Understanding "Green" Cleaning Products
Managers are more than ever concerned with being environmentally responsible in every aspect of business, including buying cleaning. But when it comes to products and packaging, what do claims like "environmentally safe," "recyclable," "degradable" or "ozone friendly" really mean? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) want you to know. Here are a few tips to understanding "Green" claims:
- Claims that a product or service is "environmentally friendly," "environmentally safe," "environmentally preferable," or "eco-safe" or labels that contain environmental seals are unhelpful. But look for claims that give some substance to the claim — the additional information that explains why the product is environmentally friendly or has earned a special seal.
- Certain products may claim to be "non- toxic," "essentially non-toxic," or "practically non-toxic." To make those claims, a manufacturer must have reason to believe that the products won’t pose any significant risk to people or the environment.
- Some products may claim that they are "CFC-free" or "ozone-friendly." But all ozone is not alike. If a company claims that its products are "ozone friendly" or "ozone safe," it should have reason to believe that the products do not harm the atmosphere — either the upper ozone layer or the air at the ground level. Look for such information.
 Read more at EPA.gov
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"Better Buildings Initiative" & HVAC Considerations
In his State of the Union Address in January, President Obama unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, aimed at making commercial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade. Calling on Congress to redesign the current tax deduction for commercial building upgrades, the President's new initiative hopes to reduce business owners' energy bills by as much as $40 billion per year.
Accounting for approximately 33 percent of commercial building energy use, the HVAC system, when designed and implemented correctly, can provide a great opportunity for operational efficiency gains.
Throughout the three phases of a building's HVAC upgrade — pre-design, design and construction and post-construction — building owners should be aware of pitfalls to avoid and steps that can help ensure the project will be completed on time, on budget and on target.
Read the article
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Mops Found Guilty
A study conducted late last year has recently received renewed attention not because of what was revealed but because of what appears to be the cause of the problem.
In September 2010, England’s Leeds Metropolitan University Faculty of Health Department reported that the kitchen floor of an average student house contains more bacteria than a public toilet.*
Upon closer examination, the study revealed much of the contamination was caused by the mops used to clean the floors. In some cases “the floor was actually more infested with bacteria after the floor had been mopped,” wrote the researchers.
Tom Morrison, Vice President of Marketing for Kaivac, states “Traditional cleaning tools, especially mops, don’t always solve the problem. Instead, they may actually be the cause of the problem.”
Read More
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Real Estate Market: Economic Uncertainty Continues
The latest Real Estate Roundtable Sentiments Survey Index dropped from 76 points in the second quarter to 74 in the third quarter due to unstable market fundamentals and uncertainty over.
Read the entire article here.
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Greenbuild 2011 Highlights from Toronto
This year's USGBC event featured a wide range of educational sessions, hundreds of exhibitors and countless opportunities to learn about the latest trends in green building practice and technology.
Read the highlights here.
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