KISS Janitorial Austin, Texas RE: Why Green Cleaning

The Green Revolution……Why Green Cleaning?


From SARS to Bird Flu to the common cold, germs and bacteria are making big headlines. This is the reason why K.I.S.S. Janitorial is taking cleaning to the “next level”. We will not only provide your facility with a clean appearance, we will also create a healthy environment for your building occupants. The concept of “Green” relates primarily to the health and well being of the people who inhabit our homes, schools, daycares, offices, and factories everywhere. If your company is planning to "Go Green," the key issues are not energy or water conservation, building materials, or access to public transportation. The main purpose of green cleaning is to improve the indoor air quality and the continued good health of all the people in a chemically free office environment. We need to do more than just have a place look clean…it has to be an environment that is healthy and sanitary.

The facts:

· There are over 70,000 chemicals being used today, and fewer than 2% have been thoroughly tested for the effects on human and aquatic life.

· The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that people spend up to 90% of their time indoors and as much of half of our population is exposed to “polluted” indoor air. Indoor air is typically 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air and can be up to 100 times more polluted. The economic impact is alarming, since poor Indoor Air Quality can affect employee health and productivity. Studies show that 15 billion dollars are lost annually in lost productivity as a result of poor Indoor Air Quality and cross-contamination.

· Would you believe that the average office desk is home to 20,000 germs per square inch ……400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. The main “fomites” (where germs linger) in office areas are: contaminated desks, door knobs, phone receivers, computer keyboards, and elevator buttons. Germs and bacteria, for example, can effect others for up to three days.

· Cleaning products are responsible for nearly 8% of non-vehicular emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS) which can increase the risk of sickness and lead to ailments such as allergies, influenza, asthma, SARS, birth defects, cancer, and many other adverse effects

· 11.6% of work related asthma comes from common cleaning products.

· An estimated 35% of conventional cleaning products can cause blindness and severe skin damage to internal organs through skin contact.

· Implementing a cleaning-for-health program that disinfects commonly touched objects can help reduce germs and bacteria by 99.9 percent and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.


What does your custodial closet say about your cleaning goals and that of your present cleaning company? Take a look if you dare. The best janitorial operations have closets that reflect their company’s green cleaning mission, from the aesthetics of the room to the types of green “Designed for the Environment” DfE products and equipment stocked inside. Custodial closets tend to be overlooked because too many areas of the facility rank higher on the housekeeping department’s priority list. Does it really matter if the custodial closet is in shambles? Yes. In fact, the appearance of custodial closets is often directly related to professionalism and the service level of your entire building.


In summary, “green cleaning” is simply defined as cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. However, green does not come in a bottle. When selecting a partner, it is important to find someone who provides not only support, but also a top-level certified individual and company with expertise and leadership on the subject of cleaning procedures, matting, ventilation, and products. There are plenty of janitorial services with “Green Stuff” on their cart or in the janitorial closet. “They talk the talk”, but “they do not walk the walk”. We are serious about our green commitment to you and our environment. We are dedicated to bring unparalleled services and support to our clients.


Roger D. Simpson
Vice President

Kiss Janitorial
13498 Pond Springs Road Bldg. "A"
Austin, Texas 78729
Office (512)-258-7003 Fax (512)-250-1225
Cell (512)-751-2402

www.kisscleaning.com

Synergy of Toxic Tort

The synergy of Toxic Tort Litigation and public health coming to a court near you

ABSTRACT

Toxic torts is a relatively new area of the law, but its seeds were sown a century ago with developments in modern culture. While the asbestos well has gone mostly dry for trial lawyers, and specific exclusions for lead poisoning have already taken effect, mold, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), and chemical contamination are moving to the forefront of toxic tort and premises liability litigation. The design, manufacture, and marketing of the chemicals constituted one such development, one with far-reaching legal consequences which continue to challenge the legal system today. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimated that 390,000 new cases of occupational disease occur each year and that 100,000 Americans die from occupationally caused illness and disease every year. The report commented that this figure may be a low estimate because of the great numbers of cases which are not recognized as having an occupational cause. The report also observed that the National Cancer Institute estimated that 60 to 70 percent of all cancers are environmentally caused.

Tort n. from French for "wrong," a civil wrong or wrongful act, whether intentional or “accidental”, from which injury occurs to another. Torts include all negligence cases as well as intentional wrongs which result in harm. Therefore tort law is one of the major areas of law and results in more civil litigation than any other category. People in toxic tort cases do not need to prove their cases beyond reasonable doubt, as is needed in criminal cases. They instead need to prove only that their claims are more likely to be true than not. Generally, courts expect judges and jurors to calculate the care that a reasonable person should take by multiplying the risk of exposure to harm or illness by the possible damage that could result. Toxic tort litigation has grown enormously over the past ten years, targeting corporations and companies that look the other way. The increase in toxic tort cases reflects the growing awareness of the environmental and personal damage resulting from unreasonable care by corporate and company actions. Corporations, like IBM, AMD, Motorola, 3 M Company, Burger King, McDonald’s, The Red Cross, Safety-Klean, Atlantic Richfield, Wyeth (formerly American Home products), and Hoffman-LaRoche, just to name as few, has experience first hand toxic tort litigation including: chemical sensitivity; indoor air quality; groundwater, soil and air contamination; radiation; workplace exposure; pesticides; solvents; poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); gloves; electromagnetic fields (EMFs); endocrine disruptors, and more. It has cost each of them millions of dollars in legal fees as well as judgments. Toxic tort attorneys investigate claims that corporations and companies have mishandled waste and emissions, affecting soil, air, or water.

Toxic Tort Litigation is a complicated, convoluted and time-consuming legal process. Fortunately, however, there is a solution to reduce or mitigate claims. K P Environmental Services International emphasizes the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid expensive litigation. Toxic tort litigation attorneys focus on statutes such as CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Oil Pollution Act, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, and EPA compliance. We advise our clients on pollution prevention that is the reduction or elimination of discharges or emissions to the environment. This includes all pollution: hazardous and non-hazardous, regulated and unregulated, across all media, and from all sources. A systematic approach will produce better results than piecemeal efforts. An essential first step is to develop a comprehensive Environmental Health and Safety Policy focusing on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and the environment. Air filtration, a "certified green cleaning program", Integrated Pest Management (IPM), hazard waste management is a few of the main elements for a successful program. Performing and archiving Indoor Air Quality tests on a regular basis and eliminating problems is the best defense if you find your company on the wrong end of a toxic tort litigation lawsuit. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulates can be more than 100 times higher in indoor spaces than outside spaces. It’s important to make informed decisions about managing your company’s risk. Some companies choose a proactive approach; others the reactive approach. Which approach do you want to take? The time bomb is ticking.

Roger D. Simpson Certified Green Consultant™

Vice President of KISS Inc. & CEO of KP Environmental Services International

Klean Image Service Specialists
13498 Pond Springs Road Bldg. "A"
Austin, Texas 78729
Office (512)-258-7003 Fax (512)-250-1225
Cell (512)-751-2402

Think about the "impact" you have on
the environment by printing this email.

The Facts: Buildings account for:

39% of the total energy use.
12% of the total water consumption.
68% of the total electricity consumption.
38% of the carbon dioxide emissions.

PLEASE CONSERVE


www.kisscleaning.com

www.kpesi.com

KISS Janitorial RE: Green Cleaning & The Environment

Believe in “magic”! It surrounds you! It is beautiful! It is called “Mother Earth”! She desperately needs our help. The throwaway culture and the chemicals we use are taking a heavy toll on our environment. Untold plant, insect, and animal species have become extinct in the process. Currently the United States consumes 40 percent of the world’s gasoline and oil and more paper, steel, aluminum, energy, and water per capita than any other society on the planet. The average American produces twice as much garbage as the average European and recent scientific estimates indicate that at least four additional planets would be needed if each of the planet’s six billion residents consumed at the level of the average American. Did you know that virtually every stream in the lower 48 states is contaminated with pesticides and PCBs? Did you know that cleaning products are among the most hazardous chemicals you will find and therefore regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission?

There is a growing trend of American companies who are working to create a new “American Dream” by changing the way they consume to protect the environment. I am proud to say that K. I. S. S., Inc., a locally owned and operated company, has been doing its part for the earth by recycling and using “environmentally friendly” products since its beginning in 1991. Together with thousands of other consumers like you, we can make an important and powerful change in our environment. K.I.S.S., Inc. has become the trusted choice for those who seek a socially responsible company focused on the environment and public health. K.I.S.S., Inc. provides a high quality, cost-effective environmental conscience cleaning service that utilizes specially designed high-tech equipment and state-of-the-art technologies. We recycle and use biodegradable, zinc-free, non-toxic products whenever possible. We do not use chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which are destroying our earth’s protective ozone layer. Helping the environment is at the top of our shopping list. Leaving less of a footprint on the environment is important to us. We have discovered through the years that many “environmentally preferable” products, such as organic and all-natural alternatives, work as well or better than traditional products and they save money too.

Mankind has generated huge quantities of atmospheric and solid waste degrading the water, soil and air with a measurable impact on our environment. We need to “turn up the music” because the Environmental Protection Agency reports that less than 15 percent of Americans routinely incorporate environmental considerations into their individual purchasing decisions. This is very sad. I thought the percentage would be much higher. Since the mid-eighteenth century, more of nature has been destroyed than in all prior history. From 1970 to 1995, we lost more than 30 percent of the resources that sustain life on the planet. During that period, freshwater ecosystems declined by 50 percent, while marine ecosystems declined by 30 percent. Do you know that the loss in our planet’s natural forest cover amounts to an area the size of England and Wales combined annually?

If we wish to reverse this trend and preserve necessary resources for our children and futures generations, we must shift our consumption choices toward environmentally friendly goods and reduce our consumption of resources. We ask you to join K.I.S.S., Inc. in a “pro environment” attitude and to do your part to help preserve the ecological health and beauty of our planet, nation, state and city. Together we can make a positive difference. Our environment is our responsibility!

Roger D. Simpson Certified Green Consultant™

Vice President

Klean Image Service Specialists
13498 Pond Springs Road Bldg. "A"
Austin, Texas 78729
Office (512)-258-7003 Fax (512)-250-1225
Cell (512)-751-2402