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...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIF.—California Faucets introduces BËL, a multifunction showerhead inspired by classic architectural forms and traditional elegance. The new showerhead design is the latest addition to the StyleFlow family of multifunction showerheads and handhelds that feature Swiss Shower Technology.“BËL answers a need in bathroom design for traditional style multifunction showerheads and handshowers,” says Noah Taft, California Faucets Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. “Given the cutting edge nature of multifunction showerheads, most are offered in contemporary or transitional styles, yet we live in a country where traditional décor continually outsells that of contemporary. BËL, with its beautiful tulip...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Those looking for assurance that ozone laundry technology does indeed reduce energy, water and related 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 ozone laundry technologies for reducing the energy and water use of multi-load washers in healthcare and hospitality facilities.The D.O.E. report, entitled, “Demonstration of Advanced Technologies for Multi-Load Washers in Hospitality and Healthcare—Ozone Based Laundry Systems,” documents the demonstration of two ozone laundry system installations. The first installation took place at...

EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA—Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts has taken the pledge to be a part of the Water Sense H2Otel Challenge. Water Sense is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnership program designed to help save water for future generations. Bucuti is the only resort outside of the United States and North America that has taken this initiative at this time.The initial step of the program is “ACT”: assess water use and savings opportunities; change products or processes to incorporate best management practices; and track results. Upon assessment, Bucuti will begin replacing existing products with Water Sense-labeled models. Simply...

OAHU, HAWAII—Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu, Hawaii, has completed the installation of an innovative green roof that covers a total of approximately 60,000 square feet as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.“We are dedicated to preserving Hawaii’s delicate and natural resources as stewards of the land,” said Scott McCormack, Vice President of Real Estate for Turtle Bay Resort. “We have received positive feedback from our resort guests who appreciate the project’s eco-friendly benefits and are enjoying enhanced guestroom views of the ocean and landscape art atop the newly designed roofs.”The lower flat roofs of Turtle Bay Hotel were completely...

TAMPA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Xeros as a Founding Sponsor. According to Xeros, its polymer bead technology significantly reduces laundry costs, increases the life of linens, and helps hotels advance their commitment to green operations. The system uses up to 80 percent less water, 50 percent less energy, and approximately 50 percent less detergent as compared to conventional washing. The reusable beads have a lifespan of hundreds of washes before being collected and recycled.Xeros’ polymer beads replace water as the primary cleaning agent, reducing the amount of water needed to get items...

NATIONAL REPORT—Selecting an ice machine is a major purchase consideration for any hotel manager. The energy used in the average hotel restaurant for refrigeration and ice production is between 13 and 18 percent of overall energy costs for that section. Saving money on these costs not only helps the environment, but also helps the bottom line. How can we reduce energy usage and water usage while still generating enough ice to maintain service quality? Water efficiency in ice machines is based on number of gallons per 100 pounds of ice produced. This can range between 18 gallons to 200 gallons...