Spruce Industries Blog Page

Clean With The Power Of Green

Mixing Your Own Chemicals - Safe?

June 4, 2008 – 11:03 pm by Danielle Esposito
You would think that in 2008, in the era of progression and evolution onto the next biggest and best things that people would not regress back into the 1950’s. Well lo and behold, a group of women who call themselves, Women’s Voices for the Earth, have done just that. Now before I go any further, your first assumption would be that they are all jumping on the "going green" bandwagon. Well apparently not. They aren’t interested in helping the environment; they are going old school and mixing their own home remedy cleaning products that all of our grandmothers have done at one time or another 40 years ago. Their other claim to fame besides the home remedy approach, is not so much as boycotting conglomerate based cleaning products, but just trying to get those companies to tell us what’s in them. But your favorite cleaning product company is reluctant to ...

In Memoriam - Sol Schwartzman

May 20, 2008 – 7:01 pm by Daniel Josephs
Sol Schwartzman, former owner of Monmouth Paper, passed away on Monday, May 19, 2008.  Sol, along with his brothers Henry, Herman, and Nathan, built Monmouth Paper into one of the leading paper and janitorial supply companies in our marketplace.  In 1985, they sold the business to Bunzl. Sol was a giant in our industry, well-respected, and loved.  His knowledge will be missed. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 22 at Temple Emanu-El, 756 East Broad Street, Westfield, NJ  07090.

What did you do on Earth Day?

May 14, 2008 – 3:07 am by Daniel Josephs
It's ironic to think that we have designated one day on Earth to be deemed "Earth Day" when in fact, everyday should be Earth Day. Now I know that everyone "goes green" on April 22nd, but I wanted to ask you what you did on Earth Day? Did you reclycle a soda can? Did you turn off your lights more than usual? Well, as you can see from my lack of entries, I have been very busy since "Green-Day" 2008. So to jump start this conversation of "What did you do on Earth Day," I have detailed below what Spruce Industries gave back on Earth Day and how it not only made an impact on those that we helped, but how it affected me as well. On Earth Day, April 22nd, Spruce donated two trees to the local community. To be honest, it wasn't just any kind of tree, it ...

Earth Day Announcement

April 20, 2008 – 1:04 am by Daniel Josephs
Back in 1970 Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin, called for a day when we should recognize our impact on our environment - 20 million people participated. Now, almost 40 years later, over 500 million people and 175 countries observe a day that not only recognizes our environment, but this day holds us accountable for the total impact that we have on our planet. This day, April 22nd, is known as Earth Day. In recognition of Earth Day, Spruce Industries will be donating two blue spruce trees on Tuesdsay April 22nd, 2008. The first tree will be donated to the James Caldwell Elementary School in Springfield, NJ. Hank Josephs, the president of Spruce Industries, attended this school and learned the importance of teamwork, participation and community. The second tree will be donated to the Oak Ridge Heights #21 Elementary School in Colonia, NJ. Linda McGowan, a purchasing ...

NJSSA Supply Line 2008 - May 7th & 8th 2008

April 2, 2008 – 10:08 pm by Daniel Josephs
The Atlantic City Convention Center is the exciting and conveniently located site for Supply Line 2008, the New Jersey Sanitary Supply Association’s (NJSSA) biennial convention and trade show. Supply Line 2008 is the largest exhibition on the East Coast for the cleaning supply industry! Supply Line 2008 provides the tools you need to grow in today’s competitive business environment. Join other distributors and cleaning professionals from the Northeast and other regions for two action-packed days of meetings, inspirational educational events, and exhibits of the latest cleaning products and services. The Atlantic City Convention Center is easily accessible by air, road, or rail. Try the train for convenient and hassle free travel - the Atlantic City rail station is connected right to the convention center! Just step off the train and into the convention center. Mix business with pleasure at Supply Line 2008. Come a day early to play in NJSSA’s annual golf ...

Hand Hygiene Requirement for LEED-EB

March 23, 2008 – 11:57 pm by Daniel Josephs
Today I received a copy of the 2008 LEED-EB revision. LEED which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a certification that provides independent, third-party verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work. Currently they have three different classifications: New Construction (NC), Existing Building (EB) and Community Interiors (CI). The organization behind the LEED certification is the USGBC which stands for US Green Building Council. The USGBC is a non-profit organization that is committed to expanding sustainable building practices. For more information regarding LEED and USGBC visit www.usgbc.org. I haven't had a chance to read through the entire revision, but I did come across something that I thought was very interesting. A new policy has been added that requires: "Development of strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use ...

Seriously Seeking Fun, Career-Minded People!

March 15, 2008 – 3:14 am by Daniel Josephs
We are looking for the best people who want to work hard, play hard, laugh hard and of course...make a lot of money. So if you think you are "THE BEST," then Check out our new Careers section! Applying online makes you one click away from finding a career built around dedication, laughter and family.

Beer Bottles Can Clean Your Floor

March 5, 2008 – 3:10 am by Daniel Josephs
I had a very interesting meeting today with one of my manufacturer reps.  He was introducing us to the new EchoMop line from O'Dell Corporation.  They created an entire line of mops from PET plastics.  What is PET? PET stands for Polyethylene terephthalate.  Right, so what is PET?  PET plastics are basically your water, beer and soda bottles. O'Dell takes these bottles before they hit the landfills and O'Dell then re-incorporates them along with reclaimed cotton and rayon to engineer fibers, producing mops entirely from recycled materials.  Sounds crazy, I know. The craziness continues when I found that these mops are designed not just to meet the standards set by cotton and rayon mops, but to exceed those standards! The plastics from the PET bottles help prevent the rotting that happens with traditional mops.  The mops are strong enough to hold up to laundering, and arid enough to dry 100% overnight.  ...

What Happens In The Bathroom Should Stay In The Bathroom

February 27, 2008 – 2:20 pm by Daniel Josephs
Don't you just love bathroom humor? Bathroom humor has always been known for its' lewd and crude ways, however, I recently read a study regarding students' hygiene that made me stop laughing. A study conducted by the American Journal of Infection Control relays the startling statistic that "53% of students wash their hands after bathroom use." But that's not all...of those 53% who wash their hands, "only 18% use soap"! To which I offer one word as a reply: Unacceptable. The most basic principle in personal hygiene starts with washing one's hands, and it is clear to me that this basic action is being overlooked by students and is not being communicated by teachers or parents. How is it that Health Class is mandatory by most public and private schools, yet only 18% of students use soap after going to the bathroom? These students are basins for germs at risk for ...

It's Not All About Dodgeball

February 13, 2008 – 2:55 am by Daniel Josephs
Last night I was at PS9 in New York City sitting in the hallway waiting for my dodgeball game to start. Yes I play dodgeball. And yes I know you wish you did too. Anyway, while I was waiting for my team to show up, I noticed a protective mask-wearing custodian burnishing the floors of the adjacent hallway. I wasn't caught off guard by the custodian, but I definitely did a double take when I saw him wearing a face mask! Was he wearing the mask because he couldn't stand the floor fumes, the dust particles, or both? I felt like yelling, "SWITCH YOUR FLOOR FINISH or USE A SAFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORER so that you don't need to wear face mask!" And while I commend this custodian for doing his job, I condemn the custodian's building manager for not protecting his employee! As I thought of all the processes ...