NATIONAL REPORT—Energy consumption officially has become the defining global issue of our time, and everyone from politicians to developers and homeowners is taking notice. But while technology companies and auto makers like Tesla and Ford scramble to make the first mainstream electric vehicle, there’s actually a bigger player in the energy arms race: buildings. According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the nation’s buildings account for 43 percent of U.S. carbon emissions and 39 percent of primary energy consumption. Compare those numbers with the transportation industry, which comes in a distant second at 32 percent and 28 percent,...

DUBAI, U.A.E.—INTEREL, a manufacturer of integrated room technologies in the luxury, upper scale and cruise line hospitality industry, has officially entered its new TCP/IP-based Water Management System into the HTNG North American Conference 2016 TechOvation Award competition taking place on March 1 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort.“For a number of years, hoteliers around the world have focused on reducing their properties’ energy consumption and costs to make their operations greener and more sustainable, and we see great results in this space,” said Florian Gallini, Group CEO of INTEREL. “However, water consumption remains a huge challenge for hotels.”On...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Hilton San Francisco Union Square has quite a win streak going. On February 17, the 1,919-room hotel hosted the Hotel Council of San Francisco’s first Stay Green Forum. The event drew 275 attendees. “Lieutenant Governor Newsom was the keynote speaker,” says Jo Licata, Community Projects Manager at the hotel. It was a great success. We had almost every hotel in San Francisco represented.” Also in February, the hotel garnered a lot of publicity for being the first hotel to participate in the Better Buildings Challege SWAP, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program that saw officials from...

OSHKOSH, WIS.—Continental Girbau Inc. recently added the new 70-pound capacity G-Flex Washer to its most advanced line of hard-mount flexible-speed washers. The G-Flex line now includes 40-, 55-, and 70-pound capacity models. Superior programmability, including G-force, brings premium program and process flexibility to laundries at an affordable price point, according to Joel Jorgensen, Continental Vice President of Sales and Customer Services.“G-Flex Washers deliver the flexibility of six programmable extract speeds, including 100, 140 and 200 G-force, at an affordable value,” said Jorgensen. “There are other washers on the market that offer flexible G-force, but they are typically more expensive,...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Xeros, innovator of an ultra-low water laundry system, announced that it has signed a deal with New York City-based eLaundry.com in excess of a million dollars for Xeros’ award-winning polymer bead cleaning laundry systems which are proven to dramatically reduce water, energy, and detergent consumption while providing a gentler and superior clean. To promote the new Xeros laundry services, eLaundry.com will introduce Xeros as an ingredient brand in their storefront, on delivery vehicles and throughout the business.eLaundry.com provides on-demand laundry service to consumers and commercial customers in New York City such as hotels, spas, salons, colleges and universities,...

CHARLESTON, S.C.—AM Conservation Group, Inc. (AMCG) announced that Michael Quinn has been named the company’s President and CEO. Quinn assumes this role from Todd Recknagel, AMCG’s current CEO, who will remain on the AMCG’s Board of Directors. Under Recknagel’s leadership, AMCG completed three acquisitions and achieved significant growth, positioning the company for its recent acquisition by Kohlberg & Co.Quinn joins AMCG with an extensive track record of senior leadership experience across industries, most recently as President and CEO of Aurora Products Group, a supplier of burial, memorial and technology products to the funeral industry. Prior to his tenure with...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Doug Borden and Smart Valve to its Green Product & Service Directory. The patented water valve sits on the hotel side of the water meter. It is designed to compress the air in water pipes and improve meter reading accuracy, resulting in cost savings on water, sewer and water heating bills. Spring tension reduces flow surges, helping with over-consumption and over-spinning of the water meter during heavy usage. Over pressure can cause increased consumption of water and additional maintenance costs. Most water devices are designed to work...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hoteliers may not realize it but the water meter measuring water coming into a hotel property measures more than water. It measures fluid volume and that fluid includes both water and air. As a result, “water” bills are higher. At least two companies are now representing a product called “Smart Valve” that, when placed on the hotel side of the meter, compresses the incoming air, eliminating its volume before it reaches the meter. The end result: water cost savings of up to 10 to 15 percent or more, regulated water pressure, and less stress and maintenance on plumbing...

ISLANDS OF LORETO, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO—When the Danzante Golf Course opens at the Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto on February 14, it will operate with the least amount of environmental impact possible. The 7,400-yard Rees Jones-designed course on the Islands of Loreto, Baja California Sur in Mexico, was designed to work with the natural beauty and serenity of its surrounding environment. Where possible, plants that were removed during the construction of the course were transplanted and relocated throughout the golf course to maintain native landscaping. Those plants that were unable to be transplanted were used...

LAS VEGAS—MGM Resorts International expects to see healthier trees and more efficiency as water usage drops by about one-third when a comprehensive irrigation upgrade now in progress at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas is finished in June.“The change allows us to turn down the overhead sprinklers that water the grass in natural areas, while still getting enough water to the trees where it’s needed,” said Tim Cloninger, Shadow Creek Superintendent. “We’re a little more than half done and we’ve already reduced our water usage by about 25 percent.”The front nine is finished, with the rest of the...