Clean Atlantic - Spring  2009
(click here for full magazine in Adobe pdf format)

ON THE COVER:  We Can’t Cleanse Populations of Antibiotic Resistant Organisms
By Jim Hutchinson, MD, FRCPC, Memorial University of Newfoundland
The current infection control mantra advocating actively seeking out the humans harbouring antibiotic resistant bacteria and “decolonizing” them with antibiotics is fabulously flawed and short-sighted. More antibiotics will certainly not be a fix for the complex problem of antibiotic resistance.   Read more....

 A New Standard for Canadians by Canadians
The Green movement is here to stay and with each passing day, the jansan industry is faced with new technologies and chemistry. Separating Green product claims and implementing Green standards can be confusing. But not any more.    Read more...

 The Weather’s Heating Up – and so is Pest Activity
Learn the ABC’s of warm-weather pests
By Bill Melville,  Quality Assurance Director, Orkin PCO Services
With summer beginning, school is letting out, but that’s no excuse not to brush up on your ABCs – of pest management, that is. Pests prefer warm weather, so it’s common to see increased pest activity during the summer months. Like humans, pests seek to meet their basic needs – food, shelter, water and optimal temperatures. Not surprisingly, pests may find your building an attractive place to cool off, and any food sources or access to water inside can further draw pests to your building.    Read more...

Building a Healthier Environment
By Paul Goldin, Chief Sustainability Officer, Director of Marketing and Technical Services, Avmor Ltd.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has undoubtedly become an important occupational health and safety issue. Recent studies have shown that the air inside homes and commercial buildings can be two to 10 times more polluted than outside air(1). As a building owner, operator or a property manager, it is important to assess the Indoor Air Quality in your building(s) and to examine ways in which it can be improved. Everyone, including building occupants and visitors, is encouraged to play a role in improving Indoor Air Quality in his surrounding environment.   Read more...

The Well Designed Building
By Bill Garland, Senior Partner, Daniels & Associates Inc.
We all see features in a building’s design that would make it easier to clean and a recent conversation with a building project manager made me think about what some of those features should be.   Read more...

Choosing The Right Vacuum
Get the most out of your purchase
By Hollis Welsh, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Proteam Inc.
Today, budget constraints are a very real concern for facility managers. As standards for cleaning intensify along with the need to be green, companies are forced to find ways to maintain health work environments in the most cost-effective ways. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters have become synonymous with green cleaning, and have been a growing trend in the cleaning industry since their invention in the 1940s. Initially, the filters were designed to remove radioactive dust particulate contaminants in atomic bomb shelters. Currently, HEPA filters are used to improve indoor air quality in homes, healthcare, education and office facilities around the country.   Read more...

CRI Makes Seal Of Approval More Consumer Friendly
The Carpet and Rug Institute has once again raised the bar on industry standards by expanding the Seal of Approval program to encourage carpet cleaning companies to provide a higher level of customer service and satisfaction.   Read more.. .

Greenwashing Affects 98 Per Cent Of Cleaning Products
Study Finds New Greenwashing Sin – ‘Worshipping False Labels’
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, but the labels might be. There are more products claiming to be green these days, however, those ‘all-natural’ and ‘organic’ products are likely committing at least one of the Seven Sins of Greenwashing, by not telling the complete truth. Between 2007 and 2009, the in-store availability of so-called ‘green’ products has increased between 40 and 176 per cent, with 98 per cent of products surveyed still committing at least one Sin of Greenwashing, according to a report on the Seven Sins of Greenwashing recently released by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.   Read more...