According to radio station WJON, a custodian at Riverside Intermediate School in Sartell, Minnesota, has turned one of his hobbies into an art collaboration with its students. Riverside custodian Jody Schave has a wood shop at his home and had been looking for a way to use some scrape wood. Erin Huot, a third-grade teacher at the school, was searching for an art project for her students. Schave came up with the idea to make birdhouses out of the spare wood and donate them to the class for the students to paint. Within a couple of weekends, he had completed 292 birdhouses. “This is the first I’ve done something like this,” Schave told WJON. “I’ve sketched pictures on their whiteboard and stuff like that [in the classrooms], but this is the first time I did a project like this.” According to Huot, the kids were excited about working on the project and liked that they could take the finished birdhouse home. “I think they like the idea of this keepsake, something unique and special, something that’s theirs they can have home [and] share with their family,” Huot told WJON. “And what a great way just to connect students to staff members in our building, our community, and making that connection between one person’s hobby, this love for woodworking.” Huot said she hopes to collaborate with Schave again on future art projects.
According to Fremont News Messenger, a custodian at Clyde High School in Clyde, Ohio, has created an activity for students that she believes “brings a smile to their day”—and is helping with student attendance. Clyde custodian Stacy Heskett came up with an idea to create a type of treasure hunt for students, by hiding little resin figurines of animals throughout the school. “I got the idea from the painted rocks that people collect and thought little figures to collect would be a start,” Heskett told the Messenger. “I place them around the school for students and staff to find and keep.” According to the article, students come to school early to find and collect the nearly 600 figurines Heskett hides every two weeks. With hidden figurines now totaling in the thousands, Heskett thinks the activity helps keep students off their phones, and Clyde High School principal Joe Webb thinks the hunt is helping to get kids to school. “More students are turning up to search for them, and attendance is rising,” Webb told the Messenger.
March 17 was the beginning of National Poison Prevention Week for 2024—a time set aside annually during the third week of March to help Americans both prevent and tend to poison-related emergencies. Originally created by U.S. Congress in 1961 and once again proclaimed by the current White House administration last Friday, this week is the perfect time to revisit employee training and ensure that all workers completely understand how to interact with cleaning products, many of which contain harmful chemicals. For more information on using cleaning products correctly and keeping them properly stored, check out Increase Your Knowledge, Improve Your Cleaning. Particularly hazardous is the practice of mixing cleaning chemicals, which can result in the production of poisonous fumes. See Worker Develops Bronchitis After Mixing Cleaning Chemicals to learn just how dangerous mixing chemicals can be. This week is also a great opportunity to help all facility inhabitants to become more aware of the dangers of poisonings and how to become involved in poisoning prevention. According to a recent survey by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), 36% of Americans think enhancing their laundry space by placing detergent pods in decorative jars or containers is acceptable, and 12% of Americans have already adopted this dangerous practice in their own homes. It’s important for both workers and consumers to recognize the risk of poisoning that’s connected to removing cleaning products from their original containers and storing products improperly. Check out the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) website to learn more information on how you can promote National Poison Prevention Week within your facility or business.
Friday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, designated to globally celebrate women and their the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. March is also Women’s History Month in the United States, set aside as a time to remember and honor women’s contributions throughout American history. All month long, the women of ISSA, in partnership with the ISSA Hygieia Network, an ISSA Charities™ signature program dedicated to the advancement and retention of women in the cleaning industry, are showcasing how they #InspireInclusion in the cleaning industry. Throughout March, we are featuring ISSA female employees or ISSA Board or Council/Committee members giving their unique perspective on how they inspire inclusion within the workplace and the cleaning industry. Learn more about how the women of ISSA inspiring inclusion at issa.com/IWD2024. PLUS: Be sure to register for next week’s MasterClass in Leadership, a complimentary webinar from the ISSA Hygieia Network. The event takes place Wednesday, March 13, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. CT, and features Jill Frey, president and CEO of Cummins Facility Services, who will introduce strategic tools tailored to enhance your leadership skills. For more information and to register, click here.
Earth Day, annually held on April 22, is a great opportunity schools, healthcare facilities, and other places of business to reaffirm their commitment to protecting the health of our planet. As such, The Ashkin Group founder and ISSA Sustainability Committee Co-Chair Steve Ashkin suggests getting a head start by planning your Earth Day 2024 celebrations and activities sooner rather than later. “I am urging the entire cleaning industry to join me and start planning for Earth Day sooner this year,” said Ashkin. “This way, there is no last-minute rushing before the big day.” According to Ashkin, a good way to begin is by focusing on this year’s theme, Planet vs. Plastics, which earthday.org selected with the following goals in mind: Informing the public on the harmful effects of plastic on human, animal, and ecosystem health Encouraging research regarding the impact of plastic waste on human health and the planet Phasing out single-use plastics by 2030 Promoting a 60% reduction in the use of all plastic by 2040 Banning plastic in “fast fashion”— inexpensive clothing made with large amounts of plastic, that’s usually worn just a few times. According to Kathleen Rogers, earthday.org president, “[Plastic] flows in our bloodstream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease. Once considered an amazing and useful product, plastic has become something else, and our health and that of all other living creatures hang in the balance.” Ashkin also suggests remembering and addressing the following concerns regarding plastics when planning your Earth Day events: Plastic decomposes slowly, so it accumulates in the environment. In waterways, it can entangle and suffocate marine animals, threatening their survival. It emits greenhouse gasses while decomposing, contributing to climate change. “I am so proud of the professional cleaning industry,” Ashkin added. “Over the years, it has taken bold steps to reduce its use of plastic and become much more sustainability focused. Earth Day is a good time to tell everyone about it.”
On Thursday, April 25, 2024, join the ISSA Hygieia Network for its upcoming networking and leadership conference—Workplace Allies: The Power of Having Someone in Your Corner. This information-packed conference, which includes a networking reception, will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Delta Hotels Toronto Mississauga in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. “We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming networking and leadership conference,” said ISSA Hygieia Network Program Director Dr. Felicia Townsend. “We invite people to come and learn about the significance of workplace relationships and creating allyships through discussions led by our phenomenal lineup of speakers.” Attendees will gain new strategies on how to become better advocates and supporters of employees from every level in the organization. Additionally, they gain insights into how they can make their organizations more inclusive for everyone to thrive and discover how securing mentors, sponsors and peer relationships can help them reach their goals. “We’re especially honored to have Karen Craggs-Milne, CEO of Conscious Equality Inc., to present her workshop, Turning Good Intentions into Real Impact: Gender Equality and Allyship at Work,” added Townsend. “This will be a great opportunity for attendees to learn what it takes to achieve gender equality and how to promote allyship within the cleaning industry.” Other guest speakers include: Lori Armitage, Canadian Sales Manager Strategic Accounts – Essity Jenny Lawson, Director of Human Resources – Bunzl Canada Tom Fournier, Chair – ISSA Canada’s Distributor Council Shannon Hall, Vice President of Sales and Marketing – Dustbane Products Ltd. This conference is sponsored by Dustbane and SC Johnson Professional with supporting sponsors: Bunzl, Balpex, Carrousel, Cascades Pro, Larose ,and Tork. Registration is open now, with pricing starting at US$89 for ISSA Members and US$119 for nonmembers. To learn more and register, visit events.issa.com/events/hygieia-networking-conference-ontario-2024/.
A company in Utah that provides cleaning services for the home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz is also helping to support underserved individuals within the community, KUTV reports. According to the article and its accompanying video, Utah-based Forte Commercial Cleaners, in an effort to be more inclusive, has offered positions on its crew that provides after-event cleanup at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, home court of the Jazz, to many people in need, including to those without housing. One of those people is Joy Najera. According to KUTV, 64-year-old Najera came to Utah from Michigan without a job nor a place to live. Forte not only hired her as a custodian, but also helped her furnish her new place when she secured an apartment. “People don't want to hire you if they know you're homeless…and you don’t have nowhere to shower,” Najera told KUTV. The tasks of the cleaning crew, including sweeping, mopping, and picking up trash, can take up to five hours after an event at the arena, KUTV reports. But Najera, who started working for Forte six years ago and has been living in her apartment now for a year and a half, admits that she’d probably be “somewhere doing drugs,” without the work opportunity and the company’s support. Forte business partner Jason Davis told KUTV, “We like to be…inclusive in our hiring, non-judgmental, and just give opportunities to people to work.” “Some of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen come from the shelters,” said Natalie Laldorano, a co-worker who also was helped when her family first came to the U.S. in 2001 and suffered from housing insecurity upon their arrival. “Once they see that opportunity is available and it’s time to turn the page, I think they just completely change their outlook on life.”
SC Johnson Professional has announced the finalists for its 2023–2024 Happy Hands dispenser design contest. The contest, now in its seventh year, called for K–12 students to design and submit original artwork for a soap dispenser that promotes proper hand hygiene. The public is invited to vote for its top pick from a group of five finalists in two grade categories (K–5 and 6–12) through February 29. The design with the most votes in each category will be announced on or about April 1 and will receive the top prize—a US$300 gift card, a $1,000 donation to the school, and up to 1,000 manual soap/sanitizer dispensers featuring the winning design. To view the finalists and cast your vote, visit SC Johnson Professional’s website.
The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is seeking volunteers for the association’s Competency Model Advisory Committee. IFMA’s newly formed committee will be entrusted with updating and maintaining a dynamic, career-based competency model for facility management professionals. Committee members will be tasked with overseeing the updates and maintenance of the competency model. Potential committee members must be IFMA members in good standing with five or more years of experience in facility management. Volunteers should be prepared to invest a minimum of three years in driving the committee’s mission forward. Interested parties can apply via IFMA’s website through February 23. All applicants will undergo a thorough review by a specialized steering committee and will receive notification regarding their application status by March 31.
In the United States and many other countries, the month of February is officially observed as Black History Month. As President Gerald R. Ford said when the U.S. event was nationally recognized in 1976, the month represents “the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Black History Month is also a chance to recognize a specific individual who made a significant impact on the cleaning industry: Thomas W. Stewart, the inventor of the wringing mop. Wringing mops use a clamping device to squeeze and wring water out of a mop head. According to education content website ThoughtCo., Stewart, who lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan, patented the design for his wringing mop on June 11, 1893, making him one of the first African Americans to have been awarded a patent. He later came up with additional improvements on his initial model, including the ability to unscrew the mop head from the handle, as well as a lever that could help prevent users from getting their hands wet while wringing the mop. For ideas on how to celebrate and promote Black History Month at your business or facility, check out Three Ideas for Promoting Black History Month.
ISSA Scholars, an ISSA Charities™ signature program, has opened its scholarship applications for the 2024–2025 academic year. Employees of all ISSA member companies and their families are encouraged to apply now through April 12, 2024. There are also opportunities for member companies to donate to a scholarship fund or develop a new fund to support our efforts. “Our commitment is not just to financial support but to nurturing the future leaders of the cleaning industry. As ISSA Scholars continues to invest in the potential of bright minds, we proudly extend scholarships to deserving students, empowering them to reach new heights in higher education,” said ISSA Charities Director of Development Sandy Wolfrum. “We’re eager to see this year’s exceptional applicants!” On an annual basis, ISSA Scholars awards scholarships to students who showcase outstanding academic and leadership qualities. These scholarships serve as a beacon of support, alleviating the financial strain of tuition for individuals affiliated with ISSA member companies, including employees and their immediate family members, as they embark on their educational journeys at accredited four-year colleges and universities. This year, ISSA Hygieia Network, an ISSA Charities signature program dedicated to the advancement and retention of women in the cleaning industry, has increased the ISSA Hygieia Network Scholarship from US$3,500 to $5,000. Applicants for this scholarship must be a female employee of an active ISSA Member company and have a minimum two years of experience in the cleaning industry. The funds can be used toward any level of undergraduate or post-graduate degrees. With the support of generous ISSA member companies, ISSA Scholars awarded $142,000 in financial aid to 49 students in 2023. Member companies looking to provide support can donate to existing funds or develop their own scholarship award. ISSA announces the complete list of scholarship recipients and company sponsors each year. To apply for a scholarship or to donate to ISSA Scholars, visit issacharities.org/issa-scholars/ To create a scholarship fund under an ISSA member company, contact Michon Mohan at michonm@issacharities.org.
The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has opened a second round of public review for the IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation. The IICRC S520 Standard describes the procedures to be followed and the precautions to be taken when performing mold remediation in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. It also explains mold remediation techniques, the principles of which may apply to other microbial remediation projects or services. The standard is available for review and comment as part of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 30-day public review period until February 25. Download the revised draft standard and submit your comments online here. About IICRC The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) is an ANSI-accredited standards-setting body for the flooring inspection, floor covering, and specialized fabric cleaning and disaster restoration industries. Organized in 1972, IICRC currently represents more than 5,700 certified firms and 54,000 certified technicians in 22 countries. For more information, visit iicrc.org.
