SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—As California enters a fourth year of severe drought, the State Water Resources Control Board Tuesday adopted an expanded emergency regulation to safeguard the state’s remaining water supplies. While Californians have made great strides to conserve water, more effort is needed, the State Water Resources Control Board said.“We are experiencing the lowest snowpack and the driest January in recorded history, and communities around the state are already suffering severely from the prior three years of drought,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “If the drought continues through next winter and we do not conserve more—the consequences could...

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO—Moen, the leading faucet company, introduces Moen Express Direct. This convenient option offers same-day shipment on all Moen Wholesale, Cleveland Faucet Group (CFG), bath accessory and Moen Commercial products with available inventory. Orders placed by 2 p.m. EST (with free ground shipping) or by 4 p.m. EST (with air shipping) will ship the same day. Wholesalers will pay a flat fee plus applicable shipping charges for Moen, CFG, Commercial and bath accessory products.“At Moen we listen to our customers and take pride in thoughtfully designing products and services that will enhance their business...and this type of program...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Extended Stay America (ESA), owner and operator of 682 hotels across the United States and Canada, is more than half way through a renovation program that began in 2012 and is projected to be completed next year. As it has worked its way through each hotel, ESA has been faced with the challenge of finding what to do with old carpet, mattresses, box springs, bedding, lighting and other items. Through partnerships with suppliers, recyclers and various charities ESA has found a way to keep the “retired” items out of the landfill. So far, 25 million cubic feet of...

MINNEAPOLIS—IrriGreen, Inc. is releasing the Genius Mobile App for the IrriGreen Genius Irrigation System. Engineered for iOS and Android, the Genius Mobile App enables contractors to manage the IrriGreen system from any Smartphone.IrriGreen’s embedded computer technology continuously computes and adjusts stream volumes, directions and distances for each Genius Sprinkler. The new app provides interactive zone mapping with a visual display of the shape of each irrigation zone and the distances of the sprays from each sprinkler head. Installers use the app to align water streams to landscape features in each zone. The software automatically calculates spray distances, sets the...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI—The new Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel has checked in its first guests. Among the 200 new Haitian hotel workers who welcomed them were young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Haitian-Americans who want to share their hospitality skills to help boost Haiti’s tourism economy. The stories of these new associates include Luccardo, who was recruited to work at the hotel’s front desk from the Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs orphanage, and Hermine, who was part of the hotel’s intern program and will be an entry-level supervisor. In addition to members of a Haitian-American executive team, the Haiti Marriott is led...

COARSEGOLD, CALIF.—High Sierra Showerheads announced that all of its 1.8 gpm showerhead models are now WaterSense certified as well as certified to be compliant with the International Plumbing Codes and the following standards: ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1-2012.WaterSense certification means that High Sierra’s showerheads have been independently tested and certified to not only save water and energy, but to perform as well or better than much higher flowing showerheads.“The plumbing codes and standards listings are also very important to our customers because they certify that our showerheads are manufactured with the highest standard of quality,” said David Malcolm, owner, High Sierra...

CHICAGO—When Virgin Group opened its first hotel last month—the 250-room Virgin Hotels Chicago—what was not talked about much in the media was the green story behind the renovated historic Old Dearborn Bank Building at 203 N. Wabash Ave. Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder, and member of the B Team leaders who recently called for a global commitment to net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, established a hotel brand with the goal of LEED Silver for each hotel. Virgin Hotels Chicago’s green story begins with its site selection. Rather than building new, Virgin Hotels chose a historic bank building and kept...

GRANT, MICH.—All the Porous Pave manufactured and installed through December 2014 included a total of about six million pounds of rubber recycled from 200,000 tires. A proven option for green stormwater infrastructure, Porous Pave is a highly porous, durable and flexible surfacing material consisting of recycled rubber, aggregate and a binder. The controlled shredding and processing of discarded tires produces the one-quarter-inch nominal size rubber chips incorporated into Porous Pave.“Reaching a total of 200,000 tires saved from landfills, recycled and processed into a component of Porous Pave is an environmental achievement,” said David Ouwinga, President and CEO, Porous Pave,...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—T&S Brass and Bronze Works has released a new brochure detailing models, features and options for its ChekPoint line of electronic sensor faucets, including new models with  above deck electronics that are especially suited for commercial kitchen applications. T&S electronic sensor faucets are made of chrome-plated brass, require no sealants, are ADA-compliant, and boast a wide range of convenient features, including: •    adjustable temperature control mixing valve; •    adjustable automatic time-out feature; •    adjustable water shut-off delay; •    troubleshooting LED indicator lights and low battery indicator light; •    scratch-resistant sensor lens and modular quick-release sensor connections; •    solenoid...

NORTHBROOK, ILL.—UL, a global safety science leader, recently conducted a study to learn where value and return on investment lie in the area of sustainable buildings. The study and its result is available in a free white paper titled, “The Dawn of the Building Performance Era.” The paper wasa written by UL Chief Economist Erin Grossi.In the white paper, Grossi predicts disruption in the building market over the next five to 10 years as owners, operators and investors of buildings increasingly recognize the potential of innovation in building energy consumption, water usage and indoor air quality to positively impact...