Friday, May 17, 2013
Florida Celebrates Water Reuse Week May 19-25
I wish my subdivision used reclaimed water. I hate paying for potable water to water my lawn. Of course I'm very stingy in putting any water on my yard, but during certain times of the year it is necessary to meet the standards set by the homeowners association.
According the Florida Department of Environmental Protection webpage,
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/reuse/, Florida leads the nation in reclaimed water usage.
Use this week to think about other ways you can use less water.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Energy Efficiency at Treatment Plants
Fortunately there is trend emerging among treatment plants as these facilities look for and implement efficient and energy saving processes, as evidenced in the Florida Water Resources Journal article, Coming Full Circle: Moving Wastewater Treatment Plants Toward Energy Neutrality
Escalation of energy costs is expected, and recent emphasis on sustainability has also led many utilities to consider improvements to optimize energy usage, both for financial and environmental
UF TREEO offers related courses for Operators:
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Occupational Noise Exposure
Do you know the warning signs of too much noise in the workplace? See the answer here.
In 1981, OSHA implemented new requirements to protect all workers in general industry, do you know what those requirements are? Click here to find out.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Earth Day - April 22, 2013
Earth Day is an annual event recognized worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year.
Do you think we can change the way we look at Earth Day? Instead of treating it as an annual event, make every day Earth Day, where we commit to do something positive and helpful for our environment daily. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a great website to help with this concept as well as simply getting you involved in some aspect of Earth Day.
There are many events and opportunities for you to take action for Earth Day; what will you commit to do? How about joining the Pick 5 Campaign? This is where you can choose to do an activity in Water, Land, Air, Energy, or Waste or you can share your own ideas. There is also the State of the Environment Photo Project that you can participate in.
There are even things you can do at home or in the garden, the EPA website offers tips for home safety, avoiding potential risks, and preventing pollution by recycling and conserving water and energy.
There are many options available in locally and globally and you have five days left to plan something. It would be great to receive your comments letting us know how you made a difference this Earth Day, April 22, 2013.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Water Conservation Month
April is Water Conservation Month. This is a great time to evaluate your water conservation 'know-how.' Have you ever stopped to consider these questions:
- How much water do you use per day?
- Did you know that pet waste left lying about is a major source of contamination to our water bodies?
- Do you have a Water Wise landscape? Outdoor water use accounts for about 60% of residential water use.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Energy Efficiency in 2013
- more than 1 million low-income homes and apartments were weatherized
- energy efficiency loan programs were established in more than 30 states
- states established new energy efficiency policies
- new fuel economy standards were finalized at the federal level
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is to release 11 new product efficiency standards (including ones that were not finalized in 2012), as well as new efficiency requirements for manufactured housing
- EPA will be implementing several recent emissions standards as well as finalizing carbon dioxide emission standards for new power plants.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2013
CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us
ANNUAL SOLID WASTE RECYCLING REPORT SHOWS RECYCLING RATE REMAINED STEADY IN 2011
~Department encourages businesses, schools and groups to report recycling rates~
2. Lee County - 45 percent
2. Brevard County - 45 percent
2. Marion County - 45 percent
5. Escambia County - 43 percent
6. Martin County - 42 percent
6. Sarasota County - 42 percent
8. Leon County - 41 percent
9. Collier County - 40 percent
10. Madison County - 39 percent
Friday, March 8, 2013
Building Commissioning Saves Money and Energy
Due to the nature of construction, virtually every building is a unique, one-off design, including the design of complex mechanical and electrical systems and their control systems. The consequence of this sophistication and complexity is that high-performance buildings need to be carefully tuned and calibrated to ensure that their operation is as designed. The commissioning process has been shown to be invaluable in providing a high degree of quality assurance for buildings with sophisticated energy and conditioning systems and is now virtually standard practice for green building certification.
The world’s largest database of commissioning cost-benefit case studies was assembled by Dr. Evan Mills and his team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in 2004 and updated in 2009. The results of the ensuing meta-analysis were eye opening. Of data gathered for 643 buildings across 26 states, the median normalized cost to deliver commissioning was $0.30/ft2for existing buildings and $1.16/ft2 for new construction projects. All told, according to Dr. Mills this represented an average of 0.4% of the overall construction cost. Through the rectification of the 10,000+ deficiencies discovered, a median energy savings of 13% was realized for the new construction projects and 16% for the existing buildings and payback times of 4.2 years and 1.1 years respectively. Furthermore, project teams that elected to implement a comprehensive commissioning process enjoyed nearly twice the overall median energy savings.
Perhaps the most compelling figures derived from Dr. Mills fall out of a simple extrapolation from the current stock of commercial buildings in the United States. Applying the median energy savings derived from the control group nationally results in a projected energy savings of $30 billion by 2030, the equivalent of approximately 340 megatons of CO2 each year. According to Dr. Mills, if each existing building in the U.S. were retro-commissioned every 5 years the commissioning industry would quickly swell to $4 billion per year, requiring an additional 1,500 – 25,000 full-time equivalent employees.
Rather than simply acting as a tool for the realization of energy savings, a well-executed building commissioning process may be more accurately described as a risk management strategy. It ensures that building owners have been delivered with a building that meets with their expectations within the specified budget and provides insurance for policy managers that their initiatives accurately meet targeted goals. Furthermore, the building commissioning process serves to detect and rectify issues that would eventually prove far more costly to the owner in the future from the standpoint of operation, maintenance, safety and unwanted litigation.
John Chyz is Managing Director of the Cross Creek Initiative, a non-profit/university joint venture seeking to drive research initiatives and pioneer solutions for sustainable built environments.
As an Engineer, Green Globes Assessor (GGA), ASHRAE Certified Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP) and AEE Certified Energy Auditor (CEA), John brings a comprehensive skill-set to the Cross Creek team and each individual client.
John is the instructor and course developer of the UF TREEO Introduction to Building Commissioning course being taught April 17, 2013 in Gainesville.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Training is Important
"Failure to train is training to fail - was a popular saying a few years ago. Nobody disputes that teaching someone how to do their job is a good thing, but too little weight is given to the value of continuing training. Learning is development, and without development you get stagnation, and that isn’t a good thing for any business. In terms of health and safety, training is not only important, but essential for workers’ continuing competence and safety." (Published by Bay Publishing in Health and Safety Middle East 2009 09:00 GMT Sunday 10th May 2009) To learn more…… If you are interested in upcoming training for your professional development, please click here for a schedule of courses occurring in the next few weeks.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
New – Refresher Registration Bundles
Register for two or three refresher courses offered in one location and enter your contact/ payment information once. Available for: -Asbestos Refreshers -Hazardous Waste / Materials Refreshers -Solid Waste Refresher
We have several Bundles planned in the next few weeks, click here for details.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
U.S. DOT Hazardous Materials/Waste Transportation
If you are involved in the preparation, documentation, packaging, labeling, shipping or transportation of hazardous materials then this training is MUST for you. This course can significantly improve your knowledge of hazardous materials regulations, helping you prevent penalties and shipping delays.
Did you Know? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), human error is the probable cause of most transportation incidents involving the release of hazardous materials. Anyone involved in documenting, labeling, packaging and transporting hazardous materials must be trained to ensure the safety of the shipper, carrier, the general public and the environment. US DOT regulations make periodic training mandatory.
The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Subpart H, requires training for persons involved in the handling and/or transporting hazardous materials in commerce. Some of these requirements mandate initial training for new hazardous materials employees within 90 days of employment and recurring training.
This course is approved by the Florida Solid Waste Management Training Committee for continuing education credit. FBPE PDHs 0006168: 7.5; Provider #0004021 Solid Waste Landfill/TS/MRF: 6.0
For More Information: Contact Carol Hinton: chinton@treeo.ufl.edu or 352/392-9570 x209
Friday, February 15, 2013
23rd Annual Cross-Connection Control Conference
It is not too late to register and take advantage of these conference benefits:
- Receive 1.0 CEUs for WW/DW/DS
- Learn what is going on in the industry today
- Hear about important regulations and how to avoid costly fines
- Receive up-to-date information on backflow prevention assemblies
We would also like to congratulate James Clouser, Kevin Oatman and George Quimby; the winners of the early Cross-Connection Control Conference registration contest. These lucky winners will receive a free registration towards a Backflow Recertification Exam.
We look forward to seeing you March 6-7 in Daytona Beach.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
LEED or Green Globes, Which Would You Choose?
This course trains and tests design and construction professionals for the purpose of acquiring the Green Globes Professional (GGP) credential. Green Globes is a sustainable building certification program that is approved by the US government and the state of Florida for certifying public sector buildings. Backed by excellent customer support, Green Globes offers a streamlined and affordable way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings.
Even though there are similarities among Green Globes, LEED, and other sustainable building rating systems, the Green Globes system has distinct advantages, to learn more click here.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The Clean Water Act turned 40 in 2012
“The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1972.”
It is easy to take a readily available resource like water for granted. Imagine if you will what the status of all the water in the USA today would be like without the CWA in place. The water quality standards and the regulations in place with this act help to ensure our drinking water is safe. To learn more about this landmark Act visit: Environmental Protection Agency. You can also learn more about Water, Wastewater and Water Conservation at UF TREEO.
Friday, January 25, 2013
New HUD Guidelines
WASHINGTON - To help ensure families protect their children from lead poisoning, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced new Guidelines on how to identify and control lead-based paint and related hazards in housing, and to help property owners, government agencies, and private contractors sharply reduce childhood exposure to lead without unnecessarily increasing the cost of renovation. This second edition of the Guidelines replaces the 1995 edition.
These Guidelines can be used by those who are required to identify and control lead paint hazards, as well as property owners, landlords, and child-care center operators. They offer helpful advice on renovations in older housing, lead-based paint inspections and risk assessments, and where to go for help. The Guidelines also outline what users have to do to meet requirements and recommendations; identify training - and if applicable, certification - required for people who conduct the work; and describe how the work should be done.
Guidelines complement regulations that have been issued by HUD, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and policies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Check with UF TREEO ff you need training for Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting.
Earn Your GGP Certification
Training and Behavior Change
According to Jim Clemmer, of the Clemmer Group, "Research clearly shows far more people act themselves into a new way of thinking than think themselves into a new way of acting." Participants need to know what expectations they can have of the session so the objectives must be realistic and not “over-promise.” (Ten Tips to Make Training and Development Work, Training Transfer Case Study)
We hope to see you in our next training session scheduled for June 5-7, 2013 in Gainesville.