FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Agaia, Inc., makers of Evolve, announced that its line of Green Seal approved commercial cleaning products is expanding internationally as pressure mounts in the global janitorial services market for the use of environmentally and human-safe cleaning products and practices.“Since we announced that five Evolve products were awarded Green Seal certifications in July 2014, interest in Agaia’s patented cleaning and laundry technology has increased exponentially and our global distribution network has grown dramatically,” said Agaia, Inc. CEO Mike Linn. “In the last few months alone we’ve added new distributors in North and South America, Europe, Saudi Arabia, and...

HOBOKEN, N.J.—Green Starts Here, LLC announced the official product launch of the ShowerSaver, a monitoring device for use in the shower that provides the user with real-time information on shower duration and water consumption. The ShowerSaver features a sensor which allows it to turn on and off automatically—users just need to get in and start showering. It also requires no connection to the plumbing, doesn’t control water flow, and is simple to install.“We like to say that this moves the shower into the 21st century,” said Kevin Myers, founder of Green Starts Here and inventor of the device. “With...

DENVER—The piece-of-pie shaped Brown Palace Hotel, a fixture in the heart of Denver since 1892, has been undergoing a green transformation the last couple of years that has caught the eye of many. The 241-room property won the Good Earthkeeping Award in 2013 from the Colorado Hotel and Lodging Assn. and the Good Earthkeeping Award in 2014 from the American Hotel and Lodging Assn. While dabbling in sustainability for a number of years—bee hives have been on the hotel roof as part of the hotel’s Bee Royalty Initiative since 2009—it was in October 2012 when good things really started...

Name: Harith WickremaTitle: Chief Visionary OfficerProperty: Eco Serendib Villa and SpaYears property open: Three Primary responsibilities: “One of my most important responsibilities as chief visionary officer is to ensure the villa stays true to the original concept.”   Organization’s most significant sustainability-related accomplishment: “Educating guests while using resources to give back to the St. John Community.”  Organization’s most significant sustainability-related challenge: “Recycling. On St. John we don’t have recycling. Garbage gets shipped to St. Thomas.”  ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS—As Chief Visionary Officer and owner of the eight-suite Eco Serendib Villa and Spa on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Harith...

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...