All Healthy News

Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Home.

HEALTH BEGINS WITH:
Clean Air. Pure Water. Healthy Homes.

Staff Reporter

Choosing Low-VOC Products Is Not Enough

by

In these times, when we are both building tighter building envelopes and worried about air quality, avoiding volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is important. In fact, one of the key points in any sustainable design discussion is around choosing low-VOC paints, finishes, and materials. But is it enough?

In Treehugger’s post on paints, VOCs are described as “carbon-containing organic chemicals in indoor air that come from building materials, furnishings, and carpet and detach (also called off-gassing) from the product into the air.” In the post “What are VOCs?” it is noted they contribute to ground-level ozone. This is a major reason they are regulated and a bit of a problem.

Bill Walsh is the founder of the Healthy Building Network.

Lloyd Alter

According to Healthy Building Network, just choosing low-VOC is not enough because “products labeled as zero- or low-VOC can still contain hazardous volatile compounds or other chemicals of concern.” They explain the EPA’s definition of a VOC is “any compound of carbon, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates and ammonium carbonate, which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions, except those designated by EPA as having negligible photochemical reactivity.”

Photochemical reactivity is what causes ground-level ozone and smog; that is why they wrote the rule. Even if it is not particularly good for you, if it doesn’t make smog, the EPA doesn’t consider it a VOC. Healthy Building Network states: “Inclusion on the exempt list does not mean that the chemical has been tested and found to be of low concern to human health and the environment. It ONLY means that the chemical is not expected to contribute to smog formation. Yes, that’s right, smog.”

Smog is not exactly an indoor air quality issue as it needs sunlight to form, but harmful chemicals are, and it turns out that a low-VOC label is no guarantee that they are absent.

“Of the exempt chemicals, just under half have a high or very high concern for ozone depletion potential and/or global warming potential. Several have high or moderate concern for carcinogenicity – meaning they have the potential to cause cancer. ”

Healthy Building Network suggests we have to consider a lot more than just VOCs when assessing the health of materials and notes we cannot rely on the EPA, which doesn’t regulate indoor air quality.

“At this time in the US, consumers cannot rely on regulations to guarantee product safety with regard to indoor air quality because there are simply very few regulations that address indoor air quality. As the EPA notes, “Even if we had authority to regulate indoor air quality, it would be difficult to regulate household (or other) products because we have no authority to collect information on the chemical content of products in the marketplace (nor does any Federal Agency).”

International Living Future Institute

There are many reasons why I prefer being a writer rather than an architect, and this is one of them. It’s enough to make you throw up your hands and wonder where you can turn. One source that I wish had been around when I was an architect is the International Living Future Institute’s Declare program, where “manufacturers voluntarily disclose product information on easy-to-read Declare labels.” It is like nutrition labels that “disclose all intentionally-added ingredients and residuals at or above 100ppm (0.01%) present in the final product by weight” and “each ingredient must be reported with a chemical name, CAS number, and percentage or percentage range.”

Transparency isn’t something that you want in paint, but it is something that you want from its manufacturer. Anyone shopping or specifying should demand it. As Healthy Building Network concludes: “As consumers, we have the power to influence manufacturer disclosure by preferring products that do not use hazardous chemicals and have full content disclosure.”

We could say this about just about anything: If you don’t know what’s in it, don’t buy it.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

It’s the time of year New England allergy sufferers dread. Here are tips to help you prepare for spring

by

Sneezing. Scratchy eyes. Car windshields caked with yellow-green buildup.

These are the signs of spring that New England allergy sufferers (including this reporter) greet with disdain. Despite heralding the triumphant return of our local plant life, these gifts feel more like lumps of coal.

We’re early in the pollen season here in the Northeast, with most trees still as bare as they’ve been for months. But there’s actually tree pollen already flying through the air here in Massachusetts — courtesy of the Mid-Atlantic and South. That’s according to Dr. Frederic Little, an allergy specialist at Boston Medical Center who also runs the allergy fellowship training program at Boston University School of Medicine.

While it’s a little too soon to meaningfully track pollen counts in Massachusetts, he points to warmer-weather states like Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina, where the tree-pollen season (the main culprit for most springtime allergies) is underway. As trees in those places pop, they release microscopic pollen that then catches a ride to the Northeast via the jet stream.

Quick tips for allergy prevention

  • Keep your windows closed as much as possible.
  • Wash your face after you get home from being out and about.
  • For even more protection, change your clothes in a separate room when you come back inside.
  • Consider an air conditioner for dehumidifying indoor air (and some added filtration).

Tips sourced from Boston Medical Center allergy specialist Dr. Frederic Little. (For more, check out this list from the CDC.)

“Allergy sufferers who are allergic to trees will sometimes be confused, because our trees are still bare here in the New England area — there may be some snow on the ground even — and they’re starting to have allergy symptoms,” Little said, adding those symptoms are indeed kicking in for some in our area.

Things will unfortunately only get worse from here as we approach peak tree pollen between the end of April and late May. With that in mind, we asked Little for tips to cope with the season:

Go on the defensive: Limiting pollen indoors

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s best efforts, people go outside. But with tree pollen flying around basically everywhere — even in urban areas that tend to have fewer trees — coming into contact with pollen is inevitable, too.

Anytime you set foot outdoors, “there are going to be tree pollens that will be getting onto your clothes and you’ll be bringing those pollens in the house,” Little said.

There are common-sense steps you can take to protect yourself, Little said — beyond simply limiting time outside right when warmer weather returns.

The first is probably a given, but it helps to keep your windows closed as much as possible. You could also wash your face after you get home from being out and about. And for even more assurance, you could change your clothes in a separate room when you come back inside, and designate “indoor clothes” versus “outdoor clothes,” Little said.

Air conditioners can also help ward off pesky pollen.

“They tend to dehumidify the air a little bit,” Little said. “Sometimes heavy humidity can be more of a problem for people that have severe allergies, and also people that have associated lung diseases like asthma or [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], where humid, heavy air can add further discomfort.”

A/C helps not only dehumidify the air but also filter it, Little said — however you’ll want to change or at least regularly clean those components. (And make sure to use an energy-efficient model!)

Another use for that stash of masks?

Speaking of filtration, Little said some of his allergy patients reported the pandemic brought them an added springtime benefit: protection with a mask.

“It turns out that people last year, when masks were very pervasive, found that their allergies were a little bit less [severe] — even if they weren’t high-grade, industrial and KN95 masks,” Little said. “Even people with surgical masks sometimes felt as though there was a little bit of filtering.”

While he said it’s true a mask may offer at least some extra shielding against airborne pollen, Little said he doesn’t recommend masking outdoors solely for allergies.

The line between allergies and COVID

As an allergy clinician who has also treated COVID patients in Boston Medical Center’s intensive care unit, Little said he’s become accustomed to questions — even from friends and acquaintances — about whether allergy-like symptoms spell something more severe.

“I can assure you that there have been thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of home antigen tests for COVID that have been burned through with people who wake up in the morning with a scratchy throat, a little bit of a runny nose, and have this question, ‘Oh, my goodness, is this it?’ ” Little said.

Despite some overlap, Little said there are specific signs you can monitor to hopefully stop yourself from spiraling.

“It’s pretty uncommon to have a fever with the onset of allergy symptoms during the season,” he said. “And also, some people with COVID will tend to have a lot more fatigue. Allergy sufferers can have some fatigue. But if people really feel completely run-down, even if they’re not super sick, that would suggest that reaching for that home COVID test might be the right idea.”

The CDC adds body aches and loss of taste or smell aren’t usually linked to allergies either.

When in doubt, it may be worth a test for added peace of mind, Little said. Because the last thing we want to do is jeopardize each other’s health and safety — or elevate our own stress levels. (You can order free rapid tests from the U.S. government as long as your household hasn’t already received its allotted eight kits.)

Allergies in a warming world

Big picture, we know that climate change will bring widespread environmental change to the Northeast, from coastal flooding to tick activity. Allergy season is unfortunately another item on that list.

Recent studies build the case that rising temperatures will cause tree pollen seasons that start earlier and last longer. And not only that, they will be more intense, Little said.

“The total pollen counts, in terms of the density of pollen that is released over the course of the season, will go up,” he said. “Higher carbon-dioxide concentrations lead to more plant growth, and more plant growth means more vigorous plants — and what plants like to do is to reproduce by releasing pollen and expanding.”

Efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions will be crucial for the future of New England’s allergy seasons, Little said. (Here are some tips if you’re looking to fight climate change closer to home.)

For now, it may be as good a time as any to stock up on tissues and eye drops.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Houston’s Axiom Space launches first all-private flight to ISS

by

Axiom Space launched a high-stakes mission Friday, sending three paying customers to the International Space Station as Houston seeks to anchor a new era of human spaceflight.

The crew, tucked inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 10:17 a.m. CDT. They’re scheduled to reach the space station Saturday morning and spend eight days there.

American Larry Connor, 72, Canadian Mark Pathy, 52, and Israeli Eytan Stibbe, 64, are not the first people to buy tickets to the International Space Station. But their privately funded mission — each reportedly paying tens of millions of dollars — is notable because it’s the first all-private crew to visit the station. Previous missions have been shepherded by a government-paid astronaut. The Axiom Space commander, Michael López-Alegría, 63, is an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut.

SPACE CITY: TexSpace debuts to solidify Houston as Space City

There’s a lot riding on this mission. The crew must show that private astronauts aren’t a nuisance to International Space Station operations. Houston-based Axiom Space must learn to conduct human spaceflight missions before launching its own commercial space station. And Houston must show that it can continue supporting human spaceflight as NASA trusts companies to own and operate the hardware that protect people in space.

“The space industry, as a whole, is currently in a massive switch from completely government to commercial,” said Meagan Crawford, co-founder of Houston-based venture capital firm SpaceFund. “And in order for Houston to maintain its moniker of Space City, we’ve really got to cultivate that startup environment here.”

Space City

Houston has a long and storied history in human spaceflight. When astronauts called home from the Apollo spacecraft, space shuttle and International Space Station, they spoke to folks at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

But lately, it’s not just NASA sending people into space. The Axiom Space mission, Ax-1, is the sixth human spaceflight mission launched by Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX.

For missions to the ISS, astronauts train on the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in California and learn the International Space Station systems in Houston. Spacewalks are practiced in Houston in a giant swimming pool called the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.

But as companies begin to own and operate the systems used to launch people into space, lower them onto the moon and shelter them in low-Earth orbit, their facilities may or may not be located in Houston.

“Houston has the possibility of becoming a place where a lot of people who know how to ‘do space’ live and want to start their own businesses,” said John Logsdon, founder of George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.

NASA is willing to share its facilities and expertise in operations, medicine, food and spacesuits, said Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche.

“We’re in a renaissance,” Wyche said. “In order for us to explore — go onto the moon, go onto Mars — it’s going to take all of us. It’s going to take government, it’s going to take commercial industry and it’s going to take the international community.

“I want Houston to continue to be the human spaceflight hub. For the world,” she said.

The Ax-1 mission

The Ax-1 mission is a first step toward that vision.

Axiom Space, founded in 2016, contracted the crew’s ride into space, oversaw their training, planned their mission and helped prepare them to conduct research. While the crew is in space, Axiom is in charge of their timeline and mission operations. NASA, however, has ultimate authority over anything on and immediately around the space station.

The crew members, depending on their position, received 750 hours to more than 1,000 hours in training. They underwent physical and psychological examinations. They studied ISS power and communications systems. They had to pass a three-hour oral exam on what to do in emergency situations.

“We literally covered the gamut of all the critical and important components associated with the ISS and its operations,” Connor said. “This was serious, consuming, rigorous training.”

Most of their time in Houston was spent within the Johnson Space Center. But Stibbe did make friends at the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest, which paid for a mural at 1110 Paige Street.

The mural, painted by Israeli-Houstonian artist Anat Ronen, uses a vintage sci-fi style to depict scenes of space history, future and fiction. It includes the Ax-1 mission patch, a space shuttle launch and former Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon giving the “Star Trek” Vulcan salute.

LEGACY: ‘Star Trek’ was a beacon for space travel — and for diversity

Stibbe is the second Israeli to go into space. Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, was among the seven people who died in 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry.

When Stibbe goes into space, he will take copies of pages from Ramon’s journal that survived the shuttle disaster. He will also take a song written by Ramon’s son and a painting by Ramon’s daughter of pages falling from the sky.

He will also continue an experiment Ramon started 19 years ago — observing thunderstorms from above.

That’s just one of the more than 25 experiments the crew will conduct in space. Their research includes self-assembling technology for satellites and future space habitats, cancer stem cells, air purification and turning cow cells into steaks.

With such a workload (and many hours of training), Connor did not want to be called a space tourist.

Axiom Space prefers the term private astronaut. López-Alegría, who was part of three space shuttle missions and one Russian Soyuz mission, said he wanted the crew to feel they got their planned work done, “but most of all that they had a wonderful experience.”

The path to growth

Connor, the founder and managing partner of real estate investment firm The Connor Group, did not say how much he paid to access space. But he said of the expense: “If you look at our non-for-profit, which is really focused on under-resourced kids, I’m going to contribute 10 times more than I’m paying on this mission in the next five to seven years.”

Pathy is the chairman and CEO of the investment and financing company MAVRIK, which is focused on innovation and social impact. Stibbe founded the Vital Capital impact investment fund after more than four decades as a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. Stibbe’s personal mission, called Rakia, is in collaboration with the Ramon Foundation, the Israel Space Agency, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education.

Visiting the space station is not plausible for the masses, but Crawford said there are plenty of people and emerging space countries willing to pay the tens of millions of dollars. It will be an important revenue stream as Axiom works to build its commercial space station, with the first module slated to launch in late 2024.

“We see the need and demand for commercial space stations in the coming decade, two decades,” she said. “But investors are also looking for near-term returns.”

SpaceFund is an investor in Axiom.

Houston will have to be aggressive if it wants to maintain its lead in human spaceflight training and support. It doesn’t have a natural monopoly like Florida, which is ideally situated for launches, said Greg Autry, a clinical professor of space leadership, policy and business for Arizona State University.

FUTURE OF ISS: International Space Station will plummet into the Pacific at end of its mission

Businesses like Axiom Space, with more than 400 employees, are already attracting talent to the Houston area, said Axiom co-founder Kam Ghaffarian. Creating incentives to attract outside companies and encouraging Johnson Space Center engineers to become entrepreneurs would also benefit the region, Crawford said.

The Houston Spaceport is likewise working to attract a cluster of aerospace companies that can invent, develop and manufacture space technologies. Axiom Space will be an anchor tenant, and it will build its own astronaut training facilities.

It’s hoped that commercial space stations — with their potential for large-scale manufacturing and late-stage pharmaceutical trials — could be a boon for the region. Webster-based Nanoracks is also working on a commercial station.

But it will be important that Axiom demonstrates the profitability of its station and the potential for customers to make money, said George W.S. Abbey, a former director of the Johnson Space Center and senior fellow in space policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Axiom CEO Michael Suffredini agreed: “Our objective is to make money over the life of the company, or we’re not much of a company.”

He likens commercial space stations to the early days of the internet, where people kept finding new and innovative uses.

“When you start thinking about the applications of microgravity and the role it can play in almost every industry,” Suffredini said during a news conference, “it is really way beyond what we can imagine today.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/a_leinfelder


[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Funding Deadline Extended to April 11

by

Eligible California Non-Public Schools have until April 11, 2022 at 5PM Pacific Time to apply for access to over $180M 

Tweet this

BOX Pure Air (www.boxpureair.com) and its commercial-grade solution, built in the USA, products and services are listed in the Vendor Selection and Services to address Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) utilizing HEPA filters and Portable Air Purification Systems.  The solutions provided by BOX Pure Air are designed, built and certified to US Government standard and enhance existing room ventilation systems, increase the indoor air exchange rate, filter and purify the air to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for teachers, students and staff.

The BOX Pure Air products and services on the Vendor Selection include the following:

     Portable Air Purification Unit Apex 2.0

     Portable Air Purification Unit Peak

     Portable Air Purification Unit Mesa

     Replacement HEPA Filter – replace every 4 years

     Replacement Pre-Filter Set – replace every 6 months

     Consulting Services (hourly rate) – Training and professional development for staff on sanitation, the use of PPE, and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases

For more information, please visit the California Department of Education website at https://surveys3.cde.ca.gov/s.asp?k=164789404567

American Rescue Plan Act: Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Program Needs Assessment: California Department of Education

A program sponsored under the American Rescue Plan Act to provide funding to Non-Public Private Schools and eligible Non-Public Schools

As part of the ARP 2021, Public Law 117-2, Public Law 117-2, Congress set aside $2.75 billion of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund specifically to provide emergency assistance to students and teachers in non-public schools (NPS), as defined below, through the ARP EANS program. The purpose of the ARP EANS program is to provide services or assistance to NPS that enroll a significant percentage of students from low-income families and are most impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency.

The Needs Assessment window is from March 25−April 11, 2022. All submissions need to be received by 5:00 pm on April 11, 2022.

     The survey consists of two parts: Part A: Cover Sheet and Part B: Vendor Selection and Services. A completed spreadsheet will be uploaded as an attachment in Part B as an Excel file

     The Vendor Selection and Services Excel file is available from the CDE EANS Program Web page. All questions are required except where it is denoted next to the question in parenthesis.

About BOX Pure Air

BOX Pure Air is a subsidiary of SinglePoint Inc (OTC: SING). The company strives to provide the best products to help clean air through the deployment of high-efficiency air purification technologies. Learn more at www.boxpureair.com

Contact Information

[email protected]

843.936.6649

www.boxpureair.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE BOX Pure Air

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Terminix Global : 2021 Corporate Sustainability Report

by

2021 Corporate Sustainability Report

Table of Contents

Letter From Our CEO 2

Our Values 4

Commitment to Our Teammates 5

Human Capital Management 5

Workplace Health and Safety 6

Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity 7

Training and Development 10

Teammate Retention 10

Competitive Compensation and Benefits 10

Commitment to Our Customers 11

Residential Pest Control Services 11

Enhanced Residential Safety Protocols 13

Commercial Pest Management 13

Commercial Disinfecting Services 13

Commitment to Quality 14

Commitment to Our Environment 15

Accolades for Our Green Fleet 16

Environmentally Friendly Services 17

The Board of Directors’ Environmental, Health, & Safety Committee 17

Terminix’s Environmental Certifications 18

Commitment to Our Communities 21

Teammate Volunteering Programs 22

Commitment to Education and Skills Development 22

Terminix Cares: Teammate Relief Programs 23

Support for Our Veterans 24

Expected Conduct 25

Anti-Corruption Compliance and Oversight 26

Vendor Code of Conduct 27

Appendix A: Emissions, Waste, and Natural Resources Usage 28

Appendix B: Teammate Business Resource Groups 29

Appendix C: Policies and Practices 31

To ease your navigation through this document, section titles are hyperlinked and the home icon will bring you back to this table of contents.

Letter From Our CEO

Dear Reader:

To many of us, the world appears to be faster-moving and smaller than ever before. News and developments from far-flung places are com-ing at us at a fast and furious pace. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped day-to-day work, human interactions and relationships, and how global supply chains provide us with services and goods. In fact, adapting to rapid change is beginning to feel like a full-time job.

While the pandemic has shaken us up over the past two years, one thing I’m proud to say that has not changed is Terminix’s commitment to responsibility. We have an obligation to consider all our stakehold-ers as we make business decisions, and we seek to balance the needs of shareholders, teammates, customers, communities, and the environment. As a leading global pest management company, Terminix serves more than 50,000 customers each day. We have achieved success by focusing on making a positive local impact that benefits the humans, businesses, and communities we serve.

The year 2021 was an opportunity for Terminix to continue reexamining how we do what we do. We kept challenging ourselves to do better, both in terms of Terminix’s financial performance and corporate responsibility. In 2021, we refreshed our corporate values to more closely align them to the world Terminix is navigating today. First and foremost, Do the Right Thing is the foundation of everything we do. It is especially evident that we are living up to this value when we look at the progress Terminix has made on sustainability and corporate responsibility over the past few years.

The sustainability report you are reading today provides an update on how we incorpo-rate environment, social, and governance (ESG) commitments into our business. I’m proud to share several highlights of our progress and performance on ESG matters in 2021:

  • • Environment: We lowered our use of natural resources in 2021 via product and paper recycling; energy efficiency programs; water conservation; emissions, waste, and wastewater reduction programs; and sourcing productivity.

    However, we’re most excited about our Green Fleet program that converted approx-imately half of our sales vehicles from gasoline-powered to hybrids, reducing our carbon emissions by an estimated 1.6 million pounds and saving hundreds of thou-sands of dollars in fuel consumption in 2021. As a result, Automotive Fleet magazine named Terminix the fourth best company in the United States for green vehicles in its 2021 Top 50 Green Fleets list. We plan to continue this program in 2022 and beyond until our entire sales fleet is converted to hybrid vehicles.

  • • Social: Our commitment to human capital management helps us offer a safe, inclusive, and equitable workplace that attracts and retains exceptional talent – which, in turn, enables us to better serve customers. In 2021, we continued to focus on inclusion, diversity, and equity with help from our new Culture, Inclusion, and Diversity (CID) Advisory Team, which promotes inclusion through teammate communications, employee recognition, and other initiatives. Our progress on workplace health and safety included a 38 percent reduction in lost workdays and a more than 15 percent improvement in recordable safety incidents in 2021.

    Terminix also donates money, volunteer hours, in-kind services, and scholarships to causes that touch tens of thousands of lives across the world. For example, our eighth annual Terminix Cares community service event supported a record 15 national and 11 Memphis-based community partners through a week of employee volunteerism and $350,000 in donations.

  • • Governance: Our governance structure and controls continue to be admired, including board committee guidelines, director independence, and shareholder engagement. Our ethics and governance principles are exemplified by our stringent Code of Conduct that applies to all teammates, contractors, officers, and directors of Terminix, its subsidiaries, and affiliates.

    This year, we also made new commitments in areas that have become of greater importance to our customers, or a growing concern for society at large, including responsible marketing, data privacy, and information security.

I am so proud of our nearly 12,000 global teammates who made it possible for Terminix to achieve such excellent progress and performance last year, including a four percent rev-enue increase to $2.045 billion. Furthermore, our company is strengthened by the diversity of our teammates’ cultural backgrounds, races, genders, nationalities, languages, ages, physical abilities, perspectives, and educational backgrounds.

In 2021, we also made the exciting announcement of a proposed merger with Rentokil Initial, where ESG is a leading strategic focus alongside a cultural alignment that places teammates and customers first. We were pleased to learn about the high value Rentokil places on ESG matters-and likewise, were honored that its leadership held our com-pany’s commitment and progress on ESG in such high regard. Similarly, Rentokil’s clear sustainability commitments and progress are inspiring to Terminix and I see an incredible opportunity to share, learn, and lead in this space as a combined company.

As we look ahead, responsibility and sustainability are at the forefront of how we do our work and our commitment to customers, teammates, business partners, and other stakeholders. I’m confident we will continue to improve our sustainability programs and corporate governance practices as we work to achieve our vision to be the preferred pest management provider in the eyes of our customers, teammates, and communities.

Sincerely,

Brett T. Ponton, Chief Executive Officer

April 8, 2022

Our Values

Our values keep us on the path to build an incredible company for our customers, business partners, teammates, and other stakeholders. Values don’t just guide us; they are embodied by each of us. They help define us and how we do our work.

Do the Right Thing

We have high ethical standards, we want to be safe, and we want our customers to be safe. We have a responsibility to protect the environment. By doing the right thing, we ensure the success of all our stakeholders.

Be Customer Centered

We strive to be the trusted advisor of every customer we serve. We anticipate the needs of every customer, both internal and external. We continually invest in our teammates, services, and technology to protect our customers and their assets.

Lead with Respect and Humility

We recognize how much we can learn from others by listening.

We see the best in every individual and every situation and treat our customers and teammates as they wish to be treated. It’s about empathy, kindness, and a deep respect for everyone, in every way.

Be Inclusive

We foster diverse and compassionate teams that deliver exceptional customer and teammate experiences. There’s a community and a career path for everyone at Terminix, and we are committed to helping each other find it.

Compete, Grow, Win

We compete intensely and pursue winning with a passion. We strive to get better every day and deliver industry-leading performance. We grow our business, and ourselves, in a way that makes us proud.

Get It Done the TMX Way

We give our best. We keep our promises. We deliver consistent service quality across our business through operational excellence. We are accountable for our results. We celebrate our success.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

SecureAire Announces Regional Sales Manager for Commercial Markets

by

SecureAire Announces Regional Sales Manager for Commercial Markets | ACHR News

This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

April proclaimed as “Water Conservation Month” in Marion County

by

The month of April was proclaimed as “Water Conservation Month” in Marion County during the Marion County Board of County Commissioners regular meeting on Tuesday, April 5.

During the meeting, the commissioners were joined by representatives from the State of Florida and water management districts to make the proclamation.

Marion County Environmental Services Director Jody Kirkman and Water Resources Liaison Rachel Novak (center) on stage during the meeting on April 5

Water conservation is an important part of living in Florida, and residents rely heavily on the Floridan Aquifer to provide clean drinking water. The commissioners highlighted the importance of preserving this resource to ensure that future generations will have a reliable source of clean water.

Marion County offers programs and educational materials year-round to increase awareness of the need for water conservation through water efficiency.

The county offers rebates to eligible residents for the replacement of old, high-water-use toilets with new, high-efficiency toilets. Replacing a low-efficiency toilet saves money for the resident and also helps to ensure that there is enough water for the future residents of the county.

According to a press release from the county, replacing a single low-efficiency toilet could save up to 8,000 gallons of water per year.

The county also has an Efficient Irrigation Rebate program available to residents. Eligible homeowners can maximize the efficiency of their outdoor water use by improving their existing landscape and irrigation system.

For more information on these programs and to verify eligibility, please contact Rachel Novak, Marion County Water Resources Liaison, at 352-671-8672 or via email: [email protected].

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

AprilAire Celebrates April as Healthy Air Month, Mirroring EPA Priorities

by

“The air we breathe is vital to health and wellness. With this announcement we confidently put a stake in the ground and claim the month of April – the month that is at the heart of our name – as Healthy Air Month,” said Dale Philippi.

MADISON, Wis. (PRWEB)

AprilAire, the nationwide leader in professional-grade Healthy Air solutions for the home, has claimed the month of April as Healthy Air Month and is celebrating in a trio of ways: participating in Healthy Air events; recommending ways to keep the planet clean because Earth Day is every day, not just April at AprilAire; and continuing to offer industry-leading products that help capture viruses and prevent illness, and mitigate radon. The sum result will be a month focused on improving indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes everywhere.

Naming April Healthy Air Month echoes the EPA’s “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge” announced last month, a call for improving IAQ in buildings everywhere to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as well as the World Health Organization’s recent report that 99% – almost the entire global population – breathes air that exceeds WHO limits and threatens their health. This national emphasis and global awareness on ventilation, filtration, and Healthy Air is a welcome priority, as AprilAire experts can attest, having had a singular goal to improve Healthy Air in homes nationwide since the company’s inception in 1954.

“The air we breathe is vital to health and wellness,” said Dale Philippi, president and CEO of Research Products Corporation, parent company of AprilAire. “Since 1954, we have been on a mission to make homes healthy because we believe everyone deserves Healthy Air. With this announcement we confidently put a stake in the ground and claim the month of April – the month that is at the heart of our name – as Healthy Air Month.”

Philippi and a team of more than 60 employees at the Madison-based company will participate in the Wisconsin Fight For Air Climb this weekend at Milwaukee’s American Family Field sponsored by the American Lung Association, an organization actively supported by AprilAire.

Since the global celebrations of Earth Day and Earth Month take place in April, it is fitting the month is also recognized as Healthy Air Month since Healthy Air is vital for the environment too. AprilAire will share tips and techniques across its blog and social media platforms to help consumers make everyday decisions to help our planet. Tips include reducing or eliminating household cleaners, air fresheners, and even scented candles which can contain harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs); avoiding idling cars while waiting in lines; and choosing energy efficient products for the home.

As Healthy Air Month, April is the perfect time to check a home’s indoor air for proper filtration and purification. AprilAire’s filters with excellent virus capture performance include its MERV 13 filters which capture 93% of airborne viruses* and MERV 16 filters which capture 98%* of airborne viruses.

Additionally, the AprilAire Healthy Air System™, the company’s signature solution, is a smart, all-in-one solution which introduces fresh air into the home, purifies the air helping to remove airborne dust, allergens, bacteria and viruses, and reduce asthma triggers, while simultaneously maintaining balanced humidity to help prevent the proliferation of viruses.

In addition to reducing illness, Healthy Air can also eliminate pests, alleviate allergies, help maintain a pet-friendly home, improve sleep, lower stress levels, improve energy efficiency of HVAC systems, and help increase a home’s value.

In early 2022, AprilAire introduced a suite of radon mitigation products. Radon is the #1 cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers and this odorless, colorless, radioactive gas is found in 1 in 15 homes. The only way to know if radon is present is to test and AprilAire’s radon mitigation systems can reduce levels up to 99%.

From industry-leading products that help capture viruses, reduce illness, and mitigate radon to information campaigns that heighten awareness of Healthy Air as a top priority, AprilAire is at the forefront of the quest to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes everywhere, every day but especially during April – Healthy Air Month.

*Contaminants removed based on air passing through the filtering system

About AprilAire

AprilAire is on a mission to make homes healthy. We believe everyone deserves Healthy Air and envision a future with Healthy Air in every home. We value healthy living, customer inspired innovation, simplicity of design, straight talk and delivering real results as promised, and most importantly making a positive difference in the lives of our customers, families, and communities. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin since 1954, AprilAire has been creating and delivering Healthy Air solutions to manage air purity, humidity, fresh air supply, radon mitigation, and temperature for all types of homes, in all environments. We have an unparalleled reputation as the brand of choice among tens of thousands of professional contractors and make a Healthy Air difference in the lives of the millions of families who rely on our products every day. To learn how to turn your house into a Healthy Home with the AprilAire Healthy Air System™ and learn about other solutions, visit http://www.aprilaire.com.

Share article on social media or email:

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

EPA Awards Rebates Totaling $17 Million to Fund Clean School Buses that Reduce Diesel Emissions and Protect Children’s Health

by

PHILADELPHIA (April 6, 2022) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the winners of two school bus rebate opportunities through the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates, and the 2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates programs.  Five Virginia school districts will receive $1.5 million in funding to replace 32 old diesel buses under the ARP and DERA programs.

The $7 million in ARP funding is directed toward school districts in underserved communities to replace old diesel buses with new, zero-emission electric models, and the $10 million in DERA rebates will assist with 444 school bus replacements across the country.

In addition to the $17 million announced today, in the coming weeks, EPA plans to announce a new Clean School Bus rebate program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides an unprecedented $5 billion over five years, to replace existing school buses with low- or zero-emission school buses.

“The historic investments in clean transportation resulting from President Biden’s leadership will have lasting impacts on protecting clean air for children for generations,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This round of school bus grants from the American Rescue Plan is just the beginning. The unprecedented $5 billion investment that’s on the way for clean and zero-emission school buses from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform how millions of children get to school and help build a better America for a new generation.”

The two rebate awards total approximately $17 million in combined funding for schools and bus fleet owners to replace older, high-polluting diesel school buses. Replacing these buses will improve air quality in and around schools and communities, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, and better protect children’s health overall. Since 2012, EPA’s school bus rebates have awarded, or are in the process of awarding, over $73 million to replace more than 3,000 old diesel school buses.

“Diesel exhaust harms children, whose lungs are still developing,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “These rebates protect children’s health by replacing older school buses with newer, cleaner ones.  Transitioning to a clean transportation future means cleaner air and less pollution with a focus on our future – and our children.”

These programs will also prioritize projects that help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40 percent of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.

2021 American Rescue Plan Electric School Bus Rebate Awards

The first rebate awards are the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates. This new $7 million program provides funds to replace old diesel school buses with new, zero-emission electric school buses. The funds are reserved exclusively for school districts in underserved communities, Tribal schools, and private fleets serving those schools. Nationally, this program will award funding for 23 electric school bus replacements and associated charging infrastructure, including three in Virginia:

  • Petersburg City Public Schools:   $900,000 award to replace three school buses

2021 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebate Awards

The second rebate awards are EPA’s latest round of funding for longstanding DERA School Bus Rebates. In Region 3, this year’s program awards approximately $930,000 to fund the replacement of old diesel school buses with new electric, diesel, gasoline, propane, or compressed natural gas school buses meeting current emission standards. This program will award funding for 44 school bus replacements in Region 3, including 29 in Virginia:

  • Carroll County Public Schools:  $100,000 award to replace five school buses
  • Culpeper County Public Schools:  $80,000 award to replace four school buses
  • Loudoun County Public Schools:  $200,000 award to replace 10 school buses
  • Newport News Public Schools:  $250,000, award to replace 10 school buses

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Clean School Bus Program

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an unprecedented $5 billion over five years for the Clean School Bus Program to replace existing school buses with cleaner models. In Spring 2022, EPA plans to announce a new Clean School Bus rebate program for applicants to replace existing school buses with low- or zero-emission school buses. EPA may prioritize applications that replace school buses in high need local educational agencies, low-income and rural areas, Tribal schools, and applications that provide cost share.

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here

Filed Under: EPA

Time to take clean indoor air as seriously as we take c…

by

Two hundred years ago, drinking water from a water pump could have been lethal. The water might have appeared clean but could be contaminated with sewage, causing a serious and often deadly diarrhoeal disease owing to cholera. Luckily, societal norms and regulations around water and sanitation have shifted. We now expect the water from our taps to be clean and safe. 

Although we now have safer drinking water, we have a challenge ahead to do the same for the indoor air that we breathe and share. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on tuberculosis (TB) care in South Africa and globally, with TB-related deaths increasing for the first time in a decade. However, since Covid-19 and TB are both airborne infections, the attention surrounding mitigation measures could provide a glimmer of hope for the TB response. 

Much of this synergy has focused on mask-wearing, which can reduce the risks of transmission of both Covid-19 and TB that result from exposure to shared air. Mask-wearing has gained traction and some level of acceptance during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. 

Yet there has been inadequate prioritisation of the need to improve the safety of our shared air. This is particularly important in crowded indoor settings that pose the highest risk of transmission and requires dedicated efforts, resources, and policy changes to improve indoor ventilation.   

We have known for years that increasing natural ventilation by opening doors and windows is an effective strategy to increase the volume of fresh air that enters from the outdoors. In South Africa, we are fortunate to have weather that allowed us to use natural ventilation frequently. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought attention to settings that are difficult to ventilate — due to building infrastructure or when the weather becomes colder. 

Many tools available

Yet there are many tools to improve ventilation that we have not used optimally. This includes high-efficiency particulate air (Hepa) filtrations, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors, and germicidal ultraviolet disinfection technology. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a do-it-yourself (DIY) cost-effective air filter, known as the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, has gained traction both as a school project and a convenient solution to improve indoor air quality, with research showing it can be an effective tool to reduce aerosol hazards in indoor spaces. This DIY air filter takes about 45-minutes to make and only requires a box fan, duct tape, four Hepa air filters, and cardboard. 

While the world of Hepa filters can offer a dizzying array of options (some that fall firmly in the snake oil category) — a non-profit public service known as Clean Air Stars has developed an air filter recommendation tool that evaluates the acceptable noise level, Wi-Fi requirements, room volume, and filter requirements to ensure that an adequate number of Hepa filters are provided to ensure effective filtration and to reduce the transmission of airborne diseases. They have also developed a repository for businesses that have taken steps to make their shared air safer. 

CO2 monitors could also be an important tool to help evaluate the ventilation quality of indoor facilities and spur further action to improve ventilation. Higher CO2 levels, particularly if they reach over 1,000-1,500 parts per million (ppm), show that there is likely a build-up of rebreathed air that indicates poor ventilation. 

A study conducted in South Africa using CO2 monitors demonstrated the important point that air conditioners, unlike other strategies to cool the air such as opening a window, do not provide outdoor air exchange and lead to a build-up of CO2 indoors when doors and windows are closed, thereby decreasing ventilation. 

Increased use of measures such as germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) disinfection holds promise to clear the air of potential pathogens. Guidelines have been developed for the use of GUV, based on key studies conducted in South Africa, but they have not been released and there is still a moratorium on the implementation of GUV fixtures in healthcare facilities after previous unregulated use did not have adequate maintenance and oversight.  

Healthcare workers at risk

Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have known that there is an urgent need to improve ventilation in healthcare settings as healthcare workers are three times more likely than the general population to develop drug-sensitive TB and six times more likely to develop drug-resistant TB. Poor ventilation in overcrowded indoor spaces such as health facilities is recognised as an important risk factor for TB transmission. A recent study conducted in South Africa using small, portable CO2 monitors worn by health workers during their work shifts showed that health workers who experienced higher average CO2 levels had a higher risk of developing TB infection. Yet, the Occupational Health Policy for Health Workers regarding TB and HIV, drafted in 2016, that has far-reaching recommendations for addressing this occupational risk has still not been released. 

The authors say there is an urgent need to improve ventilation in healthcare settings. (Photo by Gallo Images/Papi Morake)

Some might argue that making indoor ventilation improvements will be too costly for the South African context, both in health facilities and for businesses. But improving indoor air quality will make a difference in our preparedness to manage new variants of the current Covid-19 pandemic, our co-existent TB crisis, and help us respond to future respiratory disease outbreaks. Improving indoor air quality has other far-reaching benefits, such as improving the productivity of workers along with improved cognitive performance, reduced work stress and absenteeism, and increased job satisfaction.

A recent study evaluated the estimated costs of TB prevention and control interventions in South Africa and found that the most inexpensive intervention was to retrofit buildings to improve ventilation. A scientific review also revealed that improvements to indoor air quality are cost-effective as they can ensure three to six times the return on investment for increased ventilation. 

Other countries have started to take this seriously. An initiative by the Australian government provides businesses with grants to improve indoor ventilation and the United States White House has recently launched a ‘Let’s Clear the Air’ initiative that makes improving indoor air quality a major political priority. 

Covid-19 has already triggered big societal changes, but we have been too slow to use all the available tools to improve indoor ventilation. Improvements in ventilation represent a cross-cutting measure that could help reduce the impact of Covid-19, flu, TB, and other respiratory epidemics. The 1854 cholera epidemic triggered a cascade of responses that led us to expect clean water in our taps. We need to use this opportunity in a similar way to address the invisible dangers in our shared air. DM/MC

*The authors are all affiliated with TB Proof.

*This article was published by Spotlight – health journalism in the public interest.

 

Gallery

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here