MINNEAPOLIS—The IrriGreen Genius Irrigation System, which utilizes next generation digital technology to advance water-saving lawn irrigation, won a 2014 Product Innovation Award from Architectural Products magazine. The Product Innovation Awards honor ingenuity in the design, development and refinement of building products. Digitally controlled to match watering patterns to the exact shape of any lawn, IrriGreen uses up to 50 percent less water than ordinary systems.“The Product Innovation Awards highlight manufacturers who have developed superior building products that deliver better performance, longer service life and more affordability,” said Jim Crockett, Editorial Director, Architectural Products magazine. “The judges determined that IrriGreen...

CHARLESTON, S.C.—ISI Technology has created the world’s first fully electronic water heater. The Heatworks MODEL 1 is the world’s first 100 percent digital water heater. The system allows one to replace or improve any existing water heating system and offers instant and infinite hot water, a significantly longer lifespan with zero required maintenance, and ultimate control.Using electrical current to silently heat water while monitoring power 60 times per second, the MODEL 1 is capable of maintaining temperature within 1 degree Fahrenheit. As a result, the Heatworks MODEL 1 saves up to 40 percent of energy costs devoted to heating...

OAKLAND, CALIF.—Toilets may not be a sexy subject, but now that the Oakland Marriott has upgraded its toilets, that upgrade will result in 2.1 million gallons in water savings per year. The water savings can supply the indoor water needs for 29 efficient East Bay households (made up of a family of four) for one year.On average, a hotel uses 100 to 200 gallons per day, per room. The Oakland Marriott is quite extraordinary in that it uses on average about 156 gallons per room, accounting for both the hotel and convention center which receives tens of thousands of...

NEW YORK—The Waldorf Astoria, New York Hilton Midtown, and Carlton hotels have been honored for their environmentally friendly initiatives as recipients of the first ever Sustainability Awards, presented yesterday by the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC) at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show held at the Javits Center.The Hotel Association of NYC’s Sustainability Committee offered awards in three categories: Environmental Protection, awarded to the New York Hilton Midtown for its comprehensive green building efficiency program; Social Responsibility, awarded to the Carlton for its engagement with the community; and Holistic Strategy for Sustainable Hospitality, awarded to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Those looking for assurance that a laundry wastewater recycling system does indeed reduce utility costs can find proof in study results recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) Building Technologies Office. The D.O.E., with the assistance of outside consultants, conducted a demonstration project to evaluate laundry wastewater recycling technology in the hospitality sector. The D.O.E. report, entitled, “Demonstration of Advanced Technologies for Multi-Load Washers in Hospitality and Healthcare—Wastewater Recycling Technology,” documents the demonstration of a wastewater recycling system installed at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.The Grand Hyatt, a four diamond hotel located in downtown Seattle, has 425...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Water scarcity is impacting the vitality of communities around the world. For businesses, it is a significant constraint to growth. The Water Risk Monetizer is a financial modeling tool that enables businesses to factor water into decisions that support business growth and help ensure the availability of this limited natural resource for future generations. The Water Risk Monetizer provides actionable information to help businesses understand the impact of water scarcity to their operations and quantify those risks in financial terms.The Water Risk Monetizer was developed by Ecolab Inc., a global leader in water technologies and services, and...

NEW YORK—The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) New York Metro’s Chapter honored GROHE, a leading manufacturer of premium kitchen and bath fixtures, in its first annual design awards. Announced last month, the awards recognize outstanding design, creativity, commitment and service within the industry. GROHE was honored with three awards: the Sustainability Award, Industry Partner Award and the Creative Invention Award for GROHE Blue Chilled & Sparkling.“We’re honored to be recognized by ASID,” said Cheryl Dixon, Head of Brand and Trade Marketing for GROHE America. “Receiving recognition from esteemed interior designers and the New York design community is especially...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Honeywell announced they are working together to deepen facility sustainability by integrating USGBC’s new LEED Dynamic Plaque, a near-real-time monitoring tool with integrated building automation technology from Honeywell to measure and provide performance feedback to help optimize operations.The LEED Dynamic Plaque assesses facility performance in the categories of energy use, water consumption, waste output, occupant transportation and human experience, aggregating data to provide an overall performance score that reflects the LEED rating system—the world’s most widely utilized green building rating system and recognized standard for leadership in sustainability. The plaque is...

OSHKOSH, WIS.—Following 60 years of hard-mount washer development and innovation, Continental Girbau Inc. recently released its most advanced hard-mount washer line yet. The new G-Flex Washer-Extractors generate extract speeds of up to 200 G-force, offer a highly programmable control, and deliver results using less water and energy. Available in 40- and 55-pound capacitites, G-Flex Washers also deliver the flexibility of six programmable extract speeds, including 100, 140 and 200 G-force. G-Flex Washers offer high-speed extract for bolstered productivity.As extract speeds increase, according to Joel Jorgensen, Continental Vice President of Sales and Customer Services, so does the amount of moisture...

WICHITA, KAN.—This week Value Place announced the opening of a newly constructed hotel in Columbus, Ohio. The company, with nearly 190 hotels in 32 states, has been on a roll lately. Almost every month this year the company has either opened a property or announced the construction of one. Value Place, a leader in the extended-stay segment, is known for offering an affordable, clean, safe and simple place to stay. What it is not known for is the steps it has taken to be as environmentally efficient as possible—a result of the company’s fanatical attention to keeping costs down.“From...