WASHINGTON, D.C.—With nearly 2,000 homes and commercial buildings already destroyed in southern California due to raging wildfires, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is urging the hospitality community to help rebuild the lives of victims by donating gently-used furniture and funds to nonprofit partner the National Furniture Bank Association (NFBA). NFBA accepts and provides free pickup service for used furniture, which is distributed to those in need through furniture banks across the country, including several in California working to restore the lives and homes of wildfire victims. “AH&LA is making it a priority to serve as a link between...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Green Lodging News has added its second case study to its new Vendor Case Studies section. The case study focuses on the Best Western Executive Inn and Best Western Loyal Inn, both in Seattle, and how they have successfully implemented Upland, Calif.-based Green Suites International’s EcoRoom® program. EcoRooms® feature more than a dozen different environmental products. They include: compact fluorescent light bulbs; low-flow showerheads and sink faucets; nightlights; digital thermostats; non-toxic cleaning chemicals; Nature’s Mist deodorizer; a linen reuse program; and lotion and liquid soap products dispensed from refillable containers in the shower and at the sink. A pre-installation analysis...

LOUISVILLE, KY.—Second-Look, the first recycling program for vinyl wallcovering, has won the Gold Award for Most Sustainable Product from IIDEX/NeoCon Canada, the Symposium Distinction Award for Most Sustainable Product from the Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo, and the Grand Prize for Environmental Solutions in the Innovations Competition at NeoCon. Second-Look was launched this year by Louisville-based LSI Wallcovering and took home the top environmental prize at the three international design shows. A comprehensive sustainable solution, Second-Look includes a retrieval program that reclaims used vinyl wallcovering made by any manufacturer from renovation projects. The used wallcoverings are transformed...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Church Chair Industries, Inc. as a Green Product Directory sponsor. Church Chair is currently offering Green Foam, a new foam product made from renewable resources. It is an environmentally friendly alternative to standard foam in chair cushions. Environmental benefits include organic, halogen-free fire retardants. Church Chair offers more than 50 chair styles, as well as a free sample chair program. Call (800) 331-5411, e-mail sales1@churchchair.com, or go to www.churchchair.com.

NATIONAL REPORT—When it comes to wallcoverings, designers, hotel owners, purchasing agents and others have not always had the most environmentally friendly choices. Vinyl—polyvinyl chloride or PVC—years ago included heavy metals and solvent inks. Today, however, it is a different world and 90 percent of heavy metals have been eliminated and water-based inks are used. Some wallcovering makers still tout vinyl’s durability and value, and one has even started recycling it, but others are now offering non-PVC alternatives. One company that has made a big splash at trade shows in the past year with its recycling initiative is LSI Wallcovering, Louisville,...

FORT LAUDERDALE—Valley Forge Fabrics, Inc. debuted its second FRESH collection at the Hospitality Design Boutique Exposition & Conference in Miami last month. The two new FRESH collections were created by New York designer Celerie Kemble and Palm Beach designers Mimi McMakin and Brooke Huttig. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality and represents the first environmentally friendly comprehensive fabric program designed specifically and only for the hospitality industry. With these new collections, the FRESH line now spans six volumes and more thant 550 skus of patterns with vibrant colors. “This collection is innovative and beautiful,” says Cliff...

WINCHESTER, VA.—Rubbermaid Commercial Products has introduced its Premium Step-On Container line. Rubbermaid’s new Premium Step-On makes waste collection more efficient and helps reduce labor costs. Innovative features include an integrated lid damper and heavy-duty can liner retaining straps. With aesthetically pleasing designs, Rubbermaid’s Premium Step-On Containers are the smart choice wherever a large capacity, hands-free waste collection solution is required. “A recent CleanLink survey found that labor-related costs are the number one concern for maintenance professionals,” says Christen Brooker, product manager for RCP. “Our new Premium Step-On Containers, in 23-gallon and new 30-gallon capacities, help cut labor costs by reducing...

LAGRANGE, GA.—Milliken Hospitality announced Trees for Carpet, an education program offering customer incentives for acts of stewardship, during HD Expo in Miami Beach. “We are committed to spreading the principles of sustainability along the supply chain and using these opportunities to educate our industry about the value of green building,” says business manager for Milliken Hospitality, Steve Hillis. “Trees for Carpet provides a simple platform for our customers to make a difference.” Milliken & Company, an international carbon negative manufacturer, has demonstrated its passion for stewardship for more than a century. Trees for Carpet is a program under Milliken’s Trees for...

BOSTON—The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston has just received official Energy Star status in recognition of its energy conservation and efficiency efforts. The hotel, built in 1963, has just completed a year-long effort to achieve this status. To that end, building automation systems were used to efficiently control the building’s energy consumption, coordinating HVAC, boilers, chillers and common area lighting. The guestroom energy management system manages heating and cooling when guests are not in their rooms and guestrooms are now lit by compact fluorescent lighting. “The overall guiding principle in decision making for all projects over the last year has...

LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Next spring will be an exciting time here at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, located in idyllic Lake Placid, home of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Up on the roof of the 153-room property, just between the main lobby and the restaurant, a green roof will be installed. Similar to a garden, the roof will include a bed of soil and plants that will have both aesthetic and environmental benefits. The roof originally was going to be put in place this fall but it was determined that the plants that will rest in the roof modules need more time...