CITY OF COMMERCE, CALIF.—Sustainable Solutions International (SSi), a North American leader in the manufacturing and distribution of efficient water-saving products, announced the next revolution in the modern bath—their new ultra water-saving single flush High Efficiency Toilet (HET), simply called NO CLOG POINT 8. With its breakthrough flush technology, the ADA-compliant, Easy Height toilet is the simplest and easiest way to utilize this dramatically low flush volume. As its name implies, “NO CLOG” users will have little need for service calls due to clogged toilets as the NO CLOG trapway is double industry standard size. The SSi NO CLOG POINT...

In water conservation and management, the retail and hospitality industries face a unique set of challenges. A hotel guest, after all, has very little incentive to turn the air-conditioning unit off when he leaves or to take short showers in the morning. He’s not paying the bill, so what’s it matter to him? That type of behavior, combined with the pressing needs of landscape maintenance and the aesthetics required to attract people to a business, is enough cause for worry among facility managers…and their accountants. With water scarcity becoming a more prevalent issue with every passing year, facility and asset managers...

SAUSALITO, CALIF.—Is a spa-like shower experience with 90 percent less water consumption and 80 percent less energy consumption possible in a hotel guestroom shower? According to shower system innovator Orbital Systems, it has proven to be very possible—thanks to founder Mehrdad Mahdjoubi’s work with the NASA Mars missions. The company that has U.S. offices in Sausalito, Calif. says it already has 45 installations, including some hotels. The U.S. version of the Oas shower will be available in mid-September. “When an Orbital is recycling the water, it goes into a receptacle that analyzes the purity of the water. That purity is...

LAS VEGAS—In 2016, Caesars Entertainment Corp. introduced the gaming and entertainment industry’s most aggressive carbon reduction targets, secured Triple A scores in three CDP rankings and, with its related entities, delivered $5.7m of contributed societal value for every $10m in gross revenue, almost triple the estimated average of U.S. corporations. The company’s eighth annual Corporate Citizenship Report, entitled “People Planet Play,” which covers 2016 and select content from the first half of 2017, details Caesars’ sustained progress and leadership across its many corporate social responsibility initiatives. People Planet Play is Caesars’ new platform that clearly communicates citizenship at all levels of...

HONG KONG—Swire Hotels announce recent measures dedicated to developing sustainable and environmentally friendly hotels at EAST Hong Kong, Beijing and Miami. Swire Hotels is committed to making a positive impact on the environment through implementing new and innovative programs to strengthen the priority given to the sustainable operation of its hotels. These measures form part of the new sustainable development strategy launched by Swire Properties, Swire Hotels’ parent company. Swire Properties developed this new strategy with vision of becoming the leading sustainable development performer in its industry globally by 2030. Under this new strategy, Swire Properties identifies and manages the...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, has added an Electrolux Professional case study to its website. The case study details the installation of Electrolux Professional high-spin washers, Electrolux Professional dryers, and a flatwork ironer at the Hotel Healdsburg in Healdsburg, Calif. Electrolux high-spin washers provide water and energy savings, higher productivity, and superior wash results. Electrolux Professional dryers offer faster drying, less gas consumption, and no over-drying. The flatwork ironer makes crisp sheets and perfectly pressed table linens easy. “In the hotel business, the laundry is the third largest energy consuming area,” says Paolo Petron,...

HANCOCK, MASS.—In 2007, when Jiminy Peak installed a $4 million 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine on the western flank of its mountain, many thought the 70-year-old resort was taking a huge financial risk. Last month, 10 years after the switch was thrown, Brian Fairbank, Chairman of The Fairbank Group that runs the resort, looks back at a risk worth taking. The 253-ft. high turbine paid for itself in seven years, and today, combined with a 12-acre 2.3 megawatt (MW) solar field and 75 kWh cogeneration unit at the slopeside Country Inn at Jiminy Peak, the resort can claim to be...

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM—The world’s first cistern to use condensate from air-conditioning units to flush the toilet has been launched and would save 4.7bn liters of water a year for the 1,477 U.S. hotels currently being built. Encore is the most environmentally friendly cistern as it uses a free, sustainable water supply that has previously been drained to waste. Encore is also suitable for offices, apartments, leisure centers and anywhere with toilets and air-conditioning. In another first for cisterns, Encore allows architects, consultants and specifiers to secure two extra LEED points—the US Green Building Council’s gauge for sustainability. Encore Technical Director, David Davis, said,...

WINDHAM, VERMONT—If a building becomes as one as possible with its surrounding environment, can it be energy self-sufficient? Yes, it certainly can. Just ask Bob Shannon, President of The Fourth Corner Foundation, Inc., the nonprofit that runs A Stone Wall Inn in Windham, Vermont. Shannon, an architect with two degrees from Yale University, first thought about the 10-room inn on 12 acres in 1969. The three-building inn with a post-modernist feel is heated entirely by solar energy and wood stoves. Every aspect and angle of the well-insulated inn was designed to maximize the power of the sun. “We are making...

KOHLER, WIS.—Kohler Co. was awarded the US Water Prize for its water conservation efforts by the US Water Alliance during its One Water Summit in New Orleans. The Water Prize is presented annually in five categories, including a private sector organization for outstanding achievement in advancing sustainable solutions to water challenges. Water Alliance leaders recognized Kohler as this year’s private sector honoree for its development and promotion of water-efficient products that meet the EPA’s WaterSense efficiency requirements. “Since 2011, the US Water Alliance has worked to advocate for the true value of water and promote policies and practices that ensure safe...