Headlines
Nichols to Host Speed Greening Event
Nichols Makes Sustainable Building Maintenance Education Available
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 1, 2012
Contact
Renae Hesselink, Vice President of Sustainability
231/799-2120
Event Locations: March 13, 2012 in Grand Rapids and March 28, 2012 in Dearborn
Muskegon, MI ….It’s no secret that facility managers and commercial cleaning organizations continue to face higher expectations. It used to be that the expectation of the cleaning organization was to keep a clean building with the key performance indicator being building appearance. In these times, add infection and absenteeism rates of building occupants, energy usage, waste reduction and indoor air quality to the list of expectations and key performance indicators.
Nichols, a Michigan based distributor of supplies and solutions for clean and healthy facilities, is dedicated to keeping building maintenance professionals educated on responsible ways to protect the health of building occupants and the environment while motivating their teams to meet these new expectations.
For the past six years the distributor of cleaning and safety supplies has offered a structured, comprehensive and holistic approach to cleaning commercial facilities. The Nichols program not only includes a large selection of environmentally friendly products, it also includes cleaning polices and procedures, LEED consultation, reporting, and ongoing education for facilities managers, custodial teams and building occupants to better understand their role in protecting the health and safety of their environment.
On March 13, 2012 in Grand Rapids, and March 28, 2012 in Dearborn, Nichols will offer facilities managers and building service contractors a learning opportunity called “Speed Greening Your Facility”. This half-day event will focus on these topics related to sustainable building maintenance.
- Waste and Recycling
- Building a Culture of Sustainability in Your Organization
- Best Practices and Tools for Greening Your Facility
- Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design for Existing Buildings
- Green Cleaning and Choosing the Right Products
- Custodial Standards for Cleaning
- Building Commissioning and Retro-Commissioning
- The Latest in Lighting Technology
- Sustainable Sites and Landscape Management for Conservation
- Metrics – What Do you Need to Measure and How
- Integrated Project Design (Design and Construction)
- The Importance of Preventative Maintenance
- Energy Star Portfolio Manager
Participants of this unique training event will rotate through round table discussions spending 25 minutes at each table/topic before moving on to the next topic/table of their choosing. Experts on each topic will be facilitating the round table discussions. Each attendee will have the opportunity to participate in seven round table topics. Participants are encouraged to bring their challenges to find solutions and their ideas to converse on making a better way for the industry.
More information and registration for “Speed Greening Your Facility” can be found at the Nichols website – www.enichols.com.
Nichols is the largest independent distributor of cleaning, protection and packaging supplies in the state of Michigan, has been in business for seventy five years, is headquartered in Muskegon and services over three thousand customers. Nichols also has branches in Holland, Traverse City, Grand Rapids and Jackson.
First national Green Building Code Approved
First National Green Building Code Approved!
SustainableBusiness.com News
For the first time, the US has a national green building code.
The International Green Construction Code (IgCC)
, approved last week after two years of development, applies to all new and renovated commercial buildings and residential buildings over three stories high.
The historic code sets mandatory baseline standards for all aspects of building design and construction, including energy and water efficiency, site impacts, building waste, and materials.
Although the final code won't be published until March 2012, many local and state governments have begun to officially adopt it.
"It represents a change in the standard of construction," says Jessyca Henderson Director of Sustainability Advocacy at the American Institute of Architects. "It will effect everyone that touches buildings...it will be a big leap."
How it Differs From LEED
The new code creates a mandatory "floor" - enforceable minimum standards on every aspect of building design and construction that now must be reached.
LEED certification, on the other hand, is voluntary. Although many buildings now strive for it, there are more that don't. The new code will thus raise the standards for ALL buildings.
Also to qualify for LEED, designers choose from a menu of options. They may choose to address certain aspects of energy efficiency, such as lighting, for example, while leaving others out.
Setting a "floor" through the code, creates the opportunity for LEED-certifications to push toward higher "ceilings," where buildings are awarded for truly reaching greater levels of performance, rather than receiving awards for what are increasingly expected standards.
Mandatory Requirements:
Site Development, Land Use: it pretty much eliminates development on greenfields (undeveloped land), although there are exceptions based on existing infrastructure. It includes clear guidelines for site disturbance, irrigation, erosion control, transportation, heat island mitigation, graywater systems, habitat protection, and site restoration.
Materials: A minimum of 50% of construction waste must be diverted from landfills, and at least 55% of building materials must be salvaged, recycled-content, recyclable, biobased, or indigenous. Buildings must be designed for at least 60 years of life, and must have a service plan that justifies that.
Energy Efficiency: total efficiency must be "51% of the energy allowable in the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code" (IECC), and building envelope performance must exceed that by 10%. It sets minimum standards for lighting and mechanical systems, and requires certain levels of submetering and demand-response automation.
Water Efficiency: it establishes maximum consumption of fixtures and appliances and sets standards for rainwater storage and graywater systems.
Indoor Air Quality: It addresses radon, asbestos, VOCs, sound transmission, and daylighting.
Commissioning, Operations: it requires extensive pre- and post-occupancy commissioning and education of building owners and maintenance employees.
Every project is also required to choose an additional "elective," which pushes the envelope for the developer further. Once they choose it, it's enforceable. There's a long menu of elective choices, including whole-building life-cycle assessment to more stringent recycled-content.
Local governments and states have the choice of adopting the code, but once they do, it's enforceable. They can add their own requirements on top of the code that address local concerns such as stormwater management or lighting pollution control.
To help implement the code, IgCC includes a "cookbook" approach for smaller buildings to follow and a more flexible approach for large buildings.
To develop the code, the International Code Council worked with many stakeholders, with the American Institute of Architects, US Green Building Council, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), foremost among them.
Does Your Cleaning Program Reduce Exposure
Sustainability Desk by Renae Hesselink - Does your cleaning program reduce exposure?
Sustainability Desk
By Renae Hesselink
VP of Sustainability, Nichols Paper
Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), every day in our country 40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma: 30,000 people have an asthma attack; 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma; 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma and 11 people die from asthma. Asthma affects 22 million Americans and costs nearly $18 billion annually. For adults, it is the fourth leading cause of work absenteeism and “presenteeism,” i.e., working while ill, resulting in nearly 15 million missed or less productive workdays each year. Among children ages five to 17, asthma is the leading cause of school absences from a chronic illness. It accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million school days per year, approximately eight days for each student with asthma, and more hospitalizations than any other childhood disease. It is estimated that children with asthma spend nearly eight million days per year restricted to bed.
A 2003 survey conducted by the Michigan Department of Community Health determined that more than 230,000 children and 700,000 adults in Michigan at that time had asthma. Annually, this disease costs Michigan approximately $224 million in direct medical expenses alone, and an additional $170 million in indirect costs according to AAFA research. Our state has recognized asthma as a major issue and devoted resources to develop a 44-page strategic plan, “Asthma in Michigan 2010: A Blueprint for Action” for the purpose of improving asthma treatment and self-management (http://www.getasthmahelp.org/AIM_Strategic_Plan6’06.pdf ).
An estimated 15 percent of all adult asthma cases in the U.S. can be traced to the workplace. Incidences include new cases caused by exposures at work, as well as asthma made worse by conditions at work, including exposure to cleaning products.
Has this convinced you yet of the importance of taking action to reduce or even eliminate asthma triggers whenever and wherever possible?
The introduction of a Green Cleaning Policy and High Performance Cleaning Program in a LEED building is intended to reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological and particulate contaminants which can adversely affect air quality, human health, building finishes, building systems and the overall environment.
Safer products are readily available through all of the major manufacturers of commercial cleaners. For example, Green Seal GS-37 certified products do not contain ingredients that cause or trigger asthma attacks. Disinfectants are now under greater scrutiny, and we will soon see the EPA’s Design for the Environment label on products in this category that meet the higher standards for health and safety.
Good cleaning practices also contribute to reduced exposures for cleaning crews and building occupants. The use of microfiber technologies for dusting or mopping capture dirt and dust and remove contaminants from surfaces as well as the air. Using vacuums certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) ensure that the proper filtration systems are in place to remove soils and dust particles. CRI certification also guarantees that the chamber that contains the bag is well-sealed to prevent dust from escaping.
Practicing safe cleaning methods is equally critical. Never mix different cleaning products together; never use a chemical at full strength when the instructions say to dilute it; work with as much ventilation as possible; avoid spray products and aerosols (applying the cleaning agent using cloth may also reduce the amount needed); use personal protective equipment such as goggles and gloves; and pay attention to warning labels and Material Safety Data Sheets. Avoid overuse of disinfectants unless absolutely required or necessary. Using disinfectants on high touch-points combined with the proper contact time, cleaning methods and tools will help reduce exposure. Disinfectants are not typically cleaners, so cleaning the surface first is always recommended.
Finally, the perception persists that green cleaning products cost more. Depending on your cleaning practices these expenses can be reduced by limiting or even eliminating the use of cleaners in some cases.
If we approach building cleaning holistically with the health of our occupants in mind, including the custodial team, we can promote improved health, achieve significant cost savings, and reap the considerable benefits inherent in green cleaning products and practices.
The U.S. Green Building Council is a coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The West Michigan Chapter provides and develops leadership through affiliations and education at all levels.
