NewslineVolume V, Issue 19 - September 10, 2004The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: Hospital CEO Uses CRI Info to Get Carpet Into Hospital A hospital CEO contacted CRI in May this year reporting that he was preparing
for a major renovation project. The CEO was convinced carpet should be a major
part of the project, but admitted he was meeting stiff resistance. He asked
for and received all of CRI's latest information, case studies, etc., to help
him to make the case for carpet. This past week, the CEO again corresponded
with CRI thanking the organization for the information and was happy to report
that carpet had been installed throughout the hospital. U.S. Presses China on IPR The U.S. Department of Commerce and the US Trade Representative (USTR) continue
to pressure Chinese government officials over the issue of intellectual property
rights (IPR)and infringement violations by Chinese companies against U.S. entities.
The central Chinese government has begun to move some of the enforcement responsibility
to the Provincial level and an effort to criminalize IPR violations has been
initiated. The Chinese government has given the issue more public visibility
and is providing education as a way to alleviate this still rampant practice
that occurs across a number of U.S. industry sectors including carpet and rugs.
The U.S. is continuing to insist on documentation to demonstrate that action
is in fact being taken. This pressure will continue at every opportunity. IPR
issues are a primary agenda item for the U.S. Consumer Goods Trade Mission which
will take place on November 8, 9 and 10. Newly installed Assistant Secretary
for Manufacturing, Al Frink, a 30 year carpet industry executive, will lead
that mission. Conference on FSC Bill DoubtfulA conference on the tax bill which will repeal the Foreign Sales Corporation
(FSC) legislation will likely not take place for sometime, as neither the White
House nor Republican leadership seems motivated to pass a final version before
the November election. It is now almost certain that the FSC conference will
take place after Congress first completes a package of middle class tax cuts.
House Ways and Means Chairman, Bill Thomas (R-CA) would likely chair the FSC
conference. The FSC bill provides for international tax reform which would compel
the European Union to eliminate sanctions currently imposed against a wide range
of U.S. industries. These sanctions are presently set at 11% and will continue
to rise at the rate of 1% per month. Affected industries and trade associations,
including CRI, have sent letters stating their opposition to the sanctions.
Additional letters are likely to follow next week. LEED for Commercial Interiors Rating System Comments SoughtThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is now soliciting comments on the changes
made to the first draft of the LEED for Commercial Interiors (CI) Rating System.
The section dealing with environmental quality reads as follows: "EQc4.3
Low-Emitting Materials, Carpet Systems. The requirement has moved to the new
CRI Green Label Plus." CRI has been working with Environmental Quality
(EQ) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) chair Kirsten Childs on VOC issues. The
TAG is considering issuing an additional standard along with Green Label Plus
so smaller clients may have an alternative. CRI is opposed to this action due
to the ambiguity it will create and dilution of the Green Label Plus program.
At this point in time we are trying to simplify initiatives and this approach
seems to go against that approach. We are in discussions to try and head this
initiative off. Comments on the latest version of LEED CI are due by Thursday,
September 16, 2004 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Visit the USGBC website for more information CRI Meets With New York City Department of EducationNews articles appearing earlier this spring in several New York Newspapers
regarding the lack of willingness on the part of elementary school teachers
to spend time on the floor with their students due to poorly maintained carpet,
prompted CRI to get involved. Following correspondence with the New York City
Schools Chancellor's office, CRI traveled to New York to meet with the officials
from the Department of Education. The information presented was well received.
CRI is also planning meetings with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT),
the union which represents the New York City school teachers. The Department
of Education will continue to work with CRI as they begin specifying carpet
for new schools and replacing carpet in existing schools. Study Compares Biocontaminant Levels Associated With Hard vs. Carpet Floors in Nonproblem SchoolsChoosing the appropriate floor surface for a school environment is a complex
issue. To assist school personnel in determining which flooring is best for
their school, biocontaminant levels associated with carpeted and hard surface
flooring were studied. Two schools were selected, one predominantly tiled and
one predominantly carpeted, as similar as possible with the exception of their
floor coverings. Neither school was considered a "problem" building.
Multiple biocontaminants were measured. For flooring, there were statistically
significant differences for all the tested biocontaminants except fungi. The
carpeted surfaces, being strong sinks, generally had higher surface loadings
of the biocontaminants, while the airborne levels were significantly higher
over tiled floors. Significant differences in airborne levels were found for
dust mass, spores, fungi, -1,3 glucans, and endotoxins. The results suggest
that carpet flooring was not the major contributor to airborne levels of biocontaminants
in these two nonproblem schools. Visit the International Flooring Sciences Resource Center Georgia Governor Perdue's Salute to Georgia DelegationCRI was one of many big-name sponsors as Governor Perdue saluted the Georgia
Delegation last week at the Republican National Convention in New York City.
Several hundred people attended the event hosted by Georgia's governor at the
Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Other sponsors included The Coca Cola Company,
Merrill Lynch, Citgo, Georgia Natural Gas, Organizational Strategies, Inc. (OSI),
Motorola, Applied Systems Intelligence, Inc., Citigroup, and AT&T. Shaw Industries Donates Carpet for Events at the Republican National ConventionShaw Industries donated 800 square yards of carpet that was used in the VIP
lounge at Madison Square Gardens during the Republican National Convention.
Visitors to the VIP lounge included many of the speakers at the convention.
Carpet Capital Travel UpdateThe Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport has won a Small Community Air Service
Development Grant from the Department of Transportation in the amount of $750,000.
With the help of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, local elected officials
and the regional business community, the airport raised $325,000 in matching
funds earlier this year. The grant and matching funds will be used to pursue
nonstop service from the Chattanooga Airport to Dallas/Ft. Worth International
Airport. Chattanooga Airport President and CEO Mike Landguth said the airport
will be signing the grant agreement with the government by September 30, 2004,
and then begin negotiating with airlines for the Dallas service. If all goes
well, the new service should begin in the next 6-8 months. CRI Meetings* Market Issues Committee, September 13, noon - 2 p.m., CRI Boardroom CRI Participation in Upcoming Events* Democratic Governor's Association (DGA) Fall Policy Conference, September
16-19, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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