Guardian Service Industries, Inc.

By: Fiona Reynolds  While many sustainable investors and environmental groups were dismayed by the recent US election results, it is important to recognise that the election of Donald Trump—and to a large extent Brexit in the UK—reflects a growing unhappiness and dissatisfaction on the part of millions of people who feel that existing financial systems, policymakers and structures are not working in their favour. The PRI recognises that many people across the world feel left behind by globalisation and are still feeling the outcomes of the global financial crisis. They have seen Wall Street bailed out, while they have been left with the bill, and to struggle with cuts in services, the loss of jobs and real wages in decline. This work aligns closely with the PRI’s mission, which calls for it to promote a sustainable global financial system that supports long-term value creation and benefits the environment and society as a whole. It also aligns to the UN Sustainable Devel...

Rafael Espinal and bedbugs New legislation aimed at curtailing bedbug outbreaks across New York City will be introduced in the City Council on Tuesday. One bill will require hotels to have exterminators in to inspect all rooms for the bugs every six months, the New York Daily News reported. A second bill will force the city to publish reports every year that outline the number of bedbug complaints and violations in apartment buildings, along with the average time it takes for infestations to be resolved.  Under the new laws, the city would also have to publish a map — which would be updated every three months — showing the locations of bedbug complaints and whether or not they have been resolved.  Council member Rafael Espinal is behind the legislation. “Everyone hates bedbugs — they prey on human flesh and cause huge expenses,” he said, according to the paper. “Tenants, homeowners and business pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to exterminate an inf...

As experts in facilities services, we have 98 years’ experience in facility management and the expertise to assess your needs and goals and customize a plan that provides you maximum value. We keep residential and commercial buildings across the tri-state clean, compliant, and sustainable.  Combining technology with more than 98 years of innovative experience, we address all of your facility requirements, inclusive of janitorial, security, engineering, window cleaning and pest control.  In honor of Black Friday, book a Guardian specialist to assess your property and if you choose us as your facility partner, receive 8% off your 1 st bill. ----- Offer ends December 2, 2016. About Guardian With close to 100 years’ experience in commercial and residential janitorial and security services, Guardian has the leadership, organization and expertise to add unprecedented value and deliver impeccable service to your facilities! Guardian is CIMS Green Building certif...

Step to prevent frozen pipes. Cold temperatures can reach areas of your facility that you cannot see or seldom visit, such as: Crawl spaces; Closets; Enclosed spaces (e.g., attics, lofts, roof spaces); Warehouses; and Isolated storage areas. Cold weather preparedness is important to help reduce potential business interruptions and related losses resulting from cold temperatures. Domestic Water Piping In severe cold, water pipes have the potential to freeze and break. If safe to do so, make sure pipes that are located in isolated and/or poorly heated spaces are shut off and drained or protected with a supplemental heating source. Protect Your Fire Protection Sprinklers Fire protection sprinkler systems are dependent on the ability of water to flow freely when needed. Ensure that wet piping systems, which may be subject to cold temperatures, are sufficiently heated to prevent freezing. Severe cold weather can also delay the response time of the local fire de...

Credit: Environmental Protection New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 10 pieces of legislation into law on Oct. 31, including three green buildings bills – Intros. 1163-A, 1160, and 1165, that involve energy and water benchmarking, lighting retrofitting, and sub-metering requirements for mid-size buildings. Together, these bills are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 250,000 metric tons and spur retrofits in 16,000 buildings, according to city officials, who said the measures offer additional support for the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050, its OneNYC goal. "This administration has dedicated itself to building a foundation and a future for the next generation of New Yorkers," said de Blasio. "In order to do that, we must work together as a city to fight one of our biggest threats, climate change. With these three bills, we are taking another step towards reaching our OneNYC goals and protec...

Green building  (also known as  green construction  or  sustainable building ) refers to both a structure and the using of processes that are  environmentally responsible  and  resource-efficient  throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. [1]  In other words, green building design involves finding the balance between homebuilding and the sustainable environment. This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. [2]  The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. [3] Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design  (LEED) is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings which was Developed by the  U.S. Green Building Council . Ot...

By: Maria Lally /  From: The Telegraph  Like most of the changes I make in life, it started small. My daughters, Sophia, six, and Rosie, three, both have  eczema . So a few years ago, tired of endless steroid creams, I noticed some natural, fragrance-free washing capsules in the supermarket and decided to try them out. They made a small but welcome difference to the girls’ skin and since then I’ve never looked back. I then swapped my bright-orange, chemical-smelling kitchen spray for a rose-petal pink one from natural-cleaning brand  Method . Before I knew it, I was cleaning my microwave with lemon halves, after seeing something about it on Pinterest. And it seems I’m not alone in my green cleaning obsession…  Green cleaning has gone from hippy-ish to mainstream and glossy G wyneth Paltrow  recently dedicated a post on  Goop , her lifestyle blog - entitled ‘The Dirty on Getting Clean’ - to goi...

By   Tammy Waitt  &  Guest Editorial by Mike McGovern, Automatic Systems Active Shooter Incident Planning and Risk Abatement  are among the most discussed topics lately in the news and in our security professional circles – largely due to the all-too-frequent deadly incidents in our lives and work as security professionals. A properly designed and implemented entrance control system – usually involving some form of pedestrian entrance control such as optical turnstiles, mechanical turnstiles, or portals – can have a  major role in the deterrence of such an occurrence . It seems that at least once every month another shooting incident is being reported somewhere, in the USA, Canada, anywhere in the world. No commercial, public, private, or government entity is immune from the threat, and we know that security leaders, government leaders, and others are continuously looking for ways to better prepare for the unthinkable event. As security pr...

By  RONDA KAYSEN Scented candles. Fragrance sticks. Incense. Potpourri. Many of us spend a lot of time (and money) trying to make our homes smell pretty. Hotels have been dousing their lobbies with fragrances for years, hoping we’ll keep booking rooms at the Westin because it smells like White Tea. Now, rental buildings and condominiums in  New York City  have caught onto the idea, infusing lobbies, hallways and fitness centers with fragrances. Sometimes they are blown in through the ductwork, other times stand-alone machines do the job. Either way, the building smells a whole lot fresher than a city sidewalk. Take  21 West End , a rental on the Upper West Side. Ever since it opened in September, tenants have been attributing its summery aroma to the floral arrangements. Building staff members are quick to set the record straight: The lobby smells like a beach because of Ocean Mist, a fragrance pumped in through the ductwork. “You really pick your head u...