WORLD NEWS
Father Of Green Cleaning Joins Google And Meryl Streep In The International Green Industry Hall Of Fame
Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group and frequently referred to as "the father of Green Cleaning," was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame (IGIHOF) at a recent ceremony held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
This is the fifth year the IGIHOF has held this annual event. The organisation asks the general public to nominate individuals and organisations that have embraced Green technologies, have reduced waste, have promoted sustainability, or are actively working to promote Green and sustainability issues, either
The Kindness Of Strangers
A middle school in the township of Otsuchi, Japan is benefitting from the kindness of strangers as it continues to recover from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
An anonymous donor has been sending the school hand-sewn cleaning rags for around three years, and they now have more than 2,000 stocked up.
The charitable stranger, who pupils and teachers at the school refer to as ‘Ashinagaobasan’ (Mummy Long- Legs), made an anonymous call to the municipal school in September 2011,
22
in their own operations or for people and organisations around the world.
The IGIHOF considers these nominees and inductees to be "creators of excellence and visionaries" who have made significant contributions to ensure a healthier and more sustainable
asking “would it be a nuisance if I sent you cleaning rags?” From the call, they believed the donor to be an elderly woman from the Kansai region.
Then, around six months later, two boxes filled with about 400 cleaning rags were delivered to the school, with an accompanying letter that said: “I’m grateful for being able to assist people who are striving to better their lives.”
All of the rags, that continue to be delivered on a semi-regular basis, are hand-sewn and made in the same fashion, which has led everyone at the school to believe that they are all made by the same, single person. The rags have been used by students to clean their classrooms, hallways and shoe racks.
Tomorrow's Cleaning News pages sponsored by Katrin.
www.katrin.com
planet. Past nominees have included Google, Seventh Generation, Toyota Motor Corporation, and the San Francisco Giants.
A review board examines the credentials of the nominees from which it selects the inductees. Along with Ashkin, this year's inductees include Oscar-winning actress, Meryl Streep, as well as David Gottfried, founder of the U.S. Green Building Council, Amory Lovins, founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Honda Motor Company.
"The lineup of people and organisations inducted this year is as diverse as it is impressive," said Ashkin. "It's an honour to be among them and an even greater honour to be inducted into this fine organisation."
Sam Geil, Executive Director of the IGIHOF, shared his thoughts and feelings about why Ashkin was nominated and inducted: "It's no wonder Steve is considered 'the father of Green Cleaning.' He inspired me and many others to get on the ‘Green’ bandwagon more than a decade ago. His contribution to Green and sustainable issues has encouraged thousands of people and scores of industries to Go Green."
Tsukako Fuji, the school nurse who answered the first anonymous call, looks after the rags, and she expressed her gratitude to the kind- hearted stranger, saying: “Just as the used rags wear out, new ones arrive. It feels as though somebody is watching over us from afar.”
In 2011, the first floor of the school was flooded by a tsunami, and classes continue to be held in a temporary building, while 30% of the 253 students in the third year of the middle school are still living in temporary housing.
One of these students added: “The cleaning rags were sewn by someone who cares for us. I want to use these precious rags until they are totally worn out.”
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80