ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Quipworks Inc. as a Founding Sponsor. Quipworks is a provider of specialized waste reduction equipment for the restaurant, hospitality, resort, golf course, and light manufacturing industries. Its GLSand is a compact glass bottle crusher that reduces bottles in volume by 10:1 to a safe to handle sand like product. The machine is designed for waste reduction, cost reduction and sustainability. The GLSand will provide a positive impact on a property’s waste reduction goals, and create a usable commodity for landscaping, pavement patching, pool filtration and other uses. The GLSand is quiet and easy...

OVERLAND PARK, KAN.—Bluewater will unveil its Bluewater Pro 400 and Bluewater Spirit model lines at NAFEM in Orlando, Fla., from February 7 to 9, to showcase innovative products and technologies that help foodservice professionals deliver fresh produce, achieve clean glassware and cutlery, and offer great-tasting coffee and other water-based drinks. As a show bringing together over 500 movers-and-shakers from across the foodservice segments, NAFEM is the ideal venue for Bluewater to show the performance of its water purifiers, which remove practically all chemical contaminants, heavy metals, pathogenic bacteria and other impurities impacting food quality from tap water. “This is our first time at...

MUSANDAM, OMAN—Six Senses Zighy Bay is in the kitchen with its sleeves rolled up and intentions set—healthy guts inside and healthy land outside. What’s cooking is always mindfully sourced and deliciously prepared with nothing wasted. Out with the palm oil, processed food and plastic. In with the planet. Guests enjoy delicious menus during their stay and learn simple ways they can adopt healthier habits at home. Eat, Drink and Be Healthy—Eat With Six Senses, the brand’s philosophy and approach to food and drink, is based on guiding principles of local and sustainable sourcing, natural ingredients and a less is more...

Microplastics, commonly found in our oceans, are less than 5 millimeters in length and are a hazard to marine life. Microplastics (and microbeads) have gotten a lot of publicity in recent years but did you know that microsynthetic fibers can be hazardous as well? Microsynthetic fibers are small plastic particles within the category of microplastics that are fibrous in shape. If your laundry is used to wash anything made from synthetic fibers like polyester, you are releasing microfibers down the drain—fibers that can make their way past treatment plants and into the water that animal and sea life consume. If...

This past year there were a lot of announcements in our industry about the elimination of plastic straws. I think it is great that hotel companies are doing this but let’s all agree that it is a pretty simple step that is not going to require too much action or sacrifice. Why not build upon straw elimination and get rid of other nasty items—those made from Styrofoam, for example? Over the Christmas holiday I stayed at a hotel claiming to be “green” but in its breakfast area there were disposable Styrofoam plates and cups. I was not impressed, and I...

HOLLYWOOD, FLA.—Hard Rock International announces an impact collaboration with Clean the World (CTW), a leader in global health dedicated to WASH (water, sanitization, and hygiene) and global sustainability. The brand continues to live up to its “Save the Planet” creed as participating HRI hotels will implement the immediate collection and donation of recycled hotel soap and bottled in-room amenities such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion, to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases through the distribution of sanitized hygiene kits crafted with these recycled materials. With headquarters in Orlando and recycling centers in Orlando, Las Vegas, Hong...

PHOENIX—Aquafil last month inaugurated its first carpet-recycling facility in the States, in Phoenix. A total of 160 guests—including customers, suppliers and sustainability experts—gathered at the 116,000 square feet new building to celebrate the Grand Opening. As the President of Aquafil USA Franco Rossi said, 3.5 billion pounds of carpet are discarded each year in the States. Only two or three percent of this is recycled and often it is downcycled, the rest goes to landfills or is incinerated. Aquafil’s new facility will turn each year 36 million pounds of old carpets destined for landfills back into raw material. But what’s happening in...

GRANT, MICH.—Porous Pave, Inc. reached a new environmental milestone in 2018: surpassing 13 million pounds of recycled rubber used in installations of its permeable paving material. An eco-friendly green building product made in the U.S.A., Porous Pave is a highly porous paving material that offers superior permeability for optimal stormwater retention, exceptional application versatility, and demonstrated durability. The controlled shredding and processing of recycled tires produces the fine-cut chips of recycled rubber incorporated into Porous Pave. With 27 percent void space, Porous Pave infiltrates storm water on site, decreasing runoff into storm drains and sewers. Porous Pave XL is the...

CHICAGO—Day after day, Washington, D.C’s Teaism would trash pounds of broccoli stems, trimmings from florets served in the fast-casual’s bento boxes. Eyeing the waste, co-owner Michelle Brown would demur to Chef Alison Swope: “It’s a shame we can’t do anything with all those stems.” Challenge accepted. Swope’s “Broccoli Tots” combine ground broccoli stems with goat cheese and seasonings, balled together and then breaded with panko and fried. A favorite at the three Teaism locations, the dish is featured in the “Trash or Treasure” section of the restaurant’s menu, which highlights items made from ingredients that would otherwise be wasted. This...

SANTA FE, N.M.—La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel has been named “Sustainability Champion” in the Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide 2018 Awards of Excellence. Each year, the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence honor the most exemplary historic hotels, hoteliers, and leadership practices in multiple categories. The winners were chosen from more than 200 nominees. “Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These 2018 winners represent more than 400 years of history and include the finest legendary and iconic historic...