NewslineVolume III, Issue 27 - December 06, 2002
Green Carpet: It's Not Just a ColorCRI's President, Werner Braun, was a featured workshop speaker on November 13 at the first Annual International Green Building Conference and Expo, in Austin, Texas. His presentation focused on the carpet industry's impressive progress in mitigating its impact on the environment, as detailed in the 2001 Sustainability Report; CRI's Seal of Approval and Green Label testing programs; and carpet's contribution to air quality. The latter is captured in a new video, produced by CRI and Solutia. CRI also sponsored a booth at the trade show that attracted much interest. With the presentation, the booth, and Werner's interactions with attendees and the media, virtually every attendee heard CRI's strong pro-environmental messages. We received many positive comments. Contact Werner Braun at 706.428.2118, Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104, or Steve Phillips at 706.428.2115. In the CHPSThe Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) is a California organization that promotes efficient, comfortable, and healthy facilities for all California schoolchildren. CHPS has established design and construction guidelines for school buildings. These guidelines have now become a critical consideration for officials involved in school building construction. Interest in the CHPS guidelines is becoming increasingly apparent in states adjoining California. While no preference is indicated, floor covering recommendations within these guidelines call for surfaces that generate acceptable levels of VOC emissions. CRI Green Label carpet complies with the CHPS floor covering recommendations thereby complementing the goals of the CHPS program. Contact John Miller at 706.428.2109. CRI Attends Republican Governor's Association ForumJennifer Mendez of CRI recently attended the Republican Governor's Association Forum. The Forum had record attendance following the Republican victories of the recent gubernatorial elections. While at the Forum, Jennifer had the opportunity to meet with Chiefs of Staff for the governors from several states. She also provided to the governors-elect packets including congratulatory letters as well as background information regarding CRI and its initiatives. Contact Jennifer Mendez at 703.875.0634. New Associate MemberThe newest associate member of CRI is Matsushita Home Appliance Company. We are pleased to have Matsushita, a manufacturer of domestic and commercial vacuum cleaners, as an associate member. For contact information on Matsushita, or any other member of CRI, visit the Member Listings section of the CRI web site. Construction Spending UpOn December 2, the U.S. Commerce Department reported construction spending rose 0.3% in October with the strength centered in a big gain in construction of schools, hospitals, and other non-residential buildings. The October increase was slightly better than had been expected and was led by a strong 1% rise in spending for non-residential buildings. The non-residential building increase included a 10% rise in spending on educational buildings and a 2.2% rise in spending on hospitals construction. October spending for construction of homes and apartments was up only 0.1% from September. Thanks to Howard Olansky, National Floor Trends, FCI & ICS Magazines for this update. CRI Media MonitoringYear-to-date 2002, 1,929 total media clippings, covering eleven relevant topics, have been analyzed. The results support the barriers CRI is fighting to ensure member's profitability and growth. Of the 1,929 clippings monitored, 37% were negative and 63% were positive. In the negative clippings category, 75% were in three topics: asthma/allergy, biological contaminants, and educational facilities. For more information, contact Barbara Day at 706.428.2138. Vacuum Cleaner Sales Remain SteadyThe Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association (VCMA) announced that industry sales of full-size household vacuum cleaners in the third quarter of this year amounted to 4,673,914 units, down 4.7% from the same period last year. In the first nine months of this year, industry sales were up 1.2% from the same period in 2001. Central vacuum cleaner sales, not included in the above figures, are up 6.2% from last year's performance through the first nine months. VCMA is the leading trade association in the United States for manufacturers of household electric floor care products. Founded in 1913, VCMA is one of the oldest trade associations in the country. MeetingsCRI participation in upcoming events:
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