You may not be able to see, smell, or sense the toxic materials around you in any way, but that does not mean they are not there. Based on advanced understanding of synthetic building materials, the list of dangerous materials changes often. For that reason, it is important to know that based on the United States sustainable building certification program known as the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), these five of the most toxic building materials, you should avoid at all costs.
A sustainable business practice has an impact not only on the business itself, but also its customers, society, and of course the environment. If you are a business owner, or you simply care about the environment, learning how to create, and maintain a sustainable business practice may help you in the long run. You see, regardless of the size of your company, you can develop sustainable performance that also helps you become more successful as well. Over time most business owners realize that companies that help protect the environment also protect their own profits.
Mercury is a naturally-occurring liquid chemical found in rocks. And although it isn’t man-made, it can be quite dangerous even in small amounts. A mercury spill of just three grams – about the size of a pea – can easily present a serious health risk to people in the area through skin contact and more seriously, air vapor.
We’re all looking for ways to reduce waste at home, right? It’s good for the environment, saves money, and something that pretty much everyone at home can help with. Here are some useful tips for reducing waste at home, especially kitchen waste.
National and international companies have embedded waste reduction strategies into many of their processes, from local efforts like recycling paper, plastics, and glass to switching their packing materials to reusable or sustainable packaging that is eco-friendly.
Why are they doing this? Because the benefits of reducing waste go beyond following local, state, and legislation regulations to combat resource wastage. Being a good corporate citizen means embracing a sustainability outlook that goes beyond basic (often mandated) recycling and taking the lead, locally or on a grander scale, to combat resource wastage.
Back it the day, large corporations were the only businesses that recycle. Smaller operations couldn’t afford the costs associated with purchasing bins and extra hauling fees.
Luckily, times have changed. Recycling is now part of the business culture in most companies, even small ones. Many cities require paper and glass recycling and where they don’t, corporate landlords use trash services that include recycling and encourage (or even require) cooperation from tenants.
Most of us have recycled paper at work and school and many large towns and cities provide recycling bins for regular pickups just like trash. Still, the national average recycling rate is only about 35%. We can do better. Here are 8 ways to recycle you can easily do at home and even when you’re away.
Chemical eye injury is a relatively rare worksite injury thanks to protective eye gear and face shields that are standard issue in labs and many industrial job sites. Still, most injuries from chemical burn in the eye happen at work where there are eye wash stations and other first aid equipment nearby.
But what if it happens at home, where cleaning solutions, bug spray, cosmetics, and other products laden with chemicals are lurking, and where eyegear isn’t available or used? Here are tips on treating so-called “acid eye.”
Many industries are required to have oil spillage prevention procedures in place as well as oil spill contingency plans. While prevention is everyone’s goal–certainly no one benefits from oil spills–the natural disasters, equipment failure, and human error make it likely that one can happen.
Oil spill control is no doubt on the minds of everyone who works on off-shore rigs, pipelines, refineries, and small businesses like service stations and fleet operations. As a manufacturer of natural products used to contain and clean liquid spills, we want to share our knowledge about spill response planning with businesses that produce, transport, store, and use oil and subsidiary products.
Just about every workplace has a chemical spill risk; some are just higher than the others.
Job sites like auto repair facilities, oil refineries, and a range of manufacturers have an obvious need for a chemical spill response and cleanup procedure. But consider that even low-risk sites like offices need a chemical spill cleanup plan when, for example, coolant leaks out from air conditioning, or a delivery truck gushes gasoline, or oil in the parking lot.
In our opinion, any workplace where a chemical spill is possible, needs an emergency response plan, particularly if a spilled liquid has flammable properties or poses a health risk from inhaling fumes or through skin contact.
When people assure us that there their worksite is safe from chemical spills, we’re tempted to ask them how old their smartphone batteries are. Sometimes we do.
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