I recently had a very close friend who’s 6 month old baby was hospitalized. While she was hospitalized she contracted another "Superbug" called Clostridium difficile or C-diff. C-diff is spread by spores in feces that are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap and has grown resistant to certain antibiotics that work against other healthy colon bacteria. What is even more scarey is that according to a new study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) C-diff has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year. The study further shows that in 2005, 300,000 hospitalizations where traced to C-diff. That is twice the number reported in 2000 when this “Superbug was rarely seen.

Fortunately the very same chemicals that can prevent the spread of MRSA can help prevent the spread of C-diff. So I urge you to revisit our page on Prevention. If you have any questions or comments please pass them along.

*** Health Alert *** Prevention of MRSA
(http://www.spruceindustries.com/additional/mrsa-warning.jsp)

The Leonardo Academy - A non-profit organization dedicated to a vision of advancing sustainability and putting the competitive market to work on improving the environment¹ — along with The Green Cleaning Network, have awarded The O’Dell Corporation for successfully completing the requirements for the Cleaning Industry Climate Initiative. Their levels of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nitrous oxide emissions have dropped so dramatically that the only energy they’re using is their employees burning off their lunches!! The following table outlines the total emissions reductions that result from the company’s renewable energy use and maintenance of the company’s tree farm.

So what does all of this mumbo jumbo mean? Layman’s terms: They saved more energy than they actually used. How can something like this be possible you ask? O’Dell has established their own 1000-acre tree farm and in conjunction with The South Carolina Waterfowl Association, has also created wetlands to provide naturally occurring food sources such as fruit trees, grasses & grains, which promote healthy growth and reproduction of many other species of wildlife. Their certified tree farm REMOVES 3,600 tons of carbon dioxide and PRODUCES 4,000 tons of oxygen annually, enough to supply 16,200 people.

More recently, O’Dell has brought environmental stewardship into the manufacturing process. While recycling of corrugated and plastic materials has been implemented for some time, newer technology now offers greater opportunities to contribute to the overall environmental impact. O’Dell has become the first manufacturer in South Carolina to obtain “Green Power Partner” status with LEC and the EPA. They are 100% green power supplied. O’Dell has also fully committed themselves to taking advantage of new, sustainable technologies as they become available.

Here at Spruce, we applaud companies like The O’Dell Corporation who have single handedly changed the face of what it means to “go green”. They have demonstrated a whole hearted participation in dramatically changing how we can control the forefront of our global issue: emissions reduction. If we can all, not only produce environmentally safe products, but do it in an environmentally manufacturing way, we can hit the issue head on. Only time will tell. But I hope sooner rather than later.

¹www.LeonardoAcademy.org

In this day and age, more and more people ARE realizing that we are in dire trouble concerning global warming and the environment. For instance, Clorox has responded to these issues by coming out with a “green” product line. Yet these Women’s Voices have responded to that by saying “why pay $4.99 for a bottle of cleaner when you can just mix it yourself for pennies”. Easier said than done. Sure it sounds good to save some money in this never ending chaos that we call our economy, but unless you are a world renown chemist, I would be deathly afraid of doing such things. First off, you have no idea what the correct measurements and ingredients are for such a cleaning product. Secondly, pH levels have to be on point or one drop splashed on your skin or into your eyes and who knows what can happen. No money is worth the risk of bodily harm.

As stated above, a lot of companies are going green and doing the mixing for you but only in a less harmful way for not only the environment but for you as the consumer. Here at Spruce, we use a company called Misco. They have just come out with a product line called Elements - Environmentally Responsible Maintenance Solutions. They have made green cleaning simple. These products which include a degreaser, non-ammoniated glass cleaner, restroom cleaner, multi purpose cleaner and a super duty degreaser is the next generation in green cleaning. They are certifiably: non toxic, contains no phosphates, EDTA or NTA, they are non corrosive. There are no ozone depleting compounds as well as known carcinogens, chlorine bleach, all cleaners are biodegradable, and also the containers have low energy requirements for recycling. There’s no more guesswork of whether or not you might faint while cleaning your shower or even washing your windows. Misco has made it healthier and safer for you. But if you feel like mixing your own concoction, you’re only harming yourself and the people around you. And by doing so, you’re not really helping the environmental problem, only hurting it.

Read the entire New York Times article regarding Women’s Voices for the Earth
Raiding the Pantry to Add Sparkle and Shine - New York Times

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 22 at Temple Emanu-El, 756 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ  07090.

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Spruce donated two trees to the local community. To be honest, it wasn’t just any kind of tree, it was a Spruce tree. Also, to be fair, it wasn’t just the local community, it was two elementary schools that have a personal connection with Spruce. Our first donation took place at Oak Ridge Heights School in Colonia, NJ. Our purchasing manager, Linda McGowan spent many of her days wandering those same halls when she was a kid. The event started with a terrific presentation in the gymnasium where one of our manufacturers, Gojo Industries, gave a great presentation on personal hygiene and hand washing. The presentation then moved outside for the actual tree planting ceremony while the elementary school choir sang several songs.

“Green-Day” continued as we headed north to Springfield, NJ. We celebrated the second half of our Earth Day at James Caldwell School. It wasn’t too long ago… OK it probably was a long time ago…. that Hank Josephs, Spruce Industries’ president, could be seen running around the playground of this very same school. Almost 50 years ago, Hank enjoyed the beautiful landscape of Caldwell School. Now it was time for us to give back. With the Caldwell School Environmental Club on hand to help give the new Spruce tree it’s first watering, Hank had an opportunity to educate the students on the values of family and what it means to be part of a community. His message was plain and simple: It’s about giving back to a community and providing the next generation with an equal opportunity to grow up in a clean and green environment.

I know Earth Day is just once a year and it is important to try and make improvements and be conscious of the environment everyday but we live in a fast pace world and sometimes it isn’t easy. There are so many aspects of our lives that can be enhanced or improved by simply looking for the “Greener” solution. My best advice is to impart one green action each day. Don’t try and implement, do, revamp, rebuild and remodel everything in one day - you will find the tasks overwhelming, the solutions overpriced and the idea of “Going Green” to simply be over. But if you take the time to research the issues and the solutions, you will find that the most modest modifications can have enormous benefits. Just think of the trees we planted…we not only planted two Spruce trees, but we planted the importance of being environmentally conscious in the next generation.

So I now want to hear from you…what did you do on Earth Day?

Now, almost 40 years later, over 500 million people and 175 countries observe a day that not only recognizes our environment, but this day holds us accountable for the total impact that we have on our planet. This day, April 22nd, is known as Earth Day.

In recognition of Earth Day, Spruce Industries will be donating two blue spruce trees on Tuesdsay April 22nd, 2008. The first tree will be donated to the James Caldwell Elementary School in Springfield, NJ. Hank Josephs, the president of Spruce Industries, attended this school and learned the importance of teamwork, participation and community. The second tree will be donated to the Oak Ridge Heights #21 Elementary School in Colonia, NJ. Linda McGowan, a purchasing agent for Spruce Industries, was a student at Oak Ridge Heights and wants to make sure that her family and her generation have the same clean air and landscape that she was privy to while growing up.

Earth Day is a day for not only going green, being green and living green; but it is the day where we all take responsibiility for the future of our families, communities and planet. Spruce Industries is a family company that has extended its’ roots through two generations. Spruce values family, community and working together and therefore, in honor of Earth Day, Spruce is giving back to the educational facilites that has imparted invaluable learnings to our team.

In honor of Earth Day, we are pleased to provide our planet friendly patrons with a 5% discount on all products purchasd online until April 29th, 2008. Just enter the coupon code “EARTH08″ during checkout to clean with the power of green.

Supply Line 2008 provides the tools you need to grow in today’s competitive business environment. Join other distributors and cleaning professionals from the Northeast and other regions for two action-packed days of meetings, inspirational educational events, and exhibits of the latest cleaning products and services. The Atlantic City Convention Center is easily accessible by air, road, or rail. Try the train for convenient and hassle free travel - the Atlantic City rail station is connected right to the convention center! Just step off the train and into the convention center.

Mix business with pleasure at Supply Line 2008. Come a day early to play in NJSSA’s annual golf outing. Enjoy all the luxury and services at The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. Take advantage of the array of dining and entertainment options available in “America’s Favorite Playground.” Whether you are looking for new products, improved service, ideas, or opportunities to network with industry colleagues, Supply Line 2008 has plenty to offer. Mark your calendar and register today!

For more information visit www.njssa.net.

I haven’t had a chance to read through the entire revision, but I did come across something that I thought was very interesting. A new policy has been added that requires: “Development of strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use of alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.” I think the key to this addition is the development of strategies for “promoting” hand hygiene. It is about time. Finally people are listening to the experts. It isn’t enough to just supply hand washing products, you need to tie this in to a program that promotes hand washing. Take a look at the attached PDF. I think GOJO does a great job of attacking the problem in schools.

GOJO Promoting Good Hand Washing

The craziness continues when I found that these mops are designed not just to meet the standards set by cotton and rayon mops, but to exceed those standards! The plastics from the PET bottles help prevent the rotting that happens with traditional mops.  The mops are strong enough to hold up to laundering, and arid enough to dry 100% overnight.  These mops are free from post recycling dyes.  So when I say Beer Bottle Brown I literally mean these mops are brown from the color of the recycled beer bottles.  And if you’re not into Beer Bottle Brown, the Echo Mop collection comes in a variety of recycled materials and colors: Water Bottle Blue, Soda Bottle Green and the classic Beverage Bottle White.

And with all of these choices, you need to get a handle on these fabulous mops! So if purchasing 100% recycled mops isn’t reason enough for this must-have, perhaps O’Dell’s new Bamwood handle paired with the recycled mop will make you realize, “I need this”!  O’Dell has developed a line of handles that is created entirely from a renewable source:  Bamboo.  Some of the unique properties of Bamboo are:

(1) Bamboo is easily harvested without impacting the environment
(2) Bamboo can regenerate itself
(3) Bamboo is one of the strongest natural materials known to man
(4) Bamboo has antioxidant properties which prevent bacterial growth

So as you can see,  EchoMops and Bamwood Handles clean with the power of green.