Feminine hygiene dispensers removed from campus

SACRAMENTO — Addressing budget constraints on every level, California State University at Sacramento has instructed their facilities services department to remove all feminine hygiene dispensers from all buildings across campus, according to the State Hornet.

The decision will save the school roughly $12,000 per year and will eliminate the need for custodians to stock, clean and fix the dispensers that were continually vandalized, the story stated.

Ron Richardson, associate vice president of facilities, said: "We have been providing them free of charge to the university community at a cost to us. But back then, there was no budget issue. I know several campuses have removed them and, in fact, it's always good to find out how other campuses are dealing with various situations. I try to do what's right for my campus."

Several female students have expressed reservations over possible health concerns, but many realize that the dispensers are a luxury, and in these tough economic times, only the bare necessities are budgeted for, the story noted.

Heather Diaz, assistant professor in the department of Kinesiology and Health Science, said: "I think the fact that we even offer them for free is an exception. With all the budget cuts we're experiencing, it's a very small resource to take out. And it's not like they're not available. If someone doesn't wear a tampon or pad for several days, that's a health issue. But if you're just waiting to get to the store and buy one, that's not a health issue."

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University of Massachusetts combats mold at Dartmouth campus

DARTMOUTH, MA — Mold growth, attributed to an unusually wet spring and summer, was discovered inside two residential complexes at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth two weeks before the start of the fall 2009 semester, according to the Herald News.

Mold discovered inside the Cedar Dell townhouses and the Woodlands Community apartments was "very aggressively" cleaned and most of the fungus was completely remediated by the time students moved in, the story stated.

According to the story, the majority of the mold growth was in first-floor units and only a handful of students were temporarily displaced.

Mold, which a university spokesperson said was "very superficial" and not found in areas where it would cause long-term or serious damage, was discovered on some floors, walls and ceilings, and in some units, carpets were replaced with tiles, the story noted.

David Ferguson, the university's facilities director, said: "The rooms were all extremely cold, but the hallways were considerably warmer. You could actually see water running down the metal door jambs. There was an incredible amount of moisture in some of those rooms, which is what caused the problem."

The situation has caused the university to take a hard look at their ventilation systems and consider changing practices, including opening windows over the summer, to avoid similar incidents in the future, the story added.

xpedx chosen as sole supplier for University of Washington

SEATTLE — JanSan distributor xpedx recently expanded its decade-long relationship with the University of Washington by becoming their exclusive supplier, according to a press release.

According to the release, before contracting with xpedx as its sole supplier, the University of Washington relied on multiple distributors to provide cleaning supplies for its 10 million-plus square feet of research laboratories, libraries, offices and lecture halls that total 180 buildings.

Following an intensive vendor selection process, xpedx was chosen because of its ability to provide the University of Washington with documentable cost savings, expertise on sustainable cleaning products, an online ordering platform and personalized support from an entire xpedx team dedicated to the university, the release stated.

After winning the contract, the first project xpedx tackled was getting the university custodial purchasing functions consolidated and online, which standardized ordering across 11 campus service areas, the release noted.

The xpedx team helped the University of Washington benchmark its use of environmentally responsible cleaning products and worked with them to expand green cleaning campus-wide, the release added.

Gene Woodard, director of facility services at University of Washington, said: "When we started our search for a single supplier of cleaning products, we knew we wanted to cut costs, expand green cleaning and have close, personalized support from our supplier. We made big leaps in efficiencies by ordering online and streamlining product selection and delivery dates. xpedx got the online platform up and running with very few hiccups. It’s a very successful system, a key 'nerve center' in our campus-wide cleaning operation. And it’s saving us increasing amounts of money each year."

USGBC wants environmental label on every building

WASHINGTON — The president of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) said at the Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference — a five-day international conference in Syracuse, New York — that every building in the United States should have a label disclosing its environmental impact, according to the Environmental Leader.

Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president and keynote speaker at the Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference, would like to see a label similar to food packaging nutrition labels on the side of every building, that discloses the indoor air quality (IAQ), water usage and other environmental factors of the structure, the story stated.

Many believe that buildings need to be smarter because they consume 70 percent of the world's electricity, 12 percent of its potable water and 40 percent of the raw materials used globally, the story noted.

Fedrizzi said that indoor environmental quality ranks near the bottom of the nation’s policy issues, and to change that, more research is needed to demonstrate the links between health and indoor air quality.

According to the story, having visible environmental labels on each building would encourage landlords and building occupants to increase sustainable efforts.

Environmental labels would serve as benchmarks for buildings and would make it easier for organizations such as the Association of Green Property Owners and Managers (AGPOM) to help building owners garner financial savings from green building practices, the story added.

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CityCenter receives three LEED Gold certifications

LAS VEGAS — CityCenter, a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corporation, announced that it has received three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a press release.

The certifications are for: ARIA Resort's Hotel Tower; ARIA Resort's Convention Center and Theater; and the Vdara Hotel, the release stated.

According to the release, ARIA and Vdara, which will open in December on the Las Vegas Strip, are the first of CityCenter's developments to be LEED-certified.

Water conservation technology incorporated into the ARIA Resort and the Vdara Hotel will save between 30 percent and 43 percent of water within the buildings and 60 percent in outdoor landscaping, the release noted.

Bobby Baldwin, CityCenter's president and chief executive officer (CEO), said: "From the beginning, we believed that intelligent design and sustainable practices would reinforce a sense of permanence for CityCenter and create a healthier, more appealing environment for guests, residents and our workforce. The LEED Gold-certification for ARIA and Vdara is a great leap forward in our effort to redefine the destination resort experience and provide a true cultural center to the Las Vegas Strip."

Additional energy-efficiency initiatives in the hotels provide a savings equivalent to powering 8,800 households annually, the release added.

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Courtroom closed for disinfection after H1N1 scare

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cuyahoga County Courthouse was closed for disinfection after a woman wearing a surgical mask appeared at a hearing claiming to be carrying the H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) virus, according to The Plain Dealer.

Within minutes of the plaintiff's proclamation, the courthouse cleaning crew was called in and signs were put up on doors around the courtroom on the 17^th floor, saying: "Courtroom is being disinfected," and "Do not use computer, phone or desk. Swine flu scare," the story stated.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid said: "If there is a situation where we believe there is any infectious disease, we'll call central services, the maintenance personnel for county offices. That's the protocol we've had in the 90 days I've been in office."

Matt Carroll, the director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, said disinfecting the courtroom is not something they would recommend because it does not provide meaningful protection against the spread of the illness, and instead stressed that the best prevention is for people to wash their hands frequently and avoid people who appear to be ill, the story noted.

According to the story, about five years ago, a person spit in a courtroom; officials had the room disinfected then as well.

This incident appears to be the first time a county office was closed because of fears related to the H1N1 virus, the story added.

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Toronto YMCA unveils green roof

TORONTO, ON, Canada — A short 4 months after the Metro Central YMCA announced plans to build a green roof atop their facility, the fruits of their labor have been unveiled, according to the Torontoist. Though it won't be very "green" until the plants fill out next spring, the roof will be teeming with life as people use the running track that covers the perimeter and designated open spaces for yoga, stretching or simply relaxing, the story stated. According to the story, upon reviewing suggestions from 2,500 members, the YMCA revised their final selection to make room for more trees and seating, as well as incorporating raised edging on the track to assist the visually impaired. The majority of materials used on the roof, which had to be carried up by hand from the forth floor because the service elevator does not go to the roof, are sustainable and made from recycled products, the story noted. Though the roof is, for the most part, finished, crews continue to work and add finishing touches to give the roof a less synthetic, more realistic feel, the story added. Click here to read the complete article.