Crown Wallpaper + Fabrics Sales Meeting - Toronto, Jan 29, 2011

“What’s Fabric got to do with it? -- Much more than a second hand emotion, fabric is the dynamite that sparks your daily sales calls!”

Inspiration from the Tina Turner classic was in keeping with the Rock and Roll theme of the meeting.Dayle spoke about 5 keys areas that could enhance a customer’s buying experience, ensure repeat business, reduce purchase errors, and differentiating sales representatives from their competition.

Sales representatives commented:

Have you been present when an energy audit is being conducted on a home?

Even if you have a pretty good idea of where air leaks are occurring, there can be surprises and some simple cost-effective solutions.

While you hear messages to unplug the chargers responsible for ‘phantom loads’, it is even wiser to consider that there might be literally gaping holes in your home from which hard-earned money could be escaping!

I recently had our home inspected for an energy audit and discovered the air is changing nearly 4 times in an hour (air leakage at 50 Pa). That almost feels like someone is leaving a door open in the winter! The horror subsided when the inspector gave me some practical inexpensive solutions, as well as a range of mid and high priced remedies.

I called several local independent contractors and selected Green_Tech_Services

I was looking for a company with an auditor that would use a thermal imaging camera, since I wanted to “see” the air leaks! (That"s my interior design training!)

Thermal imaging is a visual display of the amount of heat radiated, reflected or transmitted from a surface or an object.  The camera allowed me to ‘see’ the temperature on a surface by converting the infrared spectrum to the visible spectrum.

Published in the Journal of Green Building, Fall 2011, Volume 6, Issue 4, this paper was written by Dayle Laing and Walter F. Kean (MD (Glas), FRCP (Edin, Glas, & C), Clinical Professor in Medicine (Rheumatology), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

The_Greening_of_Healthcare_Fabrics_Abstract_Link

“There is no separation between environmental issues and health issues” (Smith and Lourie, 2010 a). Researchers from Environment Canada (Muir and Zegarac, 2001) estimate that North American healthcare costs and lost productivity linked to environmental factors total between $568 billion and $793 billion per year ($46 billion and $52 billion for Canada alone). These are staggering numbers and could be easily overlooked when various government budgets are examined as “silos” and the interconnectivity of the environment and health care costs are not considered. They are costs borne both financially and in terms of quality of life.

The greening of healthcare textiles is a topic of great importance for the overall greening of healthcare spaces due to the large number of chemicals used in the production of fabrics. Both patients and healthcare workers are exposed to these chemicals through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion. Hospital “green” teams and purchasing agents need to be aware of how to best select textiles for their facilities.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a comprehensive internationally recognized standard for certification and construction of green buildings (Canada Green Building Council, 2004a). The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) started this program in 1993, and there are currently non-profit green building councils in 77 countries around the world (World Green Building Council, 2010). LEED standards are set for energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources, and sustainable locations. Innovation and education are also rewarded in the certification process. Verifiable third-party standards are set for practical and measurable design, construction, operation, and maintenance of buildings. Programs are available for commercial and residential buildings and neighbourhoods. The USGBC is currently developing a program specifically for healthcare (US Green Building Council, 2010).

The general principles from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (Canada Green Building Council, 2004a) provide the analytical framework for the five criteria for selecting textiles for healthcare use presented in Table 1.

Are electricity costs going through the roof? (David_Laing) wondered, so he analyzed 5 years of his home utility invoices.

If your electricity bill is anything like ours you’ll understand why this was a non-trivial task. Multiple lines of confusing and inconsistent charges make it difficult to compare and imply there might be something hidden or manipulated.

David said, "I duly entered each line item into an Excel spreadsheet, comparing the annualized numbers ending in September 2011 to the same period ending September 2006". Pleasant surprise – our average monthly bill actually dropped 26% from $152 in 2006 to $112 in 2011! Was this due to lower prices or reduced consumption? 

In an earlier article, Big_Impact_Energy_Decision Dayle described how the replacement of our aging chest freezer with a newer, smaller one plus a second fridge was projected to save us over $200/year. In addition, 4 years ago, we upgraded to a high efficiency furnace with a direct drive fan, and 2 years ago, we installed Energy Star efficient appliances when we remodelled the kitchen. Of course there was also the systematic replacement of incandescent light bulbs with LEDs and compact fluorescents. What was the impact of these changes to our electricity consumption?

I am David Laing. My friends call me DonX, short for Don Quixote. That’s because they say I exhibit characteristics similar to this mythical figure.

Like Don Quixote I am tall, relatively slim, no longer young and have spent much time recently reading information that has disturbed me. As a result I believe that humanity is facing its greatest challenge and I feel it is my duty, nay it is my privilege to fight what some believe to be the unbeatable foe. 

Distinctive from the real Don Quixote, rather than tilting at windmills, I instead tilt in support of them, as well as any other activities and programs that will help move our society towards living sustainably!  The unbeatable foe I have chosen to take on and thump is Climate Change. Yet I take on this challenge willingly, enthusiastically and with the help of many others!

I have chosen this path because, for 35 years I worked in the corporate world, rising to Senior Vice President, eventually becoming a Management Consultant. Much of my career was spent helping organizations become more efficient and effective. I became pretty experienced at designing and implementing change management programs that dramatically affected the daily working lives of employees and altered the organizations’ relationships with their customers and suppliers. 

Through this experience

Toronto, Canada March 29, 2011. More than 100 healthcare professionals filled the hospital auditorium to hear Dayle, a professional green keynote speaker, present “Greening of Our Fabrics”.

Attendees learned which fabrics are safest and which should be avoided. Dayle answered the questions that improve personal safety. Are all natural fibres green? Are all synthetics harmful? What choices are suitable for stain repellency? What heavy metals are used in fabrics and what are the alternatives? How can fabrics be safely cleaned? What are the best choices for fabrics?

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is one of many hospitals that is embracing 'green', which translates into positive health consequences for patients, staff, visitors and ultimately the planet!

Healthcare professionals commented:

Healthcare textiles may pose a serious risk to health and safety when patients and healthcare workers are unknowingly exposed to chemicals of concern.

A scientific Poster and Abstract citation “Greening of Healthcare – Fabrics used in Healthcare Facilities" by Dayle Laing and Walter F. Kean (Clinical Professor in Medicine, McMaster University) was presented July 4-6, 2011 at the International Conference on 20 years of Inflammopharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Scientific_Poster

Many studies have been done on acute or chronic exposure of large doses of these chemicals and toxicity profiles have been identified. However it is difficult to assess the risk of exposure of these chemicals at low doses, over a long period of time, or consider the risk on patients who are already immuno-compromised.

This research focuses on an analysis of textile toxicity as designated by agency, and which healthcare choices minimize the toxicity.

Dayle is available to present the findings of this research in a seminar for your group. Please contact the office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 905-846-3221.

Designers love positive clients. Clients love positive designers. Experts tell us to focus on our goals. How to be sustainable. Select sustainable design. Reduce our carbon footprint.

These goals require some thought before they become second nature to us. At vacation time, our goals become simpler. Have fun and see some whales!

During my annual sea kayaking trip with my sisters, fun was a very easily attainable goal. However, killer whales had shown up only briefly one day the previous week and no one could predict when the giant mammals would return to their salmon feeding grounds in the ecological reserve Robson Bight in Johnstone Strait. There are only 80 Resident Orcas in the northern Vancouver Island population.

Christine Heyman, Benjamin Moore & Dayle Laing at CaGBC SymposiumAs a LEED Accredited Professional, I am often asked the trends in beautiful sustainable interior design. I recently attended the Canada Green Building Council Symposium in Toronto to find out the latest, and discovered that old is new!

At the CaGBC conference last year in Vancouver (see links at bottom of this article to previous posts), I was once again struck by the genuine positive “can do” attitude that prevailed at this symposium. The professionals attending were all helpful, cooperative and the mood was uplifting.

The trend for reusing existing materials is one that would have gladdened the hearts of people like my father, who lived through the great depression of the early 20th century. He believed “you never know when you might need something”. We have attained a level of sophistication where valuable resources are preserved, bought, and sold, or donated. They are not stored to gather dust in the basement.

Mark Gorgolowski, Ryerson University professor presented some inspiring examples of “resource salvation”. For example, Mountain Equipment Coop tore down an old building in Ottawa, catalogued the materials, and then incorporated the components into the new design. He noted that the “Building reuse” credit is one that has not been well used in LEED certification, and added we need to overcome the perceived risk that “used is 2nd best”. Older components may be in fact of superior quality! Design fees may be higher and contractors may take extra time to become familiar with the materials, but materials are typically less expensive or may be free if already on site.

Congratulations, you’ve just purchased a new phone, flat screen TV or computer that replaces one that is ailing, slow or lacks the latest features. What happens now with the old equipment? Unfortunately, all too often it ends up in the local landfill instead of contributing to sustainable design.

I’m David Laing, LEED AP, the Environmental Consultant partner of Dayle Laing. Each year an estimated 50 million tons of e-waste (computers, TVs, cell phones and other discarded electronic items) are produced. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, over 80% of that material ends up in municipal garbage dumps. It is a huge problem because computers and monitors contain some very nasty substances including: lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. Up to 60 elements can be found in complex electronics, and it has been estimated that 70% of the heavy metals in US landfills comes from discarded electronics. Surely there must be a more economically and environmentally friendly solution for disposing of e-waste; and there is. All we need do is take advantage of it.

Recently, Dayle and I had the privilege of participating in a tour of 2 electronic recycling plants in Brampton & Mississauga, Ontario organized by Brad Zarnett of the Toronto Sustainability Speakers Series. The plants, operated by SIMS Recycling Solutions cover 85,000 and 290,000 square feet respectively and currently process 30 million pounds of electronic waste annually. SIMS Metal Management, the parent company is the largest electronics recycler in the world and these two local facilities handle recycling from Canada and the Northeast US. Half the recycled material comes from commercial equipment while the other half comes from consumer products.

I worked in the computer industry for many years and have had the opportunity to tour computer manufacturing plants. I have been impressed by the high technology automation, ingenuity and complexity that is employed to manufacture computer components. I can tell you from visiting the SIMS plant that it also takes a lot of high technology to pull those components apart; along with a bit of finesse and a fair amount of brute force.

The SIMS plants use a combination of