LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. — June 7, 2018 —  MechoSystems announced today that its Chelsea 0250 Series has achieved a Silver Level Material Health Certificate from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute based on a rigorous examination of the shadecloths materials against the material health requirements of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard.

Cradle to Cradle® Certified is an independent, third-party verified certification program that certifies products designed to protect human and environmental health. Certified products are evaluated in five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy use, water stewardship, and social fairness.

Given greater prioritization of material health, the Institute created the Material Health Certificate. Using the same assessment methodology as the material health category of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard, products can achieve a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Level Material Health Certificate.

A Silver Level Material Health Certificate is awarded to products that are Cradle to Cradle Banned List compliant, have a developed material health optimization strategy, and do not contain chemicals classified as carcinogens, mutagens, or reproductive toxicants.

MechoSystems Chelsea 0250 Series is the first blackout shadecloth to achieve a Material Health Certificate at any assessment level and the second window shade material to obtain a Cradle to Cradle Material Health score beyond Bronze.

Additionally, by receiving a Silver Level Material Health Certificate, MechoSystems Chelsea 0250 Series can contribute to the achievement of LEED v4 credit for Option 2 Material Ingredient Optimization in MR Building Product Disclosure and Optimization.

The Chelsea 0250 Series is a blackout shadecloth combining a polyester front and foam backing to form an opaque fabric. With 6 interior color options the fabric offers flexible options for interior finish combinations. The outward-facing graphite color is specially designed to complement exterior facades and architectural styles.

MechoSystems has been in the forefront of sustainable building practices since 1969. The company collaborates with architects, designers, and others in the design-build sector to design and manufacture products essential for providing the most comfortable, sustainable, energy-efficient buildings possible.

Posted June 8, 2018

Source: MechoSystems

BRUSSELS — June 8, 2018 —  The topic of this year’s EURATEX General Assembly, held in Brussels on June 7, was Investments in the Textile and Clothing factories of the future in Europe. The event attracted more than 120 attendees and offered an opportunity to gain interesting insights about a dynamic moment in which the sector is regaining a leading position in the EU industrial landscape. Indeed, over the last few years the Textile and Clothing Industry has invested over 50 billion euros in the European Union — a trend that is predicted to continue in the future.

Moderated by John Scrimshaw of the World Textile Information Network (WTiN), the conference opened with welcoming remarks from EURATEX president Klaus Huneke, who mentioned “the unprecedented wave of young innovative textile and fashion companies that are currently being created across Europe” and stressed that “not only young entrepeneurs innovate and take risks. In the last few years we have witnessed a strong return of business confidence across the entire European textile and clothing industry”.

Keynote speaker Irmfried Schwimann, Deputy Director-General of DG Grow, followed with an exhaustive overview of the financial instruments and funding opportunities available from the European Union.

The main discussion was divided in two panels, focused on investment trends in recent years and visions for the industry in the future, respectively.

CEOs and representatives from seven European companies presented their success stories and shared their first-hand experience in facing the challenges of the sector, from the need of skilled workforce, efforts in moving to sustainable processes and materials, and surpassing barrier regulations that can hinder exports.

Posted June 8, 2018

Source: EURATEX

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 8, 2018 —  California Linen Services of Pasadena, Calif., has been recertified Clean Green, reflecting the company’s dedication to standards for operational efficiency and sustainability. The certification quantifies linen, uniform and facility services’ environmentally friendly performance by confirming an operation launders within TRSA-designated water and energy use thresholds; and verifies use of best management practices (BMPs) in line with the ASTM International environmental laundering standard.

California Linen Service’s customers can be assured their reusable healthcare textiles are washed, dried and finished with processes that maximize sustainability and reduce greenhouse emissions. Clean Green certified operations demonstrate significant commitment to conservation and green operations through these BMPs:

• Recovering heat from drained hot water and heat dispersed from the process of warming water;
• Recapturing drained water from rinses for reuse;
• Using environmentally friendly detergents;
• Removing solids and liquids from wastewater;
• Solar energy and energy-efficient lighting;
• Recycling programs;
• Re-routing trucks to save vehicle fuel; and
• Spill prevention plans.

California Linen Service earned the Clean Green certification initially in 2015. The designation is valid for three years at a time. TRSA inspects laundry facilities seeking certification and approves documentation of their water and energy use and BMP deployment through production reports they submit to auditors during the inspections. TRSA’s certification management protocol includes auditor training by the association’s inspection program administrator.

Clean Green aligns with the ASTM International standard, Guide for Sustainable Laundry Practices, which recognizes key criteria for the certification as universal indicators of maximum sustainability in commercial laundry work. ASTM’s review of TRSA BMPs verified these as the most effective and practical techniques for a laundry to achieve green objectives.

TRSA members prompted development of the standard, which was vetted in the sustainability subcommittee of the ASTM Committee on Textiles. Top technical experts, scientists and environmental professionals from outside the linen, uniform and facility services industry reviewed the BMPs. ASTM is the global leader in developing and delivering voluntary consensus standards unparalleled in building consumer confidence in product and service quality.

“I applaud California Linen Services for their ongoing sustainability efforts and maintaining the highest standards in their production and delivery operations,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “Meeting all the criteria for certification is not easy, but the company is committed to industry-leading processes and technologies.”

Posted June 8, 2018

Source: TRSA

GLEN ELLYN, Ill. — June 7, 2018 — The College of DuPage Robotics Team placed ninth in NASA’s ninth annual Robotic Mining Competition, beating out dozens of renowned four-year universities, including Colorado School of Mines, Illinois Institute of Technology, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Purdue, Texas A&M University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

COD was one of only two community colleges at the competition, held last month at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

For COD Engineering and Technology Club President Josie Suter, the most valuable lessons were gained during the months spent preparing for the competition.

“The competition experience was amazing,” Suter said. “Everyone on the team went above and beyond to make sure we were ready for our mining runs. However, the competition was only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the work happened during the months leading up to the competition. I couldn’t be more proud of my team who worked endless hours to make sure that we delivered an outstanding robot and impressive supplemental projects.”

During the competition, students from more than 40 schools performed a variety of challenges, including the abrasive characteristics of the basaltic regolith simulant, the weight and size limitations of the mining robot, and the ability to tele-operate it from a remote Mission Control Center. Scoring was based on autonomy, communications, dust tolerance and projection, power requirements, vehicle mass and other factors. Robots were required to mine gravel simulating icy Mars regolith located beneath approximately 30 cm of simulated Mars surface regolith. A minimum of 1 kg of mined gravel was required to score mining points. In addition, teams were required to submit an in-depth systems engineering report and a written description of engineering-related outreach undertaken by students.

Weighing in at 68 kilograms, 12 kilograms under the competition’s 80-kilogram limit, the team’s robot featured a six-inch diameter auger for digging, a bin to carry and transport the payload and a conveyor belt mechanism to dump the payload into the receptacle at the competition.

Remote control was achieved through a repurposed Xbox gaming console controller connected to a laptop and a Raspberry Pi transmitter. Since teams were required to control the robot from a NASA mission control center out of sight of the competition area, the robot featured fore, aft and overhead video cameras to allow for navigation. The robot also featured rear-wheel drive and pivot steering.

Suter, who has just completed COD’s Engineering Pathways program and will be transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering this fall,  credits the success of the team to the hard work and commitment of the team members in bringing a range of skills and expertise to the project.

“Our success in this competition is a direct result of the well-roundedness of our team,” she said. “In particular, I credit the unbelievable amount of effort, leadership, and technical experience of Peter Gutfeldt and Robert Beckwith. It was amazing how well they were able to handle our team throughout this project, which at other universities is often conducted by faculty as a senior design project. It’s truly amazing what those two were able to pull off as sophomores leading a team of sophomores and freshman.”

She said the competition provided a wealth of experience and benefits to the participants.

“By participating in this competition, we gained both technical and managerial experience,” Suter said. “The competition itself challenged our engineering skills with difficult problems to solve within specific constraints. Supplemental deliverables like the systems paper, outreach report and systems presentation pushed our team to organize our engineering process, develop our technical communication skills, and create lasting change in our community.

Posted June 7, 2018

Source: College of DuPage