JohnsonDiversey to integrate several brands

CHICAGO – Resulting from extensive research of channel partners and end users, JohnsonDiversey Inc. is integrating several of its channel brands, including Butchers and Johnson Wax Professional (JWP), under the brand Diversey, according to a press release.

According to the release, this change reflects the company’s previous announcement that it will adopt a simplified corporate name — Diversey Inc. — in early 2010, following the expected close of a transaction where private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. will make a substantial investment in the company.

The new portfolio will include products offered by JohnsonDiversey that have proven effectiveness and value in the marketplace, across key application areas and feature the same quality that customers expect, the release stated.

John Alexander, president of the Americas region of JohnsonDiversey, said: “This portfolio makes it extremely easy for end users and distributors to identify the best products to address specific cleaning and sanitation application needs. We carefully studied how our customers and end users choose our products to address specific application needs. These insights provided a clear understanding of the features, benefits and performance they value. We then updated our portfolio to deliver the best collection of products that deliver on those expectations. By eliminating redundancy in our SKUs, we will be able to more clearly communicate these benefits to our industry, as well as improve our service, efficiency and speed to market.”

This approach also streamlines the line of JohnsonDiversey products and provides clear points of difference across the portfolio, the release noted.

Click here to read the complete release.

Study: Green roofs curb global warming

WASHINGTON — Green roofs are becoming more popular, with the number of green roofs increasing by more than 35 percent from 2007 to 2008 in the United States, according to LiveScience.

In addition to soaking up pollution and noise, the plants in green roofs naturally absorb carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas behind global warming, the story stated.

Brad Rowe, a researcher at Michigan State University, said: "In Stuttgart, Germany, 25 percent of all roofs are green. It's just normal. I think we can get to that level here. It's possible to choose plants where you don't need to water them if you're in a place like Arizona, if you have the right cactus species, for instance. They can also bring in birds and butterflies, help improve biodiversity. And there's also aesthetics, and how do you put a dollar value on that?"

For the study, scientists at Michigan State University measured carbon levels in plant and soil samples collected from 13 green roofs in Michigan and Maryland over a two-year period, the story noted.

Researchers found that replacing traditional roofing materials with green roofs in an urban area the size of Detroit, with a population of about one million, would capture more than 55,000 tons of carbon — a figure roughly similar to eliminating a year's worth of carbon dioxide emitted by 10,000 mid-sized sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and trucks, the story added.

According to the story, the researchers are scheduled to detail their findings in the October 1 issue of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Click here to read the complete article.

School district wins Excellence in Sustainability Award

BROOKSVILLE, FL — The Hernando County School District recently won the second annual National Environmental Health Association's (NEHA) Excellence in Sustainability Award for their efforts to promote green living, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

In December 2007, the Hernando County School District was named the greenest school district in the country and won the Green Cleaning Network's inaugural Green Cleaning Award for schools and universities, the story stated.

The maintenance department helps keep the district on its sustainable path by doing such things as: Maintaining room occupancy sensors; maintaining waterless urinals and low-flow restroom fixtures; installing hand dryers in place of paper towel dispensers; and performing yearly maintenance on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, the story noted.

District Maintenance Director Sean Arnold said: "Everything [in our district] is environmentally focused. I want to make sure our school district is definitely reducing the carbon footprint."

According to the story, recycling is a major part of the district's sustainable success; more than 250 tons of goods were recycled last year alone.

The efforts by students and staff in the Hernando County School District boil down to one concept: Creating a healthier learning environment, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

Mold and MRSA close courtrooms

LOUISVILLE, KY — Two Jefferson County courtrooms were closed in as many weeks due to mold contamination and the presence of infectious bacteria, according to the Courier-Journal.

Courtrooms 302 and 310 in the Hall of Justice were closed following two incidents where prosecutors contracted methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the story stated.

According to the story, there was food residue leaking down a wall and food stains in the carpet, and although many courthouse workers have fallen ill in recent years, no correlations between indoor environment quality and employee health were drawn until now.

Jefferson District Judge Sean Delahanty said: "We need to do a better job disinfecting the building."

Courtroom 302 was reopened late last week after city maintenance workers cleaned the area, removed mold contamination and shampooed the carpets, the story noted.

Courtroom 310 will remain closed during the remediation process because of what officials are calling "an unacceptable smell," the story added.

Procter & Gamble Professional™ bolsters H1N1 program

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble Professional™ recently announced that it has bolstered its novel H1N1 customer program in response to heightened swine flu indicators, according to a press release.

Procter & Gamble Professional customers can access a comprehensive toolkit at www.pgpro.com with H1N1 information and links, as well as both Procter & Gamble products and procedures designed to help reduce the spread of viruses, the release stated.

Individuals can attend a special Procter & Gamble Professional webinar on "Addressing the Threat of the H1N1 Virus" October 21, 2009, featuring relevant information from an epidemiologist and a product safety and regulatory affairs specialist, the release noted.

Ann Fetzer, director of Procter & Gamble Professional product supply North America, said: "In light of elevated concerns by health officials, we are working closely with our customers to meet their product demands and need for information. In addition to ramping up our disinfectant production, Procter & Gamble Professional offers online sanitation programs customized to foodservice, hospitality and building, cleaning and maintenance customers."

Especially as of late, increased emphasis has been placed on the need for routine and repeated cleaning of commonly touched surfaces, including out-of-home environments frequented by the public, the release added.

Study: College students' pandemic preparedness is sub-par

BOSTON — A recent study released by Simmons College's Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, and sponsored by an educational grant from Reckitt Benckiser's LYSOL^® brand products, revealed that college students are not following proper hygiene guidelines to help protect themselves from serious illness, according to a press release.

Despite growing concerns about H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) and other transmittable infections on college campuses, only 63 percent of students polled had cleaned their dorm room in the past week, the release stated.

According to the release, 73 percent of respondents admitted they had never cleaned their dorm room door handle, one of the most frequently touched surfaces and a conduit for germ spread; such habits expose students to thousands of bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli (E. coli), fecal organisms, streptococcus and more.

Dr. Elizabeth Scott, co-director of the Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, said: "These findings compound the concerns many parents have about their child's health when they're away at college and out of their home. Parents can help students stay healthy at college by encouraging them to take small preventative measures every day to help protect themselves from germs."

While television remote controls and shared bathroom sink handles generally harbor less bacteria than other high-touch surfaces, both were found to be contaminated with MRSA in some of the dorm rooms studied, the release noted.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), students should practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing and keep surfaces clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.

Communal shower floors were the most contaminated surface in the dormitory, harboring more than 40 times the number of bacteria found on the toilet seat, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.

MRSA has schools on alert

SUNBURY, PA - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than one in ten cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) involve people who acquired the potentially deadly infection in a community setting, such as a school, according to The Daily Item.

Schools are particularly at risk because athletic programs and locker rooms can provide the staph bacteria with fertile breeding grounds and a means of cross contamination, the article stated.

During one school board meeting in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, MRSA issues were raised by a parent and school officials said, “After a spate of MRSA cases in 2008, the district beefed up its preventative measures in an effort to keep the problem in check,” reported the article.

In Milton schools, which have not had reported outbreaks, Rod Harris, who is the athletic director, added, “We’ve increased the frequency of maintenance staff wiping down handrails, door knobs and other areas frequently touched by many people. These are all being wiped down twice a day now.”

Click here to read the entire article.