FEA and the IFMA Foundation release first in Sustainability 'How-To Guide' Series

FAIRFAX, VA — Facility Engineering Associates (FEA), in partnership with the International Facility Management Association Foundation (IFMA), recently released the first of the Sustainability “How-To Guide” Series, according to a press release.

According to the release, Chris Hodges, principal of FEA and an active member of IFMA, has authored this first guide, entitled Getting Started.

The Getting Started guide was created to assist facility managers with a step-by-step process for assessing an organization; finding a starting point; identifying initiatives; evaluating their value; and implementing, measuring and monitoring their effectiveness, the release stated.

By the end of the current calendar year, there will be a minimum of four additional guides hosted on the foundation's website, www.ifmafoundation.org, with another eight scheduled for completion in 2010, the release noted.

Teena Shouse, senior facility management consultant at FEA and a past IFMA chair, said: "In IFMA's quest to equip and enable facility management professionals through education, this guide will clarify and lead them through what can be a very complex issue. Now, when someone asks you 'How do I get started?' you can refer them to this informative and well-designed guide to sustainability."

To obtain your own copy of the Getting Started guide, please visit FEA's website at www.feapc.com, the release added.

Hotel sued for only hiring Hispanic housekeppers

MOUNT VERNON, VA — A discrimination lawsuit was filed against the owners of a Best Western hotel, alleging that they only hire Hispanic housekeepers, according to WHSV-TV.

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) filed the suit last week on behalf of three non-Hispanic women who lost their jobs at the hotel in April 2007, the story stated.

The suit alleges that a new owner, Mount Vernon Holdings LLC, which bought the hotel in 2007, forced employees to reapply for their jobs; only Hispanics were hired for housekeeping positions, the story noted.

The three women all worked at the hotel for at least 15 years before it was purchased and the non-Hispanic employees were allegedly replaced, the story added.

According to the story, hotel managers refrained from commenting on the situation.

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Clean standard for K-12 schools in development

LINCOLNWOOD, IL — ISSA and its research partner, the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), recently completed Phase I of their research — consisting of laboratory and limited field testing in 70 schools and two day-care facilities — to determine the best methodologies and measurement systems that ultimately will form the foundation for a clean standard for K-12 schools, according to a press release.

According to the release, ISSA hosted multiple sessions at the 2009 ISSA/INTERCLEAN^® North America Trade Show, addressing its K-12 research progress in more detail.

Results from Phase I research, which consisted of both lab and field testing in schools, suggest that adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measuring devices appear to be a promising and appropriate approach to detecting significant differences between "dirty" and "clean" surfaces in schools; in addition, a comprehensive approach to defining "clean" and indoor environmental quality in K-12 schools is being developed, the release stated.

ISSA Director of Legislative Affairs Bill Balek said: "Based on the research conducted to date, ISSA is confident that this project will produce a scientific-based, pragmatic standard that will significantly improve the quality of the learning environment for students in K-12 schools across the nation and that will also provide ISSA members with a valuable tool that will help them succeed in today's demanding and increasingly more health conscious marketplace."

The goal of this three-year research project is the cooperative development of a science-based clean standard for K-12 schools that will be the springboard for industry data, training, measurement and certification programs, the release noted.

In addition to testing cleaning and measurement methods, performance metric data, such as student academic performance and absenteeism rates, are being provided by the participating school district; this aspect of the research will study the connection between indoor environmental quality, cleanliness and student health and performance, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.

Study: Employees in green buildings more productive

BLOOMINGTON, IN — A University of San Diego study released in September found that employees working in green buildings are more productive than their counterparts in non-green facilities, according to a press release.

According to the release, this is a study that Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group LLC and Sustainable Tool LLC, says is not receiving enough attention.

The study involved more than 2,000 workers from 154 different green buildings, all of whom formally worked in conventional, non-green facilities, the release stated.

The study found that: 45 percent of respondents reported an average of 2.9 fewer sick days in their new green location; nearly 43 percent of the employees agreed they were more productive in green buildings; 12 percent said they strongly agreed they were more productive in green buildings; and 45 percent noted little change, the release noted.

Interestingly, 10 percent of participants actually reported an increase in the number of sick days after moving to a green facility, the release added.

Ashkin said: “Many of these folks reporting no changes or even an increase in sick days were in Energy Star-labeled buildings that do not have indoor air quality (IAQ) requirements. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings do have IAQ standards and that makes a big difference. They remind us of the many benefits of green buildings, which are not only fewer sick days and greater worker productivity, but enhanced employee retention, recruitment and worker morale.”

Kimberly-Clark Professional launches sustainability campaign

CHICAGO — Kimberly-Clark Professional launched a sustainability campaign today called Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow that takes a bigger-picture approach to environmental sustainability and is the first truly global communications campaign developed by the company, according to a press release.

The central premise of the Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow campaign is that focusing only on 100 percent recycled fiber content does not address the total picture, nor is it the best approach to environmental sustainability, the release stated.

Jan Spencer, president of Global Kimberly-Clark Professional, said: “Our ongoing efforts to achieve outstanding environmental performance are not just our responsibility as corporate citizens, they are vital to our success as a business. These efforts are also guided by global, company-wide objectives for improving operational performance in energy, water, waste, and environmental management systems.”

According to the release, Kimberly-Clark Professional looks at a bigger picture and strives to reduce environmental impact at every stage of a product’s lifecycle.

Superior product performance that allows customers to use less and waste less is a key component of Reduce Today, Respect Tomorrow and Kimberly-Clark Professional’s business strategy for a more sustainable future, the release noted.

If less is consumed in the first place, it often means there is less packaging waste, which further reduces the amount of waste to recycle or send to landfill, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.

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.

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