WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its first WaterSense specification for a commercial building product. WaterSense labeled flushing urinals will use 50 percent less water than standard urinals, saving businesses 4,000 gallons of water per year for every model installed. While current federal standards set the maximum allowable flush volume at one gallon per flush, an estimated 7.8 million urinals in use today are older inefficient models. In addition to using no more than a half gallon per flush, urinals bearing the WaterSense label must meet EPA’s performance requirements, ensuring they work as well or better than...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—The Hansgrohe formula of blending modern and traditional design elements with state-of-the-art technology is once again on display with the new Metris C line of lav, bidet and tub faucets. All of the lav models in this new series feature ceramic cartridges and Hansgrohe EcoRight technology to limit flow rates to 1.5 gallons per minute (GPM)—a 30 percent savings over conventional lav faucets. Like the new Talis C series, Metris C faucets are designed to be combined with Hansgrohe Raindance C showerheads, handshowers and bodysprays, creating a coordinated look that brings a classical elegance to the bath, but with...

SAN FRANCISCO—When the upscale Hotel Griffon in San Francisco receives its October water bill, they can anticipate a pleasant surprise. That’s because the boutique building’s 57 rooms and five luxury suites have recently been retrofitted with Perfect Flush dual-flush systems by Brondell. This dual-flush functionality will reduce the Hotel Griffon’s toilet water use by upwards of 18,000 gallons monthly, thereby saving the establishment close to $3,500 dollars per year. In 2007, the Hotel Griffon underwent a full renovation. While that makeover included the installation of 1.6-gallon toilet tanks in all of its rooms, the popular Bay-area hotel wanted to...

VALLEY CENTER, CALIF.—Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort has diverted more than 400 tons of recyclables, reduced Styrofoam use by 25 percent and cleaned up more than eight miles of San Diego County beaches. These conservation efforts are the result of the employee driven “Green Committee,” which meets bi-weekly in support of the company’s CODEGreen Commitment. “CODEGreen is our commitment to conservation and sustainability,” says senior vice president and general manager Janet Beronio. The Green Committee is comprised of Harrah’s employees who want to make a difference. “There were so many ideas at the first meeting,” exclaims Brendan O’Kane, facilities manager...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes the Edro Corporation as a Green Product & Service Directory Partner. Edro washer-extractors are fitted with the company’s proprietary on-board DynOzone—DynaWash Ozone System. The machines reduce hot water requirements and shorten cycles to save on operating costs. Edro washer-extractors feature highly efficient motors and drives and state-of-the-art HMi touch screen controls. The company’s high efficiency tumbler dryers, available in capacities from 35 to 450 pounds, complete the laundering process. For additional information, call (800) 628-6434, e-mail aholaday@edrodynawash.com, or go to www.edrodynawash.com.

LAS VEGAS—CityCenter announced that it has received three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council for: ARIA Resort’s hotel tower; ARIA Resort’s convention center and theater; and Vdara Hotel. ARIA and Vdara will open in December on the Las Vegas Strip and are the first of CityCenter’s developments to be LEED certified. CityCenter anticipates Gold or Silver LEED certification for its remaining developments which include Las Vegas’ first Mandarin Oriental; Crystals, a 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district; Veer Towers, the community’s only strictly residential buildings; and The Harmon (opening late 2010),...

NATIONAL REPORT—Every new Home2 Suites by Hilton will have them. The Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle has them. So does the Nines hotel in Portland, Ore., the Bardessono in Yountville, Calif., the Hotel Terra in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and many other properties. What are they? Dual flush toilets. These highly efficient cousins to standard toilets increasingly are being selected for new construction and renovation projects. Just entering the U.S. lodging market in the last few years, they have been used in Australia, Asia and Europe for more than 20 years and are becoming more common in Canada and...

SEATTLE—The Olive 8 building, a 39-story hotel/condominium building located in downtown Seattle, has officially received LEED Silver from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a first for hotel/condominium buildings in the Seattle area. As the first mixed-use hotel and residential project to be LEED certified in Seattle, Olive 8 has been recognized as a high-performance building that is a responsible and efficient place to live, vacation and work. The cornerstone Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel located within the Olive 8 building is now also one of only 20 hotels in the United States to be officially designated “green” by...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council stepped up its commitment to improved building performance with the launch of the Building Performance Initiative, designed to put in place a comprehensive data collection effort from all buildings that have achieved LEED certification; implement an appropriate analysis methodology of that data; and provide feedback to building owners so they have better information with which to address any performance gaps that stem from predicted building performance versus actual performance. This initiative complements the announcement earlier this year that will require ongoing performance data from buildings as part of their certification under the...

KENT, WASH.—The City of Kent, Washington now boasts one of the greenest event centers in the country. The ShoWare Center—a 154,000-square-foot multipurpose arena that is home to the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team as well as a regional venue for sports, entertainment, concerts and trade shows—was recently awarded LEED Gold-NC (new construction) certification. Designed by Seattle-based LMN, the ShoWare Center is the first newly constructed event center in North America to achieve the LEED Gold rating. “It was exciting to be given the opportunity to help advance sustainable approaches in a new market sector,” says LMN design partner Mark Reddington. “Event...