Anyone who has traveled a lot over the years has accumulated their own share of toilet stories. Flushing on an airplane while at 35,000 feet is always an adventure. That loud sucking sound is due to the powered vacuum that sucks the contents out of the toilet—very efficient from a water use standpoint. I once stayed in a hotel room that had a pressure-assist toilet. When I flushed the thing, I just about jumped out of my shoes because of the loud noise—a flashback to my most recent airplane experience. Pressure-assist toilets “push” waste out. Like every traveler, most...

NATIONAL REPORT—When searching for water conservation opportunities in a hotel, the guestroom bathroom is a prime target. While most showerheads and faucets today offer savings opportunities, where huge progress has been made in recent years is in the engineering and design of toilets. While the current federal standard in the U.S. is 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf), the EPA’s own WaterSense site lists 73 models that use just .8 gpf. Of those 73 models, 16 are made by Niagara Conservation Corp. Green Lodging News recently spoke with Michael Campbell, Director of Business Development at Niagara, to talk toilet trends...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Center have unveiled groundbreaking new data detailing the total water usage of the global Travel & Tourism sector. In one of the largest research projects of its kind, WTTC can for the first time ever, accurately report and track the impact the sector has on the environment. The findings were launched at the United Nations in New York at the UN 2023 Water Conference. Direct Water Use Speaking at the UN Headquarters, Chris Imbsen, Director of Sustainability at WTTC, revealed that Travel & Tourism’s entire water footprint is just 0.6...

PAUL, MINN.—New data from a global survey conducted and commissioned by Ecolab, a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services, has revealed high consumer expectations for the role of companies in water access and conservation. The Water, Sustainability and Climate Change survey consulted thousands of consumers across eight different countries. The survey revealed: 74 percent of consumers believe businesses should make conserving water a high or essential priority; Just 25 percent of consumers believe companies are taking the right amount of action to conserve water; and More than 60 percent of consumers said that they or a...

DUBUQUE, IOWA—Innovative Ink Publishing, an imprint of Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, has released Sustainable Hospitality, written by green hospitality industry expert Dan Ruben. The textbook provides hospitality professionals and students with the knowledge and resources to make their properties environmentally sustainable. “The target audience is hospitality professionals who work for hotels, cruise ships, and other hospitality sectors, as well as hospitality students,” Ruben says. “Managers of senior living facilities, dormitories, and other lodging facilities will benefit from this book, too. Sustainable Hospitality offers a roadmap to a leaner operation—one where less energy and water are consumed, and where less waste is generated....

KIRKLAND, WASH.—Noble House Hotels & Resorts—the family-owned boutique hotel brand with a carefully curated collection of 25 hotels, resorts, and experiences across North America—has partnered with Green Seal and applied for certification for 13 of its properties, continuing its sustainability efforts. Noble House Hotels & Resorts is deeply committed to protecting and sustaining the environment and all the communities connected to its hotels and resorts year-round. Working with Green Seal provides the hotel brand access to sustainable purchasing experts with a global reputation for excellence and the tools and guidance needed to adopt safer and more sustainable practices and products. Each...

MEMPHIS, TENN.—Auto-Chlor System, a national leading supplier of commercial dish machines and chemical solutions for hospitality operations, highlights the UCR Glass Washer, a fast, water-efficient, and energy-efficient machine that accommodates all glass sizes and shapes. The UCR Glass Washer is ideal for high volume glass applications in hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cocktail lounges, wineries, breweries and more. The complete wash cycle is a fast 60 seconds. A three compartment, rotating rack allows washing to occur in one section while soiled items are simultaneously loaded into a second section and cleaned items are ready for removal from the third section. The large...

DES PLAINES, ILL.—The Chicago Faucet Company (CFC), a Geberit Group company, announced it is celebrating its 15-year partnership with WaterSense, a program sponsored by the EPA. Both company brands, Chicago Faucets and Geberit join WaterSense in promoting efficiency and enhancing the market for water efficient products, programs and practices while protecting the future of our nation’s water supply. Both company’s brands: Chicago Faucets and Geberit offer products that are WaterSense listed. Chicago Faucets is dedicated to innovating for sustainability and offers a wide selection of independently certified WaterSense listed products that meet stringent criteria. The company manufactures the widest assortment of faucets with equivalent or superior...

NEW YORK—WINT Water Intelligence continues to transform water management and sustainability solutions for the built environment with the launch of its powerful WINT3 platform. The next-generation WINT3 builds on WINT’s widely deployed water management solutions and technologies to help organizations mitigate water risk and proactively meet sustainability goals in a wide range of midsize and large facilities, including commercial buildings, multifamily residential, office, retail, higher education and others. “Water is the last unmanaged resource in buildings,” said Yaron Dycian, Chief Product and Strategy Officer for WINT. “This results in significant waste, carbon emissions, and damage from leaks. With the world’s water resources...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added Verdafero Inc. to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Software/Utility Analytics for ESG Reports” category. Verdafero ESG InSights is a cloud-based software suite that offers dynamic utility data analytics across time, location, cost, occupancy, or other key hospitality indicators. Verdafero ESG InSights provides an analysis of your utility usage by gathering data on energy and water consumption, occupancy, weather, and other resource utilization patterns to make better informed decisions on your hotel’s operating costs and environmental initiatives. Verdafero ESG InSights is designed to provide a visual analysis of your Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse...