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.

Click here to read the complete release.

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.

Click here to read the complete release.

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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Study: Tea tree oil to treat MRSA

WASHINGTON — Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), long used to treat acne and minor skin irritations, may soon be used to treat something more severe — Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to the Examiner.

A study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy that was conducted at the Department of Microbiology at the University of Western Australia found that Melaleuca alternifolia successfully treated all 66 test cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacterium, 64 of which were Methicillin resistant, the story stated.

According to the study, tea tree oil may be even more effective against the spread of MRSA than some of the drugs commonly used to combat the bacteria.

Similar studies show Melaleuca alternifolia can also successfully prevent the spread and growth of highly resistant fungi and yeast, the story noted.

Tea tree is a powerful volatile oil, passing through the cell membrane quickly and easily and therefore should never be ingested internally; proper ventilation may be required when applying topically and special care and dosing instructions should be followed when using it to treat children as their systems are more sensitive to the effects of the active ingredient, terpinen, the story added.

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Successful Spartan Chemical seminar

MAUMEE, OH — Over 50 industry professionals assembled at the corporate offices of the Spartan Chemical Company to participate in the invitation-only "Do More with Less! Cleaning in Today’s Economy" seminar on May 5-6, according to a press release.

The market-specific seminar was created to provide insight into the trends affecting building service contractors (BSCs) and facility managers in today’s workplace, the release stated.

Guest speakers included: Jim Harris, Sr., chairman of The Harris Group, speaking on topics such as Systems Thinking for Sustained, High Productivity and Performance Cleaning Utilizing Team Specialists; and David Frank, president of the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences (AICS), speaking on the topics of Capital Expenditures and Mechanization and Green Cleaning – Meeting Sustainability Goals on a Budget, the release noted.

For more information regarding future Spartan seminars, contact Abbey Davidson at 1-800-537-8990, ext. 228, or adavidson@spartanchemical.com, the release added.

Stricter OSHA combustible dust regulations

WASHINGTON — Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulators are moving to adopt tougher rules for controlling combustible dust in the workplace, according to the Courier-Journal.

According to the story, since 1980, more than 130 people have been killed and more than 780 injured in preventable combustible dust accidents.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board recommended that the federal government require stricter dust controls three years ago, but changes were never implemented, the story stated.

While many labor unions support stricter combustible dust regulations, several industry groups, including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Federation of Independent Business, oppose changes, the story noted.

Industry awareness to the dangers of accumulating combustible dust in the workplace has improved in the last few years, but is still inadequate, the story added.