Hidden Eye Security Offers Crestron for Residential And Commercial Applications
Crestron Delivers ARRA-Compliant Controls
Crestron Satisfies Requirements for "Buy American" and "Energy Efficiency" Grants under the American Reconstruction and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
Crestron today reaffirmed its ability to play a key role in qualifying projects for ARRA funding. With scheduling capabilities and an astronomical clock built into every Crestron control system, energy saving opportunities such as load shedding, sweeping unneeded lights off, adjusting HVAC settings during peak hours and unused periods, as well as reducing exterior security lighting are easily achieved. Crestron light and motion sensors plus shade/drape control deliver intelligent daylight harvesting, and Crestron touchpanels display energy consumption in real time, enabling users to further monitor and manage and energy use. Additionally, Crestron manufactures all of its 1500 products in Bergen County, NJ.
"We've delivered energy and cost saving approaches for decades, and have the most complete solutions available for projects seeking ARRA funding," said David Wilts, Crestron Director of Integrated Building Technology (IBT). "Our focus on integrated building technology brings all the different design disciplines together, to realize huge benefits in terms of control, management and savings."
Crestron is a member of the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and its products are all RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant. Crestron has lighting solutions that meet ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) standards and can contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits. When the ARRA ("Stimulus") was passed in 2009, it allocated $6.3 billion for state and local governments to make investments in energy efficiency, and required that all manufactured good used in ARRA-funded projects be produced in the United States (the "buy American" provision).
"Crestron is dedicated to empowering project teams with guidance in a "design assist' capacity," Wilts added. "We share the same goals: lowering the energy costs for government buildings in a cost-effective manner that provides a true return on investment."
Surrounded by the luxurious ambiance of Sé Hotels Siren Uber Lounge, Skybox Ink, in association with Skybox Creative, held their second Green is the New Black Mixer on March 18th, 2010 in Downtown San Diego. The night consisted of networking with eco-friendly professionals and entrepreneurs, a sponsored raffle prize giveaway, and numerous photo opportunities taken in front of our gorgeous blue Skybox Ink step and repeat banner (created by 858 Graphics).
The main sponsor of the night, Skybox Ink, is a green printing company located in Southern California, offering high quality print services at affordable rates. By using recycled and chlorine-free papers paired with soy/vegetable based inks, Skybox Ink provides the best solution for eco-friendly business printing. Other attributes of Skybox Inks method is using Zero VOC solvents on printing jobs to prevent air pollution and improve employee safety.
A great feature of the Green is the New Black Mixer is that it is not required for attendees to represent a business that is currently committed to green practices, but this event is certainly an opportunity to become involved with the movement towards sustainability and ecological awareness. Getting involved with the green movement can be as simple as developing an office recycling program, setting up volunteer activities for employees such as beach cleanups, and conserving electricity. More green tips can be found in the Office Environmentalism 101 articles from GreenNetworkingSanDiego.com.
Many people have been exposed to VOCs gases when paint is wet and releases a toxic odor into the air as the paint dries. The odor that people experience is part of the gas produced by the solvents added to the paint to help with application and contribute to pollution and possibly health hazards. VOC is an acronym for volatile organic compound.
Today's paint manufactures have a solution to reduce to VOC levels in paint and have overcome the obstacles of performance and coverage issues that were noticeable several years ago when products were viewed as hard to work with and a small niche in the building industry. Many consumers and contractors will admit that going green or eco-friendly is becoming the norm and not just a small trend in today's building practices. Today federal regulations have reduced the acceptable VOC levels to about one quarter of what was allowed in the late 90's and now there are some Zero-VOC paints contain about 5% of the VOC level that was acceptable in 1999.
There are several paint products on the market that claim to be low VOC but you can always recognize a true low VOC paint by making sure that the paint has the Green Seal. Green Seal www.greenseal.orgis an organization that has set standards for the USGBC LEED program that uses low VOC paint on several of their LEED certified projects.
If you are looking for Green Seal approved paint, I have listed the manufactures found on www.greenseal.org
Earth's Color Collection Interior line (Primer, Transitional Primer, Flat, Semigloss, Cabinet and Trim Paint)
Little Yolo Interior line (Primer, Transitional Primer, Flat, Semigloss, Cabinet and Trim Paint)
Earth's Color Collection Exterior line (Primer, Velvet Flat, Satin, Semigloss)
My first thought was how can paint be organic? Isnt that for vegetables?
I did some more research and found that the term organic can be a highly misleading term when applied to paint so many companies dont use it and tend to use the term eco or natural instead. Unlike the food and textile industry, there is currently no legally defined standard or recognised certification scheme in place for organic paints just like soap pods (what are soap pods I hear you ask?).
It is possible for some organically grown plants to be utilised in the manufacture of some of the natural paints and to obtain organic pigments from some plants and insects, but these are not ideally suited to use in paint because they tend to fade.
It has been found that ingredients such as the solvents, acrylics and acrylic softeners used in most conventional paints are hazardous both to health and the environment as paints consist essentially of pigments (the colourant), the binding agent (which binds the colourant to the surface) and of solvents, (which keep the paint in suspension until applied). As the paint dries the solvent evaporates and leaves the dried paint on the surface. This process is the same with all paints.
But as the paint begins to dry, components called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released into the air causing toxic air pollution (that nasty smell) and increasing your chances of becoming chemically sensitive. These and other chemical compounds can cause chest complaints, aggravate allergies, contribute to the greenhouse effect and pollute the environment.
Most paint manufacturers set out to make a paint that is non toxic and doesnt give off VOCs so it will be a safe paint for humans as well as environmentally safe. Unfortunately, research has found that most organic paints and components release VOCs.
The vital difference between conventional paint and eco/natural paints lies in using as many eco friendly and natural ingredients as possible as pigments, binding agents and solvents.
People should also look to buy paints made in their own country as not only does it reduce the pollution caused by the transport of the end products and sometimes the raw materials, it also supports a more local approach to buying goods and services.
