Green learning
High school greenhouse helps replenish area’s lakes and rivers
Growers Supply. The Elma Agriculture Department, Elma, Wash., has greenhouse facilities at the local high school in order to teach students about growing and aquaculture, as well as to raise fish to replenish the area’s lakes and rivers.
The department realized that its aquaculture facility no longer was efficient and was costing a sizable sum in sewer expenses. Instructors at the school, including Dave Rutherford, the natural resources instructor and carpentry teacher, looked at possible solutions and decided that a new structure was necessary. The instructors took the needs of the students into account when choosing a new building. Rather than having a space just for aquaculture, they wanted it to serve many purposes.
Bids were solicited, and the school chose a greenhouse from Growers Supply, which fits well in the space provided for the facility and also can use the existing drainage system. Grants from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation and Lowe’s paid for the greenhouse.
The greenhouse was constructed by a group of 20 high school students with the guidance of Rutherford,. “Building this greenhouse was a great lesson for the students,” he says. “They now show a tremendous amount of pride in what they were able to accomplish.“
Elma’s Natural Resources greenhouse now houses four 800-gallon aquaculture tanks and four misting tables. It is raising 1,000 rainbow trout for stocking a local lake and 2,000 coho salmon to be released into the nearby Chehalis River.
Select the October 2013 issue RSN number 153 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Multipurpose cleaning solution
Orbio Technologies, a Tennant Company group. Orbio Multi-Surface Cleaner has received Green Seal GS-37 certification. The 5000-Sc uses the electrically activated water (EAW) process using only tap water, a small amount of salt and electricity to generate the Multi-Surface Cleaner. It is the first cleaner generated by EAW technology to be recognized by Green Seal. The cleaner is fragrance- and dye-free.
Select the October 2013 issue RSN number 150 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Environmental flooring
Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett company. The company has published seven Environmental Product Declarations to further enhance transparency, accountability and third-party validation for its modular and hybrid resilient flooring products. The manufacturer now offers EPDs for modular carpet with a variety of backings: ER3 backing of 100 percent recycled content, ethos backing made from the film in recycled windshields, and Flex-Aire cushion with improved ergonomics and acoustics. In addition, Tandus Centiva developed EPDs for its Powerbond hybrid resilient sheet flooring cushions. The EPDs cover 95 percent of the company’s U.S.-made carpet and hybrid resilient products.
Select the October 2013 issue RSN number 151 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Green purchasing
Betco Corporation. Five of the company’s sustainable products now are certified and featured on Transpare, which provides information on key environmental, health and safety attributes of commercial cleaning products. Transpare provides purchasers with a way to easily select cleaning products that are appropriate for their facilities and that meet their environmental goals. The products include Betco One Step, Clario Green Earth Foaming Skin Cleanser, Clario Clear Foaming Skin Cleanser, Green Earth BioActive Solutions Devour No Rinse Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner, and Green Earth Peroxide.
Select the October 2013 issue RSN number 152 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
