SCA Tissue joins relief efforts in Haiti

PHILADELPHIA — SCA Tissue, a global personal hygiene product company, has announced their commitment to assisting in relief efforts following the devastating earthquake in Haiti with a $50,000 gift to the American Red Cross, according to a press release.

According to the release, in addition to the financial donation, SCA is also implementing a dollar-for-dollar employee donation matching program and has committed to providing personal care products for survivors and disaster relief teams.

SCA Tissue North America President Don Lewis said: "Our employees expressed strong interest in supporting the relief efforts, and our matching gift program gives them the opportunity to make an immediate impact. We hope this inspires others to do same."

Funds from the employee matching program will go towards the American Red Cross and Direct Relief International, the release added.

The first LEED-certified public school in New York State

AUBURN, NY — The Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Regional Education Center has been awarded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification, according to The Citizen.

According to the story, the 64-acre campus is the first public school in New York State to achieve LEED certification.

BOCES superintendent Bill Speck said: "It couldn't make us prouder."

According to the story, the campus earned points for its more than 200 125-foot-deep geothermal wells, recycled construction-related waste, locally-manufactured building materials and monitoring devices in all building systems to collect data and ensure efficient energy use when the building is not in use.

A presentation ceremony will take place Friday, January 22 on the campus, the story added.

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Texas college to be fully powered by wind

GEORGETOWN, TX — Starting in February, Southwestern University will rely solely on wind to power the entire campus, according to News 8 Austin.

According to the story, Southwestern University will become the first college or university in the state of Texas and one of only six in the nation to be fully powered by green energy.

Leah Jones, a student from the university who helped initiate the idea for a wind-powered campus, said: "We just wanted to go 100 percent, all the way. It seems like a great opportunity to get sustainable energy on campus."

The power, which will come from two wind farms in West Texas, is being offered at a fixed rate to the university over 18 years and, while the details of the contract are confidential, the city of Georgetown said they are competitive with rates for conventional energy, the story stated.

Other sustainability initiatives at the university include the dining hall's decision to go 'trayless' last year, the story added.

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California adopts mandatory green building standard

SACRAMENTO — California has become the first state in the nation to adopt a mandatory green building standard — CALGREEN — requiring all new buildings to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible, according to a press release.

According to the release, the California Building Standards Commission unanimously adopted CALGREEN, comprised of comprehensive regulations to achieve major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and water use, to go into effect January 2011.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "The code will help us meet our goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure."

California property owners will be able to label their facilities as CALGREEN-compliant after passing a state building inspection, the release added.

Prior to the adoption of CALGREEN, six environmental and non-profit certification groups — including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council — wrote a letter opposing the proposed code, saying it would be "a setback for California's leadership on green building," according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to the story, more than 200 architects, engineers and builders e-mailed Schwarznegger in opposition of the CALGREEN label, saying it is less thorough than third-party certifications would be open to conflicting interpretations and be unenforceable by local building inspectors.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), said that while CALGREEN might not be as thorough as third-party systems, "it is a heck of a lot better than anything we have now."

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Students and staff help save janitor’s life

SAGINAW, MI — Members of the Martin G. Atkins Elementary School staff are credited with helping save custodian Fred Cruz's life earlier this week, according to the Saginaw News.

Students on the way to Martin G. Atkins Elementary School found Cruz lying on his back near the entrance incapacitated with the motor of the snowblower he was operating still running, the story stated.

After students notified staff members of the incident, Cruz was quickly brought into the building and had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed on him, the story noted.

Martin G. Atkins Elementary School Principal Chuck Lesser said: "They thought he slipped and fell and they were expecting him to get back up, but when he didn't get back up, they notified [school employee] Pam Brill, who paged me. We followed the directions that came with the automated external defibrillator (AED), and we shocked [Cruz's chest] with it, and then myself and several staff members started performing CPR."

Cruz, who was in critical condition at the time of press, is being treated at Covenant HealthCare's Cooper Campus for an apparent heart attack, the story added.

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Couple sues hotel after contracting Legionnaires' disease

MCHENRY, IL – Albert and Judith Kooi of Allegan County, Michigan, filed a lawsuit last week against the McHenry Hampton Inn for an unnamed amount of damages after the husband contracted Legionnaires' disease after using the hot tub in May 2008, according to the Northwest Herald.

According to the story, officials from the State Health Department had samples taken from the spa in May of 2008 that tested positive for the bacteria and the hotel subsequently had the spa drained and cleaned.

Legionnaires' disease, which is contracted after breathing mist or vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria, has pneumonia-like symptoms that can be treated in most cases with antibiotics, the story stated.

The lawsuit alleges that Albert Kooi incurred medical bills for treatment and suffered pain and mental anguish, the story added.

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Irish hospital uses copper to combat MRSA

MULLINGAR, Ireland — St. Francis Private Hospital is the first in the world to use copper doorknobs to prevent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other infectious "superbugs," according to the Irish Independent.

According to the story, Noeleen Sheridan, general manager of the hospital, decided to install over 100 doorknobs after a University Hospital Birmingham study that copper on surfaces could reduce contamination by 90 to 100 percent.

Sheridan said: "Our decision to specify anti-microbial copper products is based on this conviction and the compelling evidence from the Birmingham clinical trial."

A spokesperson for the Health Service Executive said that it will consider the merits of copper surfaces — as it does with any health technology innovation — in due course, the story added.

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