Bird Friendly Glass + Other Window Cleaning News

Window collisions kill between 100 million and 1 billion birds each year in the United States. NanaWall Systems, the leader in large opening glass walls, is the first operable glass wall company in North America to offer bird-protection glass that is not discernible to the human eye. The Bird-Protection Ornilux® glass includes ultraviolet patterns that make the glass visible to birds but still transparent to humans. “Collisions with glass take a horrific and deadly toll on birds every day, with home windows responsible for hundreds of millions of bird deaths. While there are effective tools such as window film, shutters, grilles, decals and painted patterns that can make existing glass more visible to birds, manufacturers have been slow to produce glass products for new construction, designed to be safe for birds.
Though people can recognize the difference between reflections and reality, birds do not. Unknowingly, they fly full-speed into the glass and make an impact. For years, ornithologists have been looking for an architectural solution for preventing or reducing bird deaths from glass impacts. NanaWall is the first folding glass wall manufacturer to provide this glass with their systems in the United States. “I first heard about the issue of bird safety and glass about five years ago from one of our customers,” said Ebrahim Nana, president of NanaWall Systems. “Since then, NanaWall Systems has been looking for a solution around the world. This spring, I was introduced to the Ornilux bird-protection glass in Germany and immediately started working to make it available to architects, builders, cities and homeowners that use the NanaWall in conventional and “green” buildings. We are proud to offer the NanaWall with Ornilux Glass to provide an architectural solution so that “green buildings” can incorporate bird-safe glass and bird-safe architecture.”
NanaWall Systems is the exclusive North American partner of Solarlux, Germany, the world leader in operable glass wall technology. NanaWall Systems’ opening glass walls provide flexible solutions to large architectural openings, from 8 feet to 320 feet and are used in houses, condominiums, restaurants, stadiums, schools and more. Nine of the NanaWall systems have been rated, certified and labeled in accordance with National Fenestration Rating Council 100/200. Depending on the system selected and glass options, Energy Star U value and SHGC requirements for all climate zones can be met. The NanaWall is unrivaled in the industry for exceeding standards for air infiltration, water penetration, structural performance and forced entry. The NanaWall SL72 aluminum folding system is Miami-Dade County approved and can be used in hurricane areas. NanaWall Systems is a member of the U.S. Green Building Association. The aluminum-framed NanaWall uses recyclable aluminum with non-toxic powder-coated finishes.
American Bird Conservancy conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement. Dr. Daniel Klem Daniel Klem, Jr. is Professor of Biology, and Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology in the Department of Biology, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania. He earned his Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. For 35 years, beginning with his dissertation and continuing to present, he has studied and published extensively on the relationship between birds and windows.

Bogus official targets elderly women: A trickster conned an elderly woman into handing over £60 by posing as a window cleaner. The man knocked on several doors in Mirfield before persuading the woman into giving him money from her purse. The bogus official called at homes in Dunbottle Lane on the afternoon of Monday June 7. He was white, in his 30s, around 5ft 4in, with short dark curly hair. He wore trousers and a jacket. Now police are urging homeowners in Dewsbury and Mirfield to be on their guard. PC Lyndsey Nelson said: "It is a sad fact of life that opportunist thieves will target the most vulnerable members of our community and it is those people we would ask to be especially vigilant. "Don't let anyone into your property that you are not expecting to call." She said homeowners should not be afraid to ask for ID and ring the company if they are still unsure. Phone PC Nelson on 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Local window cleaning gave scratches and dirt: Municipal cleaning company FAMI said although they were not professionals, that they would scrub the glass panes of the windows with a green pad - this was a surprise! The municipality has received a letter with serious complaints from Anna Eråker, new owner of the guesthouse Slöinge. Since the weather was not suitable for window cleaning on the house when she took over in January as part of the agreement that the former owner would pay for the work at a later date. The previous owner had hired FAMI, the municipal labor and induction unit, to get the job done, and a group of five guys came into the house one day in May. First they had to borrow a squeegee when they had not brought equipment, since it turned out that they used the green side of the kitchen sponge to scrub, thus scratching the glass panes. It was simply obvious to the homeowner that the window cleaners could never have cleaned windows before.
The supervisor agreed with her that the job had not been well done: I suggested that they should use microfiber cloths, but when I said that, they admitted they did not know much about window cleaning, "says Anna Eråker. After that statement, she lost confidence in the group, and asked them to complete their mission. After they had left there was a huge mess in the house, a bottle of window cleaner had been among the items, the dining table was scratched, there were also black hand prints on the freshly painted doors, which was later painted over, and so on. Fisnik Kycykailu is a supervisor at FAMI, and he has also been in contact with home owners. He would not really comment on the matter because he believes that there is a question of lack of communication between the house's current and previous owners. But how about the statement that the supervisor was unable to verify the work because he has to make sure that the guys would not steal? "But we have never said that they are professional window cleaners who we send." Eråker Anna says that she is primarily looking to get any financial compensation for the shortcomings of the work, "but an apology, I would have liked!"

Youngsters increasingly earning money through domestic cleaning: Almost one in five youngsters is earning money by completing tasks such as window cleaning, new research reveals. According to a report from Santander Current Accounts, 18 per cent (three-quarters of a million) of 10 to 15-year-olds are generating profits of over £400 million a year by carrying out tasks such as car washing, gardening and general cleaning. These traditional house cleaning jobs are helping children and teenagers earn an average of over £46 a month, or £550 a year, which adds up to a collective £426 million per annum. The new BBC spin-off show Junior Apprentice is giving youngsters even more inspiration to earn their own money, the survey found.
Helen Bierton, head of Santander Current Accounts, said it is good to see so many youngsters starting to earn their own money from an early age. "It's also good to see so many parents encouraging their children to have some financial independence," she added. Youngsters could see their earnings increase even more, as the hourly rate of cleaning professionals is set to go up by 25p, after Conservative mayor Boris Johnson recently announced an increase to the London Living Wage. He stressed that the increase is necessary to acknowledge the hard work of London's cleaning staff and other workers who carry out the city's esential functions.

Todd Harshman, president of Fish Window Cleaning in Lakewood, Ohio, decided to go into business for himself after being downsized out of corporate America. He didn't want to waste a lot of time doing things the wrong way so he enlisted the services of a franchise consultant. Buying a franchise worked for Todd because the business plan is already written and proven. Todd liked the Fish Window cleaning franchise because the franchisees seemed happy and the founder is a 'tremendous guy,' according to Todd. You may be thinking it's just window cleaning but to Todd it's much more than that. With 80% of their business in the commercial realm, Todd sells the idea that clean windows tell prospective customers that the business owner is proud of their business and that details matter. It also indicates that the business is well run and efficient. Many potential customers willmake a first impression before they even walk through the door. So, having clean windows can make all the difference in the world!
Fish's differentiator is umatched customer service backed by an unconditional satisfaction guarantee. And they must be doing something right because they received the 'Commitment to Excellence' award in 2007. When asked what words of advice Todd has for aspiring entrepreneurs he strongly suggests having a plan, writing it down, working it, and updating it regularly. He adds that if it isn't working, rewrite it. Don't just go off and fly by the seat of your pants. I can tell you that this is a step many people miss. This and that once they have the plan in writing they don't work it! Staying on track is essential to success. Having a written plan that you consult daily and update as needed will keep you on a forward moving path.

Glass firm secures £10m solar panel deal: Glass firm Romag has been awarded a £10.2m contract by North-East based Community Energy Solutions (CES) to provide solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and roof mount kits. The contract was awarded to Romag, based near Consett, County Durham, after it beat 12 other bidders in a European Tendering Process. CES is a non-profit organisation and the photovoltaic equipment will be used in approximately 2000 PV systems in homes and properties across the North East, Yorkshire and Humberside that will be installed within the next two years.

PPG Industries will showcase new Clarvista™ shower glass as well as an expanded portfolio of residential low-emissivity glasses at the 2010 GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo in Las Vegas, Sept. 14-16. Clarvista glass is made with a coating technology that seals the glass surface, making it resistant to corrosion caused by heat, humidity and household cleaning products. With regular maintenance, Clarvista glass looks newer longer than other shower glass products. PPG will display its complete line of residential low-e glass products including Solarban(R) 70XL glass, the industry’s highest-performing solar control, low-e glass. Two new residential products, Solarban 65 and Sungate® 400 glasses, also will be exhibited, as well as Intercept® ULTRA insulating spacers. Formulated as a value alternative to Solarban 70XL and Solarban 60 glasses, Solarban 65 glass is a double-silver, solar control, low-e glass. Sungate 400 glass is a passive low-e glass developed for window makers and homebuilders seeking to meet Canadian ENERGY STAR statutes. It is well-suited for use in northern U.S. climates as well. The insulating performance of Solarban 65 and Sungate 400 glasses can be further enhanced in window systems that feature Intercept ULTRA Stainless “warm-edge” insulating spacers, which offer industry-leading thermal performance along with superior gas retention, strength and flexibility.

Halfway through his answer, Justin Cronin stops, eyes wide, and points to the far side of the room, where a window washer has just hoisted himself down into view. “I could never do that: I’m afraid of heights,” he says, eyes locked on the man suspended in mid-air like a spider. He becomes aware that the man is only three stories off the ground, but remains unconvinced. “Three would make me vomit in sheer terror.” It’s good to know that Cronin, the man responsible for one of the creepiest books of 2010, is at least afraid of something. If you haven’t yet heard of Cronin’s 766-page Homeric novel, The Passage, you will.

Since ‘Reifen’ means ‘tyres’ in German, IMG's objective was to run ‘www.reifen.eu’ as an internet portal for trading in tyres. All in all, IMG played tricks like this in respect of 180 domain names, all consisting of generic terms. Schlicht was proprietor of the Benelux word mark ‘Reifen’ for to ‘bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning preparations, in particular, cleaning preparations containing nanoparticles for cleaning window surfaces’ and ‘services which facilitate the marketing of such cleaning agents’. He tried to register a Community word mark Reifen for the same goods and services, planning to market on a pan-European basis cleaning products for surfaces akin to window glass. Schlicht's mark is based on the first three letters of the German words ‘Reinigung’ (cleaning) and ‘Fenster’ (window). Schlicht challenged IMG's registration of ‘www.reifen.eu’ before the Arbitration Court, which upheld his complaint, withdrew that domain name from IMG and transferred it to him, taking the view that the character ‘&’ contained within a trade mark was not to be eliminated but had to be rewritten.

Hodder signs celebrity wife Mrs Fry: Hodder & Stoughton has acquired the "top-secret diaries" of Mrs Stephen Fry, revealing the comedian's secret double life as a womanising window cleaner, whose main loves in life are karaoke and kebabs. Edna Fry, who has more than 56,000 followers on Twitter, regularly recounts the details of life with her scandalous husband and five, six or possibly seven children. The diaries follow a year in the life of "an unwitting celebrity wife". "We’re thrilled to represent Mrs. Stephen Fry, who fascinates the office with unexpected insights into life with her husband, an enigmatic window cleaner. I am also delighted by the regular deliveries of her Spam-based food parcels." The book will be published in hardback this Christmas, and Hodder is planning to pitch for general humour promotions.