NewslineVolume VI, Issue 19 - September 16, 2005The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: We Have Liftoff! SOA "Launch" A Success!
"This is a partnership we can all be proud of and a lot of people are to be thanked for making it one of the most successful events CRI has been a part of. The entire NASA staff, the Space Foundation, the Southeast Technology Transfer Center, the manufacturers who proudly displayed their certified equipment, and all of the CRI members who played such an integral role in making the event such a success are to be commended for their hard work," said CRI president Werner Braun following the launch. The event kicked off with dignitaries from Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, the NASA Technology Transfer Center, KeyMaster Technologies, and the Space Foundation making remarks followed by representatives of the eight cleaning equipment manufacturers embracing the program. Those companies were Sears Carpet & Upholstery Care, Mohawk FloorCare Essentials, Prochem, ZeroRez, CleanMaster, US Products, Nilfisk-Advance and Rug Doctor. Following a tour of the Kennedy Space Center, everyone gathered for a celebratory reception and dinner beneath one of three remaining Saturn V rockets in existence at the Saturn V Building. The event was attended by more than 100 people. Aside from various media outlets that covered the event, a television crew working on a program for the Discovery Channel was on hand to record the event. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Trio of Products Joins SOA Family In the pre-spray carpet cleaning category, Prochem's UltraPac Trafficlean VOC Compliant –S712 and Whittaker's Crystal Dry Extract Pre-Spray have each earned the distinction, while Prochem's Pro Spotter - B121 passed as a spot remover. Test results from an independent lab certified the three products after each passed all five elements of the testing protocol to earn SOA designation. Contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428-2123. List of SOA certified products CARE Named one of "25 Environmental Champions for 2005"
All 25 Environmental Champions will be featured in a special Fall 2005 issue of Interiors & Sources. "This is an exciting acknowledgement of all that CARE has been able to accomplish and is an honor for everyone involved in the organization. The fact that we reported over 120 million pounds of post-consumer carpet diverted from landfill in 2004 starting from almost nothing in 2002 speaks much of what we have accomplished. We are now climbing a classical S- Curve for growth based on the development of a new and exciting array of products which contain post consumer carpet content. Our members are committed to building on the solid foundation of environmental stewardship for which the carpet industry is recognized as a national leader. This is a reflection of the dedication and professionalism of the people and companies in CARE," said Bob Peoples, executive director of CARE. Contact Bob Peoples at 706.428.2115. CARE Sets Annual Conference DateMark your calender! The 2006 CARE Annual Meeting will once again be held at Callaway Gardens outside of Atlanta, GA. The meeting dates will be May 1-4. Full details for registration will be posted after the first of the year but go ahead and Save The Date if you plan on attending. Contact Bob Peoples at 706.428.2115. Braun To Meet With National Association of ManufacturersCRI president Werner Braun will be meeting with The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) next week to help establish the magnitude of the threats carpet faces to a broader stakeholder group in an effort to enlist broader support against measures CRI is currently fighting. Braun has already met with NAM president and former Michigan Governor John Engler once to set up next week's seminar. In addition, Braun will meet with representatives from the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation while in Washington DC. Contact James Beach at 706.428.2116. Group Releases California Biomonitoring SamplesThe organization Commonwealth has released the results of a biomonitoring study involving 11 Californians, including a film actor, a human rights leader and a university professor. The results show that even people who do not work at dangerous jobs or live near toxic sites have low levels of industrial chemicals in their bodies, including some that are known to harm humans or laboratory animals, says The San Francisco Chronicle. For example, the blood of actor Peter Coyote was found to contain high levels of mercury, while the blood of Dr. Philip Lee, a former chancellor of the University of California at San Francisco, was found to contain some “products of DDT.” The study results were released in support of a bill pending in the California legislature that would establish the first statewide voluntary biomonitoring program. The bill has already passed the Senate and is awaiting a final vote by the full Assembly. Concern has been expressed that the biomonitoring test results do not include information on the source of exposure or if the chemical will cause disease. Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136. Activists Press for More PVC Emissions LimitsAn e-mail campaign organized by public health and environmental groups produced over 8,400 messages to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson urging the EPA to propose rules that will significantly reduce toxic air emissions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) facilities. The groups allege that current emissions standards are inadequate to protect public health and the environment, says BNA’s Daily Environmental Report. EPA’s previous rule, blocked earlier this year by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, did not require reductions from PVC plants and allowed the facilities to operate using 1970’s-era emissions control technologies, the groups said in a joint press release. “A federal judge and the people living near these PVC plants agreed that EPA did a poor job of regulating these toxic emissions," says Monique Harden, an attorney with the group Advocates for Environmental Human Rights. “It’s time EPA lived up to its name and started protecting us.” Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136. CRI Meetings
* Operating Committee, September 19, 9:30 - 11:30
am CRI Participation in Upcoming Events
* Connections Convention and Trade Show, September
23-26, Las Vegas If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Joan Seelaus at 706.428.2123. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
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