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9/8/2010
NEW YORK—The International Copper Association (ICA) announced a new heat exchanger coil technology that benefits from smaller diameter copper tubes. The new product designs and associated manufacturing processes are a culmination of years of research. Heat transfer from the refrigerant to the tube wall is more effective inside copper tubes with diameters smaller than the conventional diameter.
9/2/2010
NATIONAL REPORT—The American Hotel & Lodging Association is about to release the results of its 2010 Lodging Survey. Green Lodging News was provided with a copy of the survey results prior to the survey’s official release. The survey, which is conducted approximately every two years, was funded by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and prepared by Smith Travel Research. A total of 48,954 hotels were polled. The response rate was 18 percent (more than 8,500 participants). The survey report covers 14 green-related areas: Allergy-Free Rooms, Air Purifiers, Liquid Soap Dispensers, Linen/Towel Reuse Program, Energy Management Sensors in Room, Recycling Program, Energy Efficient Lighting, Water Saving Program, Digital Energy Management System, Green Certification, Hotels with Vegetarian Menu Choices, 100 Percent Nonsmoking, Plan to Incorporate LEED, and Incorporated LEED in Renovations. According to the survey, 38 percent of responding hotels now offer allergy-free rooms (up from 24 percent in 2008). The category of hotels most likely to offer allergy-free rooms: luxury, with 66 percent of hotels in that segment indicating they offer them.
8/30/2010
DENVER—Sage Hospitality has upped its own ante on helping the environment with its new Green Choice program. The “opt in” initiative offers guests the choice to decline daily housekeeping to reduce their carbon footprint while saving hotels money on energy, water and other costs. Introduced in March 2010 and currently offered at 18 Sage hotels across the country, such as The Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel and the Nines in Portland, Ore., Green Choice reflects a growing trend as hotel groups seek innovative solutions to save money—and the planet—amid challenging times for the travel industry. Green Choice has seen great success as participating hotels put their own spin on the program. At The Blackstone, guests are encouraged to opt in with a $5.00 food and beverage credit or 500 Marriott points. Management reports an average of 100 guestrooms participating weekly, reducing the hotel’s water use by four to five gallons per room and overall linen load by 200 pounds per week.
8/26/2010
MT. VERNON, N.Y.—ICE AIR, the developer and manufacturer of a wide variety of HVAC units, has released ExactFit PTACs (Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners) for demanding renovation or retrofit applications in the hospitality industry where existing cooling and heating units need to be replaced. PTACs, which are self-contained, individually- controlled air conditioners, installed through the wall of rooms with an outside wall, are found throughout the hospitality market.
8/25/2010
BANGKOK—Soneva Fushi’s 70-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant system has achieved eight months of successful operation. It is the largest renewable energy plant currently operating in the Maldives, a country that has brought international attention to the issue of global warming and rising sea levels. Soneva Fushi is Six Senses’ flagship resort. “This is a significant first step in achieving our commitment of a net zero carbon footprint for Soneva Fushi by 2012 as well as supporting the carbon reduction goals of the Maldives government,” said Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and chairman of Six Senses. “We are hoping that our example will lead other resorts in the Maldives and other island grids around the world to also pursue solar PV as a low cost clean energy alternative.” The “grid parity” system, the first in the region to use best of breed thin film PV panels, was fabricated in easy-to-assemble kit form by Beck Electric of Germany. The entire system, including tools required for assembly, was shipped to the Maldives in a 40-foot container.
8/25/2010
MOONACHIE, N.J.— Demonstrating its latest innovation of energy efficient LED technology, BULBRITE has received an ADEX Award for Design Excellence for its Super High Power Dimmable LEDs. These LEDs are featured in the company’s extensive line of energy efficient LEDs. This year alone, BULBRITE has received three ADEX Awards for Design Excellence. BULBRITE is a leading supplier of innovative, energy efficient light source solutions and an educational resource for lamping technology.
8/24/2010
PITTSBURGH—Fairmont Pittsburgh announced that it has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made by Leonard S. Czarnecki, general manager of the luxury hotel. “We are proud to continue Fairmont Hotels & Resorts’ tradition of operational sustainability and responsible tourism here at the Pittsburgh location,” Czarnecki said. “In fact, Fairmont Pittsburgh is the first LEED certified project for Fairmont, and we are looking forward to growing our reputation as a responsible member of this community.” Fairmont Pittsburgh, which opened on March 29, 2010, is part of Three PNC Plaza, a 23-story high-rise owned by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Three PNC Plaza, which is one of the nation’s largest green, mixed-use buildings, expands upon PNC’s commitment to environmental responsibility and green building practices. PNC has more newly constructed LEED certified buildings—80—than any other company.
8/24/2010
GENEVA—The future ISO 50001 standard for energy management was recently approved as a Draft International Standard (DIS). ISO 50001 will establish a framework for industrial plants, commercial facilities or entire organizations to manage energy. Targeting broad applicability across national economic sectors, it is estimated that the standard could influence up to 60 percent of the world’s energy use.
8/19/2010
VINEYARD HAVEN, MASS.—Until this summer, the 16,000 gallons of groundwater that runs below the Mansion House Inn, Health Club & Spa was a nuisance. Because the inn’s subbasement sits in the middle of the groundwater, the water constantly had to be pumped away to protect the structure. Now, the water is an asset. How so? It stores energy not only from the sun above the inn but also energy pumped into it via a sophisticated geothermal heat pump system. For Sherman and Susan Goldstein, the inn’s owners, realizing the water’s potential was like striking gold.
8/18/2010
COHOES, N.Y.—Mohawk remains one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s top 50 Green Power Partners, currently ranking as No. 32 on the list, as well as ranking number nine on the list of 100 percent Green Power Purchasers. Mohawk joins other leading renewable energy purchasers such as Intel Corp., Kohl’s Department Stores, Whole Foods Market, City of Houston, Dell Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Cisco Systems, Inc., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, U.S. Air Force, and City of Dallas.
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