March 2013 Green Product Solutions

Green Growing

Greenhouse offers year-round education 

Growers Supply. Avon Old Farms School, Avon, Conn., is a private high school for boys. Last year, the school started a faculty garden, but it soon became overgrown with weeds and produced very little. Avon Old Farms hired Kelly Bull as its garden consultant to help design and operate a more successful faculty garden, as well as a student garden.

When Bull started at the school, all of the growing was done outdoors. With Connecticut’s cold, snowy winters, Bull knew Avon Old Farms needed “a protected place to grow” throughout the year. She chose a Premium Round Style High Tunnel from Growers Supply. 

Avon Old Farms’ new high tunnel is the ideal season extender for growing greens. 

“I wanted the high tunnel to supply most of the greens in our school salad bar,” says Bull. “It has been very productive. We have gotten a lot of produce out of it. The structure is very spacious, with easy rollup sides. It even looks nice!”

The high tunnel not only has increased yields, but also has made teaching students about gardening easier. 

“It’s nice that we don’t have to cancel gardening time when it rains because we can go under the high tunnel instead of working in the garden,” says Bull. “Next, I am going to build a makeshift table and start the fall crop seedlings inside.” 

For a school that prides itself on offering a well-rounded education, being able to add year-round growing to the activities list has been great for the school, as well as the faculty and students.

Select the March 2013 issue RSN number 163 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.

Green flooring

Tandus Flooring. Powerbond educational flooring is made from the fusion of closed-cell cushion technology with a nylon wear layer. Seams are permanently sealed against moisture to ensure no microbial penetration. The flooring has been documented to perform in schools for more than 42 years. Powerbond with ethos cushion is the only NSF 140 platinum-rated flooring and is SCS-certified for recycled content and low VOCs. It is 100 percent recyclable via the Tandus Flooring Environmental Center, the first closed-loop reclamation center certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). 

Select the March 2013 issue RSN number 15360 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.

Backpack vacuum

ProTeam. The Super Coach Pro 10 and Super Coach Pro 6 backpack vacuums are the next generation in cleaning comfort. The new ergonomic triangular shape fits closer to the body and moves with the user, reducing the chance of accidental contact with doorways, walls or furniture. The FlexFit articulating harness increases range of motion and reduces fatigue. The unit stays upright and centered as the upper and lower backplates respond to a user’s movements. Breathable mesh material keeps the operator cool. The die-cast aluminum tri-latch system ensures air performance and easy access to check filters. Four Level Filtration w/HEPA captures 99.97 percent of particulate matter 0.3 microns or larger, including fine carbon dust from the motor. 

Select the March 2013 issue RSN number 161 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.

Lamp recycling

Air Cycle. The CFL Premium Bulb Eater is a drum-top lamp crusher designed to safely compact and store spent compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and their mercury content prior to recycling. The machine can crush and hold up to 3,000 CFLs and also can crush straight lamps. Crushing lamps with the device can save up to 20 hours of labor and 80 percent in storage space vs. packing and storing intact lamps. 

Select the March 2013 issue RSN number 162 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.