MINNEAPOLIS—Smart Candle, the Minnesota-based manufacturer and distributor of Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology products throughout The Americas, has been selected as a 2008 Small Business Success Story by Twin Cities Business, a leading business publication in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. The award was presented during a recognition dinner on January 15, 2009, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Downtown Minneapolis. Award recipients were selected from a statewide pool of applicants based on criteria that included the ability to detect and act upon opportunities; perseverance, energy, marketing savvy and managerial skill. “We are proud to have been recognized by Twin Cities Business,...

BEAUFORT, S.C.—Harris Pillow Supply, a family-owned business that has been providing quality-conscious customers with a large variety of high-end pillows since 1958, has launched a new website to better educate hotels on their product lines including the Pillow-Vac, a “pro-green” machine used by hotels and other institutions to renovate pillows. “We have seen a marked increase in the interest of our Pillow-Vac due to its ‘green’ impact of reducing the amount of pillows shipped to landfills,” says John Harris, president of Harris Pillow Supply. “The Pillow-Vac also drastically reduces pillow replacement costs.” The new website includes a video segment demonstrating the...

OGUNQUIT, MAINE—The Meadowmere Resort here on the southern coast of Maine is demonstrating that a small resort can thrive while continuously reducing its environmental impact. The 144-room property, owned by the Cavaretta family, is operated with the belief that ecological and economic sustainability go hand in hand. Open year-round, not always a given in the Pine Tree State, the resort is an active member of Maine’s Green Lodging Certification program. The program, which is run by Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, first certified the property as an Environmental Leader in 2006. It has since been recertified and has tripled...

HONOLULU—Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has recently been awarded the 2008 Energy Star seal of approval by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the fourth time in the past five years. Rated for its energy consumption on a scale from one to 100, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa scored 81 for its performance, the highest rating it has ever achieved. “We are honored to receive the distinguished Energy Star designation once again,” said Chris Tatum, general manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. “We are pleased to share...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Prestwick Limited as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. Prestwick Limited manufactures earth-friendly furnishings for the hospitality industry. The company’s outdoor furnishing solutions include Towel Valets, Towel Returns, Recycle Stations, Waste Enclosures, Beverage Solutions, Bellman’s Valets, Planter Boxes, Seating, Storage Boxes and Signage. Prestwick Limited’s products are available in Teak, Ipe and Forever•nu, the purest grade of recycled plastic. The source for the plastic is recycled milk jugs. The company offers numerous collections including Great Lakes, Highlands, Keystone-EL, and Sedona. Prestwick’s collections are available in...

NATIONAL REPORT—For those who specify and/or purchase fabric for items such as furniture and draperies, options that include recycled content have been around for a long time. Over the last year, however, fabric suppliers have increased the number of “green” options they offer. Today, it is easy to find polyester fabric made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. Sustainable fabric made from natural fibers is also quite common. While the price point for some sustainable fabrics can be higher, some vendors are able to offer sustainable lines at the same price as traditional fabrics because of the high...

LEXINGTON, KY.—The 2008 National Tour Assn. (NTA) Annual Convention, held in November in Pittsburgh, set a record for the amount of materials that were recycled from a single show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The center is the first and largest certified green convention center in the world. Officials at the convention center reported that everyone who attended the NTA Convention helped to recycle 9.435 tons of material. The figure includes nearly 3.465 tons of composted materials, three tons of cardboard and 2.97 tons of bottles, cans and loose paper. Additionally, 123,500 gallons of water was reclaimed....

TRINITY, N.C.—Sealy Global Hospitality, one of the world’s leading hospitality mattress manufacturers, has created a new line of Sealy Posturepedic sleep systems with convertible pillowtops. They were created specifically for hospitality environments looking to balance the demand from customers for greener practices without compromising cost or comfort. While conventional pillowtops cannot be detatched from mattresses, the innovative reversible pillowtop on the Sealy Posturepedic Convertible Collection mattress has been engineered to be easily removed, rotated or replaced by a single person using VELCRO brand fasteners, which adhere the pillowtop to the mattress’ core. Rotating and inverting the pillowtop allows for four...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in downtown Chicago launched an extensive recycling program and energy conservation program entitled, “When not in use, turn off the juice,” one year ago. A unique effort to compost biodegradable food material has been introduced, and Hyatt Regency McCormick Place bottles its own water at its restaurant, Shor, as well. The hotel’s green program has garnered successful results with the participation of both its entire staff and guests. In the past year, 76 tons of material (equaling 300 cubic yards) has been recycled, approximately 1,500 trees have been saved, and more than three tons of...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—LSI Wallcovering announced it will pick up freight costs to bring used vinyl wallcovering back to its Second-Look Recycling Center in New Castle, Ind. The Louisville, Ky.-based wallcovering manufacturer made the move to ensure that rising fuel costs don’t discourage specifiers from recycling wallcovering. Second-Look accepts all makes of vinyl wallcovering and covers freight from any location in the continental United States and Canada. Second-Look is the first program to recycle post-consumer vinyl wallcovering and has diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds from the landfill since it began operations in 2005. Effective immediately, the free freight program is available...