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Information and Tools for Healthcare:
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, medical professionals, community groups, health-affected constituencies, labor unions, environmental and environmental health organizations and religious groups.
Membership in HCWH is based on an organizational commitment to the mission and goals of the campaign, and a desire to participate fully in helping to achieve them. Groups that join the campaign do not need to contribute dues. HCWH does not accept financial support from manufacturers or endorse specific products. http://www.noharm.org/us_canada/
Learn More by Clicking through the links below:
Green Facilities Conference
Green Facilities Conference:
In its fifth year the Nichols Green Facilities Conference will offer a full day of education about features, benefits and cost management of green buildings. Participants can expect a keynote speaker and a variety of workshop topics including Lean 5s in facilities management and case studies of LEED buildings (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)
Keynote speaker Alan Bigger, retired facilities director from Earlham College and Notre Dame University and author of the book “Frugalisms: Creative Ideas on Leadership in Facilities and Housekeeping Operations” will bring a front line message to conference participants.
Tuesday March 23, 2010
Prince Conference Center at Calvin College
1800 East Beltline Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI
Time: 7:30am - 4:00pm
Registration: $80.00/person
Includes continental breakfast and lunch
More details on workshops to come!
Upcoming Workshops:
Chemistry of Cleaning – Understanding the Chemistry of cleaning is the first step in any good quality green cleaning program. Nichols is offering this program in three locations around the state in January. Here is a description and link to more information to register.
The Chemistry of Cleaning
January 26 - January 28, 2010
Knowledge and understanding of standard cleaning chemicals plays an important role of success in the cleaning industry. This seminar will review the make-up of standard cleaning agents, selecting chemicals for soil removal and killing of germs, dilution ratios, MSD Sheets, chemical reactions and how to avoid them, as well as personal protective equipment. Supervisors, managers, custodians and others in the cleaning industry are encouraged to attend. Optional quiz offered for certificate of completion. Space is limited, registration required. Read More
Sustainability Issues in Global Packaging Operations
February 3 - February 4, 2010
The evolution of the environmental movement dates back to the 70Õs and the pursuit for sustainability is strong today. This seminar will review the history of this evolution and site examples of significant industry activities in the area of sustainable packaging and life cycle processes. The program will offer a discussion of definitions and metrics as well as the role of packaging performance in sustainable design. Read More
LEED-EBOM 2012 is Around the Corner
As the momentum on Green Cleaning continues to accelerate, we have an important request for feedback as the The Ashkin Group and the Green Cleaning Network, LLC have been selected to work with the U.S. Green Building Council as it prepares its next revision (version 3), of LEED-EBOM (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance). Based on our experience working on the LEED-EB Core Committee, we have been asked to gather and summarize comments from the cleaning industry and present them to the LEED Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) for consideration as they revise the prerequisites and credits for the 2012 Rating Systems. I realize that 2012 sounds far into the future, but it really is not. Although the new standards will not be released for two years, the preparatory work, including feedback and comments from the industry, is needed in less than two months, by January 30, 2010. So please visit the following site and comment now www.ashkinleedeb.com. This is the chance to have your voice heard!
EPA Officially Launches Green Disinfectant Program
According to ISSA, on December 9, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched two much-anticipated 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 agency-approved factual statements of environmental preferability. Read More
Revising the EcoLogo Green Cleaning Standard
The EcoLogo Program is currently revising its standard for hard surface cleaners and is pleased to announce its call for public comment on the preliminary research conducted for this widely used standard.
“Cleaning products play a critical role in keeping indoor and outdoor surfaces safe,” says Scot Case, Executive Director of the EcoLogo Program. “This standard is being revised to ensure it continues to define environmental leadership for chemical products used to clean hard surfaces.” Read More
Information and Tools for Education (K-12 and Higher Education)
MSBO’s Second Annual Energy Solutions Symposium, Monday, February 1, 2010 at Ann Arbor Public School’s Skyline High School will help you better understand the opportunities to save both energy and money for your district. Event Information The College Sustainability Report Card The College Sustainability Report Card is the only independent evaluation of campus and endowment sustainability activities at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In contrast to the academic focus on sustainability in research and teaching, the Report Card examines colleges and universities, as institutions, through the lens of sustainability. http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/executive-summary Search for our Michigan Colleges/Universities by using the filter on this page to select Michigan http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools#
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Recyclemania: Is your college/university involved in Recyclemania? Here are details for this year’s challenge http://www.recyclemania.org/
Last year's powerhouse winner of both the Per Capita Classic and Grand Champion, Kalamazoo College earned its way into the winners circle for the third year in a row, claiming the Bottles and Cans prize.
Here are the colleges in Michigan that have been part and continue to be part of Recyclemania. The Facilities Department is typically involved in these competitions – if your college is not listed – check out the website for details and let’s help the state of Michigan dominate the standings!
Michigan
Albion College (Competition Division)
Central Michigan University (Competition Division)
Grand Valley State University (Competition Division)
Kalamazoo College (Competition Division)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Competition Division)
Washtenaw Community College (Competition Division)
Western Michigan University (Competition Division)
The New Guide to Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools
The new Guide to Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools (PDF 2.9 MB, download Adobe Reader) is a primary resource for implementing a district or school-wide operations and maintenance (O&M) program that focuses on energy efficiency. The objective of this guide is to provide organizational and technical information for integrating energy and high-performance facility management into existing O&M practices. Written for school district management, facility managers, business officials, and administrators, the Guide helps users identify energy savings, develop an energy management plan, and address technical considerations. More Details
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AASHE’s (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) will formally launch the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) in Washington D.C. on January 19, 2010. The centerpiece of the launch will be an interactive webinar, “Measuring Campus Sustainability: Reaching for the STARS” (12 p.m. EST). The event is free, and will address how STARS helps meet the needs of the campus sustainability community. For more information on STARS and to register for this webinar click here
Congratulations
Haworth Corporation: HOLLAND – Haworth, Inc. announced that all U.S., Shanghai and Pune manufacturing facilities, as well as the company’s global headquarters, have achieved zero waste to landfill status. Preliminary results show that Haworth’s U.S. manufacturing facilities have gone from 4.6 million pounds of landfill waste in 2008 to zero in 2009. Read More
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Frederick Meijer Gardens: GRAND RAPIDS -- Now the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has really gone green. One of the nation's most sought-after botanical and sculpture destinations received a silver-level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program. Read More
What is The Story of Stuff?
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. Watch this high energy video
Virtual Energy Forum – The World’s Largest Online Energy Conference
- Discover sustainability strategies & energy-efficient practices
- Learn about renewable & alternative energies
- Implement green building operations
- Questions answer in real-time by energy experts via live videos
- Browse a virtual exhibit floor for solution providers
- More Information
Michigan Good Food Summit – Pass this information on to others too
Please mark your calendar and save all day on Thursday, February 25, 2010 for the Michigan Good Food Summit in Lansing, Michigan.
The first of its kind, the summit will assemble food system stakeholders from across the state to shape a plan that propels Michigan towards food production, distribution and marketing to support a thriving economy, equity, and sustainability. Good Food is about building on our assets in ways that enable Michigan communities to prosper and our residents to thrive. Learn more
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