NATIONAL REPORT—For those who specify and/or purchase fabric for items such as furniture and draperies, options that include recycled content have been around for a long time. Over the last year, however, fabric suppliers have increased the number of “green” options they offer. Today, it is easy to find polyester fabric made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. Sustainable fabric made from natural fibers is also quite common. While the price point for some sustainable fabrics can be higher, some vendors are able to offer sustainable lines at the same price as traditional fabrics because of the high volume of yarn that they purchase.

LEXINGTON, KY.—The 2008 National Tour Assn. (NTA) Annual Convention, held in November in Pittsburgh, set a record for the amount of materials that were recycled from a single show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The center is the first and largest certified green convention center in the world. Officials at the convention center reported that everyone who attended the NTA Convention helped to recycle 9.435 tons of material. The figure includes nearly 3.465 tons of composted materials, three tons of cardboard and 2.97 tons of bottles, cans and loose paper. Additionally, 123,500 gallons of water was reclaimed. In addition to being the highest amount recycled from one event, the total represents 49 percent of all the recycling for the convention center.

TRINITY, N.C.—Sealy Global Hospitality has created a new line of Sealy Posturepedic sleep systems with convertible pillowtops. They were created specifically for hospitality environments looking to balance the demand from customers for greener practices without compromising cost or comfort.

CHICAGO—Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in downtown Chicago launched an extensive recycling program and energy conservation program entitled, “When not in use, turn off the juice,” one year ago. A unique effort to compost biodegradable food material has been introduced, and Hyatt Regency McCormick Place bottles its own water at its restaurant, Shor, as well. The hotel’s green program has garnered successful results with the participation of both its entire staff and guests. In the past year, 76 tons of material (equaling 300 cubic yards) has been recycled, approximately 1,500 trees have been saved, and more than three tons of food has been composted.

LOUISVILLE, KY.—LSI Wallcovering announced it will pick up freight costs to bring used vinyl wallcovering back to its Second-Look Recycling Center in New Castle, Ind. The Louisville, Ky.-based wallcovering manufacturer made the move to ensure that rising fuel costs don’t discourage specifiers from recycling wallcovering.

SAN FRANCISCO—Toward the end of the movie “E.T.: The Extraterrestial,” E.T. tells the young boy Elliott to “be good.” Guests waking up at the Good Hotel in San Francisco’s SoMa district are getting the same message just about everywhere they turn at the recently opened 117-room boutique property. On one of the walls in each guestroom, the words “begood” appear.

STANDISH, MAINE—PRC Technologies, a division of Print Recovery Concepts Inc., announced that it is offering the first laser printer cartridges that use toner powder derived from soybeans. PRC reports they will supply cartridges for the most popular laser printers under the SoyPrint brand at prices comparable to brand name versions currently available.

INDIANAPOLIS—Gilchrist & Soames has unveiled its BeeKind Collection. BeeKind is the first Gilchrist & Soames collection to employ an environmental alternative to plastic bottles. The BeeKind paper bottle is a 59 percent reduction in packaging material by weight, as well as a 92 percent reduction in waste space after use compared to rigid plastic bottles.

YOUNTVILLE, CALIF.—The Napa Valley community of Yountville, Calif., with a population of a little more than 3,000 people, is now home to one of the greenest lodging establishments in the United States—the 62-room luxury Bardessono hotel, restaurant and spa. Set to open the first week of February, the development should earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification later in 2009. If it does reach that goal, it will be only the second hotel in the United States to do so. The Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C., is the other. The owner and developer of the property is Seattle-based Phil Sherburne. His previous lodging developments include the 86-room Willows Lodge located just outside Seattle in Woodinville, Wash., and the 23-room luxury Inn of the Spanish Garden in Santa Barbara, Calif.

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International has found the “key” to a greener planet. Effective immediately, the company will begin replacing the 24 million plastic key cards that it purchases annually in the United States with those made of 50 percent recycled material, thereby saving 66 tons of plastic from being dumped in a landfill. The new key card is just one of many advances the company has made to “green” its $10 billion supply chain and reduce its global environmental footprint. As hotels deplete their inventory of existing supplies, they’ll be replaced with new, greener products, preferably developed by the company’s current vendors for the same or lower price.