Health care facilities get new LEED-HC rating

WASHINGTON — There will soon be a fair way to evaluate hospitals and other health care facilities that want to go green; it is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Healthcare (LEED-HC), according to the Michigan Business Review.

LEED-HC, which is focused on design issues and conditions specific to the health care industry and incorporates elements of the Green Guide for Healthcare, is expect to roll out in mid-2009, the story stated.

According to the story, one of the biggest concerns with LEED-HC is mercury elimination and the reduction of other persistent bioaccumulative toxins.

Dan Haas, development manager for Skanska USA Building, said: "Does that mean LEED-HC is easier? No. What it means is that LEED-HC is specific to the health care industry. It looks at energy differently, it looks at water differently, it looks at staff use and indoor environmental quality-type issues differently — things that typically give health care facilities trying to be certified in the LEED for new construction system hurdles."

One of the additions in the current draft of LEED-HC is a credit for equipment efficiency, which encourages facilities to use equipment that is EnergyStar rated in the top 25 percent of performance, the story noted.

Daylight and views credits, which refers to providing a connection between general indoor spaces and the outdoors and had been particularly tough for the health care industry under the old version of LEED, will be broken down into three different areas in LEED-HC: Diagnostic and treatment areas; inpatient units; and daylight quality, the story added.

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Illegal immigrant custodian arrested - BERKELEY

BERKELEY, CA — Over 100 students and employees from the University of California at Berkeley rallied earlier this week in protest to the arrest of an undocumented immigrant worker last month, according to the Berkeley Daily Planet.

According to the story, the crowd urged the university administration to turn Berkeley into a sanctuary campus.

Jesus Gutierrez, a custodian at the university was arrested on April 29 on the charge of felony identification theft because he used someone else's Social Security number to prove residency to work, the story stated.

University of California Police Department (UCPD), who contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after arresting Gutierrez, allegedly had denied Gutierrez’s request to have his union representative or a lawyer present after he was arrested, the story noted.

American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) organizer Maricruz Manzanarez said: "They failed to notify the union that a federal agency wanted to investigate Gutierrez. Every time a federal agency wants to interrogate or interview an employee, they have to notify us either by phone or by letter. In this case, our member was arrested and nobody knew about it."

Protesters marched down the streets handing out flyers and urging supporters and sympathizers to show up and support Gutierrez at his May 21 hearing in Oakland, the story added.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 17 percent of all JanSan employees (an estimated 680,000 workers) are illegal immigrants.

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Green cleaning mandated in Maryland schools

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, on May 7, 2009, signed legislation into law that requires the state’s K-12 public schools to obtain and use green cleaning products, according to a press release.

HB 1363, which officially becomes law October 9, 2009, makes Maryland the fifth state to adopt a green cleaning for schools policy of one form or another, the release stated.

According to the release, HB 1363 allows schools to first use existing cleaning products and supplies before they transition to green cleaning products and allows schools to opt out of implementing a green cleaning program if it is not "economically feasible."

The bill defines "green cleaning products and supplies" as those that have "positive environmental attributes" such as: Biodegradability; low toxicity; low volatile organic compound (VOC) content; reduced packaging; and low life cycle energy use, the release noted.

The County Boards of Education must allow for "multiple avenues" in qualifying cleaning products as environmentally preferable, including at the very least products recognized by the: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) Formulator program; Environmental Choice; and Green Seal, the release added.

GS-46 for food service operations released

WASHINGTON — Restaurants and food service establishments can now earn Green Seal certification thanks to Green Seal's recent release of the GS-46 Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services, according to a press release.

GS-46 applies to all types of food service operations, including full-service, fast-food, quick-casual, non-commercial and catering operations, and has three levels of achievement: Bronze, Silver and Gold, the release stated.

Dr. Arthur Weissman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Green Seal, said: "Green Seal has broad consumer and industry recognition. For 20 years, our standards and certification have helped green the lodging industry and a range of product industries. As a result, the Green Seal can be found at hotels, on products online and in retail stores, and on products and services used at schools, hospitals, airports, offices and government facilities. Green Seal's standard development process is American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited and are cited widely by governments, purchasers and other standards including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)."

The standard is a result of extensive research in all areas of a restaurant's environmental impact, with input from over one hundred stakeholders including industry trade groups, operators, suppliers, academia and environmental and health organizations, the release noted.

Green Seal certification also includes an on-site audit and continual monitoring, which is critical to verifying compliance against the standard and to provide patrons the assurance that real environmental improvements have been made, the release added.

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First LEED-Silver certified art museum

BUFFALO, NY — The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College has become the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified art museum, obtaining certification at the Silver level, according to a press release.

The state-of-the-art $33 million, 65,000-square-foot building has been aiming for LEED certification since it first opened in November 2008, the release stated.

Ted Pietrzak, director of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, said: "We at the Burchfield Penney are thrilled with achieving the designation of LEED-Silver certification for our new building. We entered into the new museum project with the aim to be a green building not because it's the popular thing to do, but it is our responsibility to contribute personally and corporately to sustainability."

Some of the sustainable aspects of the structure include: Temperature and humidity control systems, which maintain a constant environment to protect valuable artwork; water conservation; reduced energy consumption; and the use of renewable materials, the release noted.

Achieving LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is particularly challenging for art museums because of the exacting climate standards for art preservation and volume of visitors flowing through the building, the release added.

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UM issues Clorox wipes to prevent H1N1

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The Department of Resident Life at the University of Maryland has joined the crusade with the custodial staff to conquer the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, according to the Diamondback.

Last week, Resident Life distributed about $13,000 worth of Clorox disinfectant wipes to campus dormitories in hopes that students will use them on high-touch areas like doorknobs and light switches, the story stated.

Donna Metz, the assistant director for North Campus, said: "When you work in an institution with people in close quarters, we want to do everything we can to protect students' health. It was a preventative thing more than anything else. We're doing the kind of things we always do, like reminding students about good personal hygiene. There are always outbreaks of flu, and we post signs to cover your cough, use sanitary measures and things like that."

An e-mail was sent to all students informing them of the distribution of disinfectant wipes and included tips to keep them safe and healthy, the story noted.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 23 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in the state of Maryland.

University officials are doing all they can to prevent an outbreak and say they have no intention of closing the school if the virus does show up on campus, the story added.

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Proctor & Gamble sues Georgia-Pacific

CINCINNATI — Proctor & Gamble Company recently sued industry rival Georgia-Pacific Corporation for trademark infringement and deceptive trade practices, claiming that Georgia-Pacific's Brawny brand paper towels have a duplicate pattern to that found on Proctor & Gamble's Bounty brand towels, according to the Business Courier.

The lawsuit, filed May 8 with the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, charges that the bowtie pattern on Brawny paper towels is a copy of the pattern on Bounty ExtraSoft towels, the story stated.

According to the lawsuit, "Despite the infinite number of shapes from which to choose, and after having sold competing Brawny paper towels for decades without any shapes resembling Proctor & Gamble's Bounty ExtraSoft bowtie mark, approximately one month ago, Georgia-Pacific unexpectedly introduced into the marketplace 'new' Brawny paper towels."

Prior to filing the lawsuit, Proctor & Gamble sent a cease-and-desist letter to Georgia-Pacific in April, but never received a response, the story noted.

Proctor & Gamble seeks unspecified damages and claims that Georgia-Pacific knowingly and willfully copied the pattern to "confuse and mislead" consumers, the story added.

According to the story, in a previous legal battle between the companies in 2003, Georgia-Pacific sued Proctor & Gamble, claiming that its ads for Bounty, which declared the towel absorbed more liquid than Brawny, were false and misleading; Proctor & Gamble lost the suit in arbitration.

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