As published on Green Lodging News, The Rezidor Hotel Group just published its Responsible Business Report 2016. For those of you not familiar with the company, Rezidor’s current core brands include Radisson Blu—the largest upper upscale brand in Europe—and Park Inn by Radisson. Radisson RED is another Rezidor brand. The report, 61 pages long, describes the most important corporate responsibility and sustainability aspects of the company’s operations. Last year was a good one for the company with it being named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the eighth straight year by Ethisphere. The Rezidor Hotel Group also...

NEW CASTLE, DEL.—As a culmination to World Water Month, Speakman announced its partnerships with local nonprofits to conserve and improve water quality in Delaware. This year’s World Water Day theme “Why waste water?” rings true to the Delaware-based company since it invented showering close to 150 years ago. This past year Speakman met its pledge of helping America save one billion gallons of water by encouraging consumers to change the way they shower. In addition to designing a range of shower heads that use 20 to 40 percent less water, the company’s philanthropic efforts send a steady flow of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Alliance to Save Energy vowed to fight budget cuts for federal energy efficiency programs proposed Thursday by the Trump administration, including the elimination of the successful ENERGY STAR program and sharp reductions at the Department of Energy (DOE). “This is a destructive proposal that walks away from decades of bipartisan support for energy efficiency going back to the Reagan administration and beyond,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “We oppose these cuts in the strongest possible terms and will do everything we can to fight them in Congress.” “This budget ignores the fact that energy efficiency creates jobs and economic growth,” Callahan adds....

NATIONAL REPORT—A Computerized Maintenance and Management System (CMMS) has the potential to help companies improve the way their manufacturing process impacts the environment around them in addition to ultimately decreasing their production costs. CMMS systems have the ability to track maintenance activities, the costs for the equipment that require maintenance, and work flow, but those are just the benefits on the manufacturing side. The environmental benefits provided by a CMMS make them very worthwhile for a manufacturing business to invest in. Reduced Material Waste The amount of materials used and wasted is tragically high in many industries. It is possible to...

NEW YORK—Up on the roof of the Conrad New York, a luxury waterfront, all-suite hotel located in the heart of lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City, Executive Chef Gerron Douglas can be found year-round, overseeing a garden that even in the winter produces root vegetables, squash and some herbs. The rooftop garden and green roof have been in place since the LEED Gold certified hotel was renovated six years ago. “There is always something there,” Douglas says. “We adjust based on the season.” In the warmer months the garden produces lettuce, mustard greens and tomatoes. Douglas adds, “We really try...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association announced the recipients of the 2017 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, honoring forward-thinking equipment and technologies that increase efficiencies and productivity for back-of-the-house operations and benefit restaurant operators. Each recipient and their product will be showcased in the interactive Kitchen Innovations Pavilion at the 2017 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, held from May 20 to 23 in Chicago at McCormick Place. “The engineers and inventors who develop these KI Award innovations work tirelessly to solve the challenges of back-of-the-house operations, to the great benefit of restaurant operators,” says Atour Eyvazian, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2017 and multiunit owner of...

NATIONAL REPORT—In any discussion about sustainability, it is likely that carbon will enter the discussion at one point or another. In any conversation about sustainability in the kitchen, carbon also has a place, but in more ways than one. It is not only the carbon emissions from running the lighting, appliances and HVAC system, it is the actual carbon buildup on pots, pans and other items. This buildup is a barrier to heat, which means it can take longer for items to cook or bake. The longer ovens or stoves run, the higher the energy bill and related environmental...

In my years covering green lodging I have written quite a few articles about equipment and technology found in the kitchen to help one save energy, water and reduce waste—bio-digesters, pre-rinse spray valves, warewashers, variable-speed hood controllers, and more. You can read about such topics on the Green Lodging News website in the “Kitchen & Laundry” category. Every time I chat with a supplier I learn something new and that was certainly the case today when I interviewed Craig Gavson, CEO of Hyginix LLC. In case you are not familiar with Hyginix, they manufacture the FOG Tank, a heated...

WASHINGON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council released its LEED in Motion: Venues report, which highlights the efforts of convention centers, sports venues, performing arts centers, community centers and public assembly spaces to transform their environmental, social and economic footprint through LEED certification. The report showcases some of the most impressive green venues around the world. “The scope and scale of the venues industry is enormous, and the leaders creating these spaces have an important role to play in reducing environmental impact,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President & CEO of USGBC. “By incorporating green practices, venues around the world are positively impacting their triple bottom...

TROY, OHIO—Hobart launched the new CLeN-series dishwashers at the NAFEM Show in Orlando earlier this month. The CLeN was featured in NAFEM’s WHAT’S HOT! WHAT’S COOL! product gallery. “Our mission is to help customers experience greater efficiency, reliability and cost savings with their dishwashing equipment,” said Tim Peters, Product Line Manager for Hobart. “As demand grows for ‘green’ benefits, increased cost savings, and simplified labor practices, the CLeN helps customers achieve those requirements through superior product innovation and performance.” Hobart’s CLeN Warewasher turns dishwashing into a science, using industry-leading technology to clean dishes and kitchen ware in less time and at...