CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Swisssol USA Creative Body Care as an advertising partner. Swisssol USA Creative Body Care is the maker of the Press + Wash dispensing system. The system, which can dispense liquid soap, body lotion, shampoo and bath/shower gel, helps the environment by eliminating individual bottle waste. Press + Wash can reduce costs by up to 35 percent a year. Press + Wash is a long lasting and tamper-proof system. It is drip free and will not leak. Press + Wash offers an attractive image design and is available in...

ANDERSON, CALIF.—Gaia at Anderson, a new 122-room green hotel, has opened here. It is the second Gaia hotel in California to be developed and opened by Wen-I Chang. The first was the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon. That 133-room property opened in October 2006. Chang is also developing a third hotel in Merced, Calif., a 141-room property. Chang expects the Gaia at Anderson hotel to achieve a LEED Silver or Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa was the first U.S. hotel to earn LEED Gold. In building...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Cadmus Whitehall Group recently accepted an award for the Green Entrepreneurial/Innovative Idea of the Year. This award recognized Cadmus for Green-Key and highlighted Cadmus’ outstanding effort to promote environmental sustainability. Green-Key is the environmentally friendly alternative to plastic keycards. It is recyclable, biodegradable and produced from paperboard, a renewable resource. Its paperboard construction also makes it a greener choice versus other eco-friendly alternatives to PVC. One of the reasons Cadmus developed Green-Key is to address environmental issues including the damaging effects PVC production and disposal can have on the environment. “We are honored to receive this award confirming our efforts...

ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—Here at Maho Bay Camps, you have to be careful what you throw away. Your “trash” just might end up as part of a piece of art on sale to a visiting guest. For more than 10 years now, glass bottles, aluminum cans, worn tablecloths, napkins, towels, sheets, shredded cardboard and paper, and even laundry lint have been converted into saleable pieces of art as part of Maho Bay Camps’ Trash to Treasures program. Last year, the resort sold $250,000 worth of art made from items otherwise destined for the trash heap. With the program a...

COLUMBIA, MD.—Representing a crown jewel in environmentally friendly renovation, the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. is the latest project from First Finish, Inc. that offers a “green” hospitality experience with materials and finishes that are environmentally favorable. Coinciding with Earth Day on April 22, the completion of the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite means guests will have an eco-luxury experience including use of a Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan to drive during their stay. With its established credentials in renovation construction that is environmentally sustainable, First Finish worked with Organic Interior Design to refurbish the suite with reconditioned furniture made...

PHILADELPHIA—Westinghouse Lighting announces a partnership with Veolia Environmental Services (VES) North America to promote Veolia’s proprietary recycling kit, RECYCLEPAK, through Westinghouse’s website. The award-winning lighting and electronics recycling program provides a convenient way for companies to recycle large or small quantities of used lamps and ballasts. The cost of each RECYCLEPAK kit includes everything needed for recycling—environmentally-safe packaging, pre-paid shipping, labels and documentation. “We’re proud to partner with Veolia on such an important service to our customers,” says Ray Angelo, president and CEO, Westinghouse Lighting. “Veolia provides them with recycling convenience and peace of mind knowing that their used lamps and...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Valley Forge Fabrics, Inc.’s established reclamation program will now include FRESH bedding fabrics. These high thread count fabrics are made from 100 percent recycled polyester. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality. The FRESH collection is a group of more than 1,000 fabrics that are made of 100 percent recycled polyester, that are also 100 percent recyclable. Valley Forge is the only textile company to date that has an established reclamation program to facilitate the recycling of textiles. Products made of 100 percent recycled content at a low energy manufacturing platform is important, but...

SAINT CHARLES, MO.—Pineapple Hospitality announced that it is now offering EO (Essential Oils) Amenities and AVIVA dispensers to the hospitality industry. These new products fit into Pineapple Hospitality’s mission to promote products and programs designed to promote sustainability of both the environment and hospitality companies’ bottom lines. Not coincidentally, while both of these product lines can be purchased separately, they can most effectively be used together to eliminate the waste that comes from thousands of barely-used plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, and bars of soap that guests often don’t completely use and end up becoming landfill at tremendous...

SAN DIEGO—Planners of the Eighth Annual Resort Conference, the only conference planned by resort executives for resort executives, are educating attendees about ways to incorporate sustainable practices into their own day-to-day operations while taking steps to become more environmentally friendly. Conference planners are cutting down on paper use at the three-day conference April 16-18 at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. Attendees will receive an electronic show program on a specially produced jump drive that will replace the traditional printed program. The drive will contain session descriptions, sponsor information, speaker bios, attendee directory and copies of session presentations. “It’s a...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—WaterPure International, Inc. announced an agreement to place two Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) test units at a major international hotel chain. The two AWGs are part of a WaterPure environmental green initiative program targeting the lodging industry. The company is offering AWGs for evaluation at various hotels and expects to strategically position units throughout the lodging industry. AWGs from WaterPure produce three to five gallons of absolutely pure chilled or heated healthy drinking water each day using a condensation process that extracts moisture from the atmosphere. Similar in appearance to a traditional bottled water stand, the AWGs contradict...