And Yet More Helpful Information About the Flu

Visit the FluWiki here for breaking news and info.

More Helpful Information About the Flu

For more information and up-to-the-minute news about Swine Flu:

• IFMA Foundation has prepared a Pandemic Preparedness Manual here 
  
• the CDC is here
  
• the NIH is here
  
• and the World Health Organization is here
  

The CDC also has a Twitter feed here.

OSHA Safety and Health, Pandemic Influenza

OSHA has very useful information about protecting workers during a flu outbreak here.

EPI Report Finds Green Investment the Most Stimulative

The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) has a report on green jobs and investment, explaining the long-term economic benefits of public green investments.

The report finds that green investment is one of the most stimulative forms of government spending, providing a 1.6:1 return-to-investment ratio. This is greater than generic infrastructure investment (1.59), temporary tax cuts (1.03), and corporate tax cuts (0.3). A significant percentage of these returns would come in the form of new, higher-paying jobs. EPI estimates that a $100 billion investment would yield a 1.1 million net job increase over two years.

EPI's model projects that $100 billion in green investments would generate 750,000 jobs and raise wages of non-college educated workers by about half a percent per year.

It would also help keep our planet livable, always a good thing.

Read the EPI report here.

Swine Flu and You

Making Light has an excellent, comprehensive flu resource page here.

The CDC is here, and the World Health Organization is here.

Remember, wash your hands! Keep surfaces clean: the flu is spread in droplets, so regularly cleaning away those droplets is a big help. While viruses -- unlike bacteria -- cannot be killed (because they are not alive), they can be avoided. Washing your hands and not touching your face after touching a public surface keeps you safer.

Cleanliness is always our best weapon against communicable illness.

NYTimes: Fossil Fuel Industry Ignored Own Scientists

The New York Times has an amazing article, by Andrew Revkin, about how the oil industry ignored its own scientists' finding about global warming. Read this very important article here.

Earth Day Fun Facts

Here are some fun facts about Earth Day:

1. Earth day was started in 1970, established by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. The idea came from a plastics worker in Iowa, John McConnell.
2. Only one country participated in the first year, and this year, 175 countries celebrate Earth Day.
3. In 1970 20 million people celebrated Earth Day and last year the number was 500 million people.
4. 75% of the water pumped out of the ground is recycled.
5. Today 32% of our waste actually gets recycled.
6. It takes 100 years for a wire coat hanger to be broken down in a landfill.
7. If the auto industry meets its gas mileage targets of an average MPG of 35 by the year 2018, there will be 241,000 new jobs just in the auto industry.
8. When this gas mileage average is attained, consumers will save $37 billion a year in lower gas costs.
9. 70% of toxic waste in landfills is caused by electric products being thrown away even though they are all recyclable. Things like your old televisions, computers, cell phones, etc.
10. Water is a big issue worldwide. In the US, each of us has a water footprint of 660,430 gallons of water per year, compared with Japan 303,000 and China 184,000. This figure of course takes into account all of the water that is used in the US from watering grass, fountains, producing goods, drinking water, sewer, etc. 

Happy Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22.

The earthday network's website has lots of good information. Their Earth Day blog has stories, cute photos of animals, and gardening and cooking advice, among many other good things.

Other fun and interesting places to visit this Earth Day are:

• American Forests, who has earned four stars from Charity Navigator and approval from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance
• Every day is a good day to visit Grist, and most definitely RealClimate, where you get climate science from climate scientists -- not PR flacks from Exxon
• GreenSource is always useful, and don't forget their blogs and forums
• Take action with We Can Solve It
• Get your business into the green with GreenBiz
• and of course the US Green Building Council remains our best green resource -- don't forget to keep up with the new LEED!
  

Happy Earth Day -- wishing you and your business long-term and sustainable success!

Carpet Reclamation by Design

Here's a very nice piece on Starnet and carpet reclamation by Elisabeth White, Vice President of Business Development for RWA Flooring Solutions, LLC. Click on the image for a better view.

Our March LEED AP Celebration and Networking Event is on YouTube

RD Weis Companies friends and colleagues met for veggies, dips, crackers, and cheese -- and cookies -- from Fresh Direct, and to celebrate of the end of winter with LEED AP Sheri Gorman.

The United States Green Building Council provides top quality educational programs on green design, construction, and operations for professionals from all sectors of the building industry.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings—a practical rating tool for green building design and construction.

RD Weis celebrates the burgeoning spring (and helps you earn LEED points for your projects).

You’re Welcome to Visit the RD Weis Companies Port Chester NY A & D Resources Library

Times are tough—but still, as an architect or designer your knowledge needs to be comprehensive and in-depth. Where do you find the resources you need for your continued success in these difficult times?

Designers and architects are always welcome to make free use of the myriad resource materials on flooring, sustainability, and related issues that we maintain in our Port Chester, NY library. We’ll serve you fresh coffee to help your studies!

We warmly invite you to stop by whenever you like to browse through and make use of the RD Weis Companies A&D Resource Library. View swatches, learn about sustainable flooring, get help from an A&D Consultant, and more.

RD Weis Companies is a Registered Continuing Education System Provider for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). Our accredited one-CEU-Learning Unit courses cover a broad range of flooring issues. For those wishing to earn CEU credits, classes can be hosted at our corporate headquarters or presented on-site in your firm’s offices.

RD Weis Companies’ Corporate Headquarters
200 William Street
Port Chester, NY 10573

Please call us at 914-937-9337 or email Sheri Gorman at sgorman at rdweis.com to make arrangements. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and resources with you.