placed into the same recycling containers as drink bottles,” said Steve Bolton, senior consultant of MBDC, the environmental consulting and design firm that developed Cradle to Cradle design. Bio-Glass surface material is at the heart of Coverings ETC’s mission to...

NATIONAL REPORT—Alternatives to the traditional 100 percent cotton or cotton/polyester blend towels are becoming more common in the lodging industry—especially at luxury and boutique properties. In fact, many suppliers now offer organic cotton towels, organic cotton towels with a blend of bamboo fibers, or 100 percent bamboo towels. One can also find 100 percent cotton towels with super-fine, Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton. Each of these new towel styles are more environmentally friendly in their own way when compared to the towels the lodging industry has been using for so long. There is a cost premium to buying “green” alternatives—sometimes a...

MEMPHIS, TENN.—Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hilton’s new mid-tier extended-stay hotel concept, is utilizing state-of-the-art post-consumer recycled content carpeting by InterfaceFLOR, the largest modular carpet tile manufacturer in the world, to outfit its model prototype at the Memphis, Tenn. headquarters. The “Hip and Humble” brand intends to outfit each new location with a variety of eco-friendly design elements and flooring is one spotlighted area. “Home2 Suites is a brand that focuses on marrying style and value while remaining conscious of our environmental impact,” said Bill Duncan, global head, Brand Management. “InterfaceFLOR shares our commitment and has an excellent reputation for providing...