LONG BEACH PENINSULA, WASH.—Adrift Hotel is taking more big steps in sustainability with its current $48,000 project to add solar hot water panels and rainwater catchment for laundry. The recent announcement was made jointly by Brady and Tiffany Turner, owners of the 80-room hotel, located at the south end of the boardwalk and nearby Discovery Trail on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula.The project, with construction taking place from October through December 2013, is being funded utilizing Seattle-based Community Sourced Capital—providers of new financial tools to help local businesses access capital namely via community-sourced small business loans.“Choosing to inhabit the far...

MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.—Bradley Corp., a leading manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures and washroom accessories, announced nationwide availability for the company’s latest commercial hand-washing innovation—the Advocate AV-Series Lavatory System. This “all-in-one” sink, faucet and dual-sided hand dryer solution delivers the first U.S. made, completely touchless hand-washing experience for a more sustainable, clean and efficient lavatory environment.“After years of research and valuable customer feedback, Bradley is proud to deliver such an innovative, logical and effective solution as the Advocate Lavatory System to the market,” said Jason Renner, senior product manager, Bradley Corp. “As our customers embrace the core design and completely...

NEW YORK—Xeros, the innovator of an ultra low water cleaning system, announced the company has been awarded the Editors’ Choice Award, Best New Product for Hotel Operations. The award was presented November 10, during the Opening Ceremonies of the 98th annual International Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show  (IHMRS) at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.The annual Editors’ Choice Awards recognize best new products within seven categories of the hotel industry, including operations. This year, the panel of judges, which included editors from leading hospitality trade publications, reviewed more than 100 submissions of the latest hotel products. Winners...

ALPHARETTA, GA.—After its North American début in New York City this May, the Axor Starck Organic Collection will be featured at Boutique Design New York 2013 (BDNY), November 10 to 11 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York. Philippe Starck’s fifth collaboration with Axor will be on display in Booth #509. The collection has many attributes that make it suitable for a wide range of applications, especially hospitality. With design by luminary Philippe Starck and craftsmanship and innovation by Axor, the collection is a natural for this market, which demands superior aesthetics, functionality, sustainability and durability.Of Axor’s...

SPOKANE, WASH.—Ecova, a total energy and sustainability management company, announced a new Water Outlier Investigation service to help multi-site commercial and industrial companies optimize their water performance. Together, Ecova’s Resource Benchmarking Report and new Water Outlier Investigation services identify facilities that are performing above or below the norm for all facilities—and provide customized solutions to reduce consumption at those targeted sites.“Water prices are on the rise, climbing by almost 30 percent in the past four years for the commercial and industrial sector as we found in our recent Big Data Whitepaper,” said Bob Zak, senior vice president, facility solutions,...

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—American Standard is the first plumbing manufacturer to offer 1.1 gallons per flush (gpf) manual flushometer toilet systems that use 14 percent less water than 1.28 gpf high efficiency toilet (HET) flushometer systems, and 31 percent less than 1.6 gpf systems. These toilet systems consist of a 1.1 gpf manual toilet flush valve combined with either an American Standard Afwall or Madera universal toilet bowl.An ideal solution for architects and specifying engineers focused on water conservation, these new toilet system flush valves significantly reduce water use without sacrificing performance. This level of water savings will contribute toward LEED...

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—New high efficiency urinal flush valves from American Standard offer Selectronic hands-free function, flexible power options, reduced maintenance and reliable performance.Using just 0.25 gallons per flush (gpf), these sensor-operated flush valves for urinals offer 75 percent water savings compared to a standard 1.0 gpf valve and 50 percent when compared to a 0.5 gpf high efficiency urinal (HEU) flush valve. These flush valves are engineered to eliminate routine maintenance—each employs a self-cleaning piston with integral wiper spring to significantly reduce clogs and reduce upkeep time by facility staff.In states like California and Texas that already require the use...

NATIONAL REPORT—Conservation efforts in the hospitality industry are on the rise. When you consider the rising levels of energy consumption and the related costs—both to the environment and your bottom line—you begin to see how beneficial implementing your own green initiatives can be. Fact: 97 percent of the Earth’s water is non-potable oceanic saltwater. Of the 3 percent remaining freshwater, close to three-quarters of that is confined to icecaps and the poles, which means that less than 1 percent of the water on this planet is accessible and fit for human consumption. At last count, the hospitality industry alone utilized an...

UVALDE, TEXAS—Inside a greenhouse on the grounds of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Service Center in Uvalde, Dr. Raul Cabrera recently inspected several groups of ornamental plants for signs of damage or distress. “This is the first component of our practical gray-water investigation,” explained Cabrera, who along with colleagues from the Uvalde center and the Texas Center for Applied Technology started research in late 2012 to confirm the potential use of gray water for home landscape irrigation. Gray water, explained Cabrera, is basically the soapy water that remains after tap water has been run through a washing machine or...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, has received a Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for its newest building on the company’s corporate headquarters campus in Parsippany, N.J. The campus previously received two Silver-level LEED designations, making it the first and only company in New Jersey to hold LEED certifications in both Commercial Interiors and Existing Building Operations and Maintenance.“A tremendous amount of thoughtful planning goes into the design, construction and operation of our buildings,” said Frank Campana, senior vice president, corporate real estate and...