Two weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the U.S. Green Building Council’s GreenBuild Conference in Denver. I really can’t describe it other than by stating it was nothing short of miraculous--just as the rapid growth of the Council and GreenBuild has been over the past dozen years. And to those of you who are the faithful readers of DestinationGreen, I can’t think of a better demonstration of the accelerating acceptance of green, green buildings and Green Cleaning. We are definitely part of something very, very special.
In addition to conversing with industry experts, and influential leaders about their insights on the green building movement and its diverse specialties at the Greenbuild Conference, The Ashkin Group has been busy preparing a new series of Green Selling Tips that we are launching this month in DestinationGreen. Also featured in this issue is a discussion about the future of the green building movement with industry expert, Christine Ervin; a special column on the latest international policy debate about how to meet the challenges posed by climate change; and details about the launch of a new Green Cleaning nonprofit group. We hope you agree we've captured all the essential Green Cleaning news relevant to any professional that sells green products and services. That's our goal!
All the best and happy selling! -- Steve Ashkin
Christine Ervin is a leading expert of green construction and sustainable market transformation. Her extensive, global experience in these issues includes serving as: the first President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council; U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy overseeing $1 billion in annual investments for clean energy and Director of the innovative Oregon Department of Energy. The Ashkin Group recently interviewed Ervin about her thoughts on the future of the U.S. green building movement.
Larry Geller--nationally renowned consultant to high performance executives, professionals, salespeople, and owners of small businesses--explains how innovation could transform your business and more? For example, how about business success that ultimately results in your statue being placed in the Hall of Fame?
Gisele McAuliffe, the director of communications for The Ashkin Group, attended the most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference this month in Nairobi, Kenya. She shares her insights from the conference, elaborates on the global response to the environmental threat posed by global warming and how it relates to the green building movement.
A recently completed report by the General Services Administration (GSA) comparing five different green building rating systems concludes that The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the "most credible" of the rating systems evaluated.
The latest research in Canada and the U.S. reaffirms previous findings about the perils of antibacterial soap. The botton line--plain soap and water is safer than antibacterial products that typically contain a chemical compound that can harm human health.
The Ashkin Group is a nonpartisan organization that believes Green Cleaning and other critical environmental issues are universal concerns that transcend political party affiliations. With that in mind, we present an overview of the results of the U.S. national elections earlier this month and their widely anticipated impact on environmental policy issues.
The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) works to build healthy communities, with social justice, economic well-being, and democratic governance. With the belief this can happen when individuals from communities have the power to play an integral role in promoting human health and environmental integrity, CHEJ is dedidcated to providing the tools to build strong, healthy communities where people can live, work, learn, play and pray. Those tools also include valuable information about successful Green Cleaning programs in schools.
A Green Cleaning advocacy group, The Green Cleaning Nework, was launched earlier this month before more than 12,000 professionals from all industry and market sectors convening for the U.S. Green Building Council’s GreenBuild Conference in Denver, Colo. Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group, will serve as executive director of the new nonprofit organization.
“The question to ask, is: Do the antimicrobial gains you get from using triclosan (a chemical used in most antibacterial products) outweigh both the risks to wildlife and the potential human health risks associated with it?”
- Cathy Propper, Endocrinologist, Northern Arizona University.
