Trojan Battery expands its distribution

SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA — Trojan Battery Company recently announced that Northeast Battery, a longtime master distributor of Trojan products, will expand its distribution into the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, according to a press release.

Northeast Battery offers a full line of products including starting, lighting and ignition products, stationary power systems for telecommunications and uninterruptible power supplies and high-end motive power batteries, the release stated.

Tom Scarduzio, president of Northeast Battery, said: "We are excited for this opportunity to expand our distribution of Trojan Battery products. Northeast Battery provides only the finest, highest quality products and services to our customers, and with Trojan products, we can proudly say that's what we have done for the past 25 years and will continue to do for many more years to come."

Both companies expressed excitement from this partnership that will provide increased service and support for customers, the release noted.

Spray Nine disinfectant receives H1N1 kill claim from EPA

JOHNSTOWN, NY — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reviewed and accepted independent lab testing submitted by Spray Nine Corporation for Spray Nine Cleaner/Disinfectant's efficacy against the pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza A (swine flu) virus, according to a press release.

According to the release, with the second wave of the H1N1 flu on the decline, experts predict that a third wave may hit early in 2010.

The product was proven to disinfect against the virus with a 30 second contact time, a claim now added to their EPA Master Label, the release stated.

This new disinfecting claim heads up a long list of germs killed by Spray Nine Cleaner/Disinfectant including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Hepatitis B and C, norovirus and more, the release added.

Milwaukee County privitizes janitorial services

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County recently privatized janitorial services in 10 county-owned buildings and awarded MidAmerican Building Services the $1.2 million contract, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

MidAmerican Building Services, which beat out 10 other building service contractors (BSCs), will begin cleaning the buildings January 18, 2010, and will be paid $97,793 a month, the story stated.

According to the story, only large public bathrooms and hallways will be cleaned until MidAmerican officially begins its contract, meaning many areas in the buildings could be less clean than they were under previous cleaning arrangements.

Supervisors complained that they were cut out of the process to select private firms to take over custodial services for the county, a move that resulted in about 90 workers being laid off, the story noted.

Some find it curious that Edward M. Aprahamian Jr., owner of MidAmerican Building Services and a partner in a political consulting firm who has made sizeable donations to the Wisconsin governor's race, was chosen as the contractor for the 10 county buildings, the story added.

According to the article, some county workers were warned that bathrooms used by 300 court workers won't be cleaned until mid-January because of the time discrepancy between the layoff of county janitors and the hiring of MidAmerican Building Services.

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New website service for carpet cleaners

GAINESVILLE, FL — Carpet cleaners understand that advertising and marketing are important for their business, and with Ready To Go websites, the leg work is already done for you, according to a press release.

With Ready To Go websites, all the background work of website design, writing content and search engine optimization (SEO) is already done, allowing carpet cleaners to lease unbranded websites, brand it with their company logo and start using it immediately, the release stated.

Abhi Patel, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pat's Marketing, said: "If you are hesitant towards spending too much on marketing your business in this economy, Ready To Go websites by Pat's Marketing can be an effective yet affordable option. You can lease a website at as low as $30 per month and start marketing your business on search engines almost instantaneously and for so long as you see fit."

Ready To Go websites are already optimized and ranking on search engines, so businesses can look forward to getting quicker and often instantaneous returns on their marketing dollars, the release added.

Click here to read the complete release.

Algoma University recognized as green and sustainable

PETERBOROUGH, ON, Canada — Algoma University recently received a certification of accomplishment from Boreal Solutions, an Ontario-based JanSan distributor, recognizing the university's commitment to becoming a greener and more sustainable school, according to a press release.

Along with Boreal Solutions, the university has been working with Enviro-Solutions Ltd. to test and evaluate cleaning products that are proven safer for the university's staff and students, are environmentally preferable and meet the performance needs of the school, the release stated.

Goals of the one-year project include: Eliminating toxic and corrosive materials used to clean and maintain the campus; Improving energy efficiency; Reducing the amount of waste generated by the school; and transferring to only green-certified cleaning products bearing either the Green Seal^® or EcoLogo^™ label, the release noted.

Kevin Hemsworth, divisional director of external relations for Algoma University, said: "One of the biggest and surprising achievements [in this process] is that the green measures have resulted in no additional cost to the university. In fact, we may even be saving money as a result of this team effort that [also] helps the school continue to be a leader in environmental stewardship."

Selecting green-certified products was a requirement because it guarantees the products selected have been independently evaluated and proven to have less impact on users, building occupants and the environment, the release added.

EPA officially launches green disinfectant and sanitizer pilot programs

WASHINGTON — On December 9, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched two voluntary pilot programs for disinfectants and sanitizers that will allow the use of the Design for the Environment (DfE) logo on certain products as well as allow the use of certain EPA-approved factual statements of environmental preferability, according to a press release.

Bill Balek, ISSA director of legislative affairs, said: "ISSA applauds the EPA for crafting a policy that will empower purchasers to make informed decisions when selecting disinfectants and sanitizers, as well as provide a market incentive for manufacturers to develop antimicrobial pesticides that possess a preferred environmental and safety and health profile."

Balek participated in the Comparative Claims Work Group assembled by the EPA for the purpose of developing the parameters of the pilot program, the release noted.

Registrants will be subject to a two-tier review process starting with review by the DfE program that will start accepting applications immediately, while the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) will start accepting applications on May 3, 2010, the release added.

According to the release, the OPP will start accepting applications for the use of factual statements of environmental preferability on product labels on January 25, 2010.

For more information about the pilot programs, click here.

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Duo develops biodegradable packaging

GREEN ISLAND, NY — Two businessmen recently developed a green alternative to polystyrene packaging that uses 10 times less energy to produce and biodegrades into a natural fertilizer, according to the American Free Press.

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, classmates from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), founded Ecovative Design in 2007 to produce EcoCradle — packaging made from farm waste and mushrooms whose manufacture generates zero greenhouse gas emissions, the story stated.

Bayer, chief executive officer (CEO) of Ecovative Design, said: "For each unit of EcoCradle we produce, compared to the same unit or volume of polystyrene, we use 10 times less energy and emit eight times less CO₂ over the life of the product from production, use and to disposal. Our long-term vision is actually to replace all plastic and foams and mitigate their environmental consequences ... and this natural platform we have discovered or invented will allow us to do that."

According to the story, polystyrene is so prevalent in the packaging industry that it accounts for 30 percent of all the waste in United States landfills.

EcoCradle is made from agricultural byproducts including cottonseed hulls, buckwheat hulls and rice husk that are mixed with mycelium — a fungal bonding agent — and allowed to grow inside molds, the story noted.

According to the article, the mycelium secretes a powerful enzyme that decomposes the organic waste as it grows, and after seven days at room temperature in the dark, a compact, ultralight, malleable material is formed that can resist temperatures of up to 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 Fahrenheit).

EcoCradle, a patented trademark in the United States and 30 other countries that doubles as an environmentally preferable insulation, has a production cost comparable to that of polystyrene, the story added.

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