TEMPLETON, CALIF.—The Aqua2use Greywater System from Water Wise Group has been selected as one of the Top-10 Green Products for 2012 by the editors of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec. This tenth annual award recognizes the most innovative and exciting green building products added to the GreenSpec Directory during the past year or covered in Environmental Building News. Water Wise Group’s Aqua2use Greywater System is a cost-effective solution to recycle water from showers, baths, and washing machines and reuse it for outdoor drip irrigation. The greywater is filtered through a progressive filtration technology without using any chemicals, and is immediately...

NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO—Moen, a leading faucet brand, has been selected as a 2011 WaterSense Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company was chosen for this honor based on its significant efforts to advance the WaterSense mission through participation and collaboration in promotional events. The award was accepted earlier this month by Andrea Maher, senior marketing communications specialist, Moen, at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Expo in Las Vegas. “Moen is honored to be recognized by the EPA for the strides that we have made to promote and encourage water conservation,” said Mike Bauer, president, U.S....

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Texas is now experiencing its worst drought since 1895. Agricultural losses now exceed $4 billion and several other industries in Texas are expected to be severely impacted due to the drought. “The Texas cleaning industry is being asked to use water more responsibly,” says Doug Berjer, product manager for CFR, manufacturer of recycling carpet extractors. “And, it’s not just in Texas; water conservation is now an issue throughout the country.” How can cleaning professionals and carpet cleaners conserve water? The following are Berjer’s Solid Seven Water Conservation Tips: 1. Use microfiber mop heads and cloths. A University of California study found...

NATIONAL REPORT—The faucets go by a number of different names—hands free, electronic, touchless, sensor—but they are all geared toward improving hygiene, simplifying cleaning and maintenance, and conserving water and energy. Ideal for public restroom facilities where there is a continuous flow of different people, hands free faucets are also finding a home in commercial kitchens where employees are required to wash their hands. Several industry experts said there may come a day soon when hands free faucets are accepted in hotel guestroom bathrooms—as an “amenity upgrade,” one vendor said. Hands free faucets have been available for the mainstream public restroom...

NEW CASTLE, DEL.—Speakman Company introduces the Anystream Assana Showerhead. The Anystream Assana features a spa design aesthetic coupled with a traditional rain showerhead sensibility. The showerhead is available in both polished chrome and brushed nickel as well as a WaterSense certified 2.0 GPM flow rates. The Assana showerheads feature Anystream 360 spray technology. Developed by Speakman’s engineering team, Anystream 360 spray technology allows Speakman Anystream showerheads to achieve a 360 degree rotation to the spray adjusting mechanism (handle or faceplate). This adjustability allows the user to make small incremental adjustments to the spray of the showerhead and transition effortlessly through...

NATIONAL REPORT—After two years of declining revenues and profits, U.S. hotels turned the corner in 2010. According to the 2011 edition of Trends in the Hotel Industry published by PKF Hospitality Research (PKR-HR), the average hotel in the nation achieved a 4.8 percent increase in total revenue during 2010. While 70 percent of the properties in the Trends sample enjoyed an increase in total revenue in 2010, only 60 percent were able to convert that into more money on the bottom line. Previous analysis conducted by PKF-HR has found that hotel managers struggle to control costs during the initial stages...

VISTA, CALIF.—Waterless Co. Inc. has launched a new website, allowing visitors to enjoy a more attractive site as well as find the information they are looking for far more quickly. According to comments from users beta testing the updated site, the new site is now more “smart-looking,” “better organized,” and “easier to navigate.” According to Niki Bradley, marketing manager for Waterless Co., the first thing visitors see on the site’s home page is a map of the world. “Our waterless urinals are now installed all over the world so it just seemed appropriate,” Bradley says. Next to the map are four large...

LIVONIA, MICH.—The San-O3-tyzer by Hamilton Engineering and Aquawing Ozone Systems is a new system that uses a blend of heat and ozone in every wash cycle. Adding ozone to the wash allows for less chemicals and the use of lower temperature wash water, which will substantially lower utility bills and reduce the carbon footprint of a laundry operation. Additionally, there are San-O3-tyzer models designed to fit in the space of and function as a folding table. San-O3-tyzer systems come in more than 20 standard sizes that can accommodate up to 4,000 pounds of hourly wash capacity. Every San-O3-tyzer is factory...

PISCATAWAY, N.J.—American Standard introduces the DECORUM FloWise urinal. It features a sleek, modern, compact design. The high-efficiency urinal (HEU) features FloWise water-saving technology that uses only 0.5 gallons per flush (gpf), using 50 percent less water than a standard urinal. This stylish unit meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program requirements for high performance and water efficiency. “The DECORUM urinal elevates a very utilitarian product to something you would expect to see in a renowned modern art museum,” says Tony D’Amato, senior product manager of commercial products for American Standard. The powerful and efficient washdown action of the DECORUM...

CHICAGO—With four years to go until 2015—the target year for reaching its energy, water, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste reduction goals—Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is making significant progress. According to Brigitta Witt, vice president corporate responsibility for the company, energy, water and waste have been reduced by 10 percent since 2006 at approximately 200 full-service, Hyatt-managed hotels around the world. There have also been substantial cuts in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2009, the year Hyatt began tracking emissions. “We have been tracking energy and water since 1994,” Witt says. “We saw there was a...