The Future For Water Cleaning

Many companies are coming up with cleaning systems that use water only, claiming these to be sustainable since they remove the need for chemicals. But as water supplies dwindle, are such claims justified?

The future for water cleaning: Many companies are coming up with cleaning systems that use water only, claiming these to be sustainable since they remove the need for chemicals. But as water supplies dwindle, are such claims justified? Ann Laffeaty looks at arguments for and against water-based and chemical-based cleaning systems.

Products and systems were once considered to be environmentally-friendly if they minimised the use of potentially harmful chemicals. Manufacturers then began coming up with new, eco-friendly chemicals said to be less aggressive and kinder to the environment. Soon chemicals were dispensed with altogether in certain applications, and systems that used water alone - such as water-fed poles, microfibre cloths and high pressure cleaning machines – began to gain ground.

But the world is now facing a water crisis. A UN report issued this summer claimed that water supplies are falling while demand is growing at an unsustainable rate. In fact the average supply of water per person worldwide is expected to drop by a third over the next 20 years.
So does this mean that water-based cleaning systems are no longer sustainable?

Water-fed pole window cleaning is one of the services offered by facilities management services company OCS. Regional operations manager Michael Chambers admits that such systems require more water than traditional window cleaning methods using a ladder and squeegee.

Many advantages

“However I think the advantages of water-fed pole window cleaning outweigh the disadvantages, both from a financial and sustainability point of view,” he said. “For one thing this method allows you to clean windows 60 ft up, which is much better for the safety of staff than using ladders. Access equipment often runs on diesel, too, which can cause pollution. And traditional cleaning methods use chemicals whereas water-fed systems of course use only water.”

He adds that the extra water used for window cleaning is not wasted in any case. “All the run-off goes into the drains and ends up back in the system,” he said. “The fact that the water is pure means it is more or less equivalent to rainwater.”

High pressure cleaning also uses large quantities of water to remove dirt from indoor and outdoor surfaces. However this is still an eco-friendly cleaning method according to Karcher environmental PR David Wickel.

“The narrow diameter of a high pressure nozzle reduces water consumption considerably in comparison with an ordinary hose,” he said. “Furthermore, mechanical cleaning is an environmentally-friendly alternative to using chemicals, and in many cases leads to better cleaning results in a much shorter time.”

He argues that high pressure cleaning keeps chemical use to a minimum since detergent consumption can be reduced under higher pressure. “Pressure cleaners also have dosing devices that enable detergent to be added precisely and in minimal quantities.”

He claims Kärcher’s high pressure cleaners save up to 50 per cent more water, electricity and time than most other high pressure systems. In some cases, too – particularly in car-washing applications - the water can be recycled.

“With our WRH 1200 eco it is possible to recycle the oily waste water arising from washing engines and vehicle under-bodies with a high pressure cleaner,” he said. “Using this method, fresh water consumption can be reduced by as much as 85 per cent.”

Wickel adds that the company’s scrubber dryers can also be adapted to save water. “When using scrubber dryers with disk brushes, aquamisers –or aprons fitted behind the disks on the brush head - confine the cleaning solution to the area being cleaned,” he said. “This makes it possible to reduce water and detergent consumption by up to 30 per cent.”

PHS Washrooms offers a number of products designed to save water including flush control systems for toilets and urinals, and a water saver system for taps. When attached to a siphon in the toilet cistern, the Flush-wiser WC Flush Control can reduce the amount of water flushed by up to three litres according to marketing manager Keri Reynolds. “This can be adjusted to suit each cistern, taking into account cistern size and performance in order to make optimum
savings without compromising on hygiene,” she says.

Reduction in wastage

The PHS SaverTap is designed to make existing taps work more efficiently by preventing them from being allowed to be left to run. “This reduces water wastage by up to 80 per cent,” says Reynolds. “Using water more efficiently is a smart way for businesses to save energy and money, while also delivering on commitments to cut energy and resource wastage.

“The washroom is somewhere that energy-saving schemes can easily be put into action by installing products that are economical with water, yet still deliver the best performance and hygiene standards. As well as the financial benefits, by demonstrating your company’s water efficiency you may attract new, more environmentally-aware customers and employees.”

Nilfisk-Advance has developed a cleaning system said to cut water consumption by 50 per cent and reduce the need for detergents by between 35 and 100 per cent. The company’s Ecoflex System allows the operator to vary the quantity of detergent used and also to switch between chemical-free cleaning and water-only cleaning.

“The Ecoflex System enables the operator to select the right blend of pad pressure, water and detergent for any given task,” says group corporate responsibility manager Ulla Riber. “This means the decision on how to balance the use of detergent and water is managed at the point of cleaning which allows the operator to achieve the best possible results.”

The company also offers the Nilfisk-Advance Cyclone 4500 system which collects and filters waste water. All contaminants are removed and contained and the clean water is recycled and reused.

Needs protecting

“Water is a main component for delivering the highest standards of effective cleaning - but it is a natural resource and we all need to protect it,” says Ruber.

“There is no doubt that water will be high on the agenda in our industry in years to come. Both we and our customers see potential in developing products that provide equal or enhanced cleaning efficiency while using less energy, less water and less detergent. We want to take a key position in this development.”

Ecolab also aims to reduce the use of water during cleaning. However senior marketing communications manager Nick Burchell feels that water alone is rarely a substitute for chemicals in any case.

“If you want to remove limescale you will need an acid-based product, and if you want to disinfect a surface you will require a QAT-based or chlorine bleach product,” he said.

Chemicals are also sometimes required even when cleaning with microfibre, according to Burchell. In a 2005 laboratory study carried out by Ecolab, two surfaces were charged with pathogens and cleaned using different methods - one with microfibre plus chemicals and one with microfibre and
water alone.

“There was a significant log reduction when chemicals were used,” said Burchell. “Also the fresh smell associated with a chemical clean is often important. Patient studies in the UK have shown that if a hospital smells clean, patients feel that it must be clean. Cleaning methods that use water alone do not generate this clean smell.”

Ecolab offers a mop impregnation system for hospitals designed to be ergonomic for the cleaner while minimising the use of water and chemicals. The Vario Maxx Healthguard system is said to reduce water and chemical consumption by up to 80 per cent while also facilitating the task of hospital cleaning.

“We design our trolleys around the workforce and take into account how people use them,” said Burchell. “A calculation is made as to how many microfibre mops are required to clean each bay and ward, and these mops are then lined up in a box on the trolley ready for use.

“The mops are then moistened in a bucket that contains a powerful concentration of detergent plus two litres of water at most. This solution is absorbed by the mops so that they become only damp, with no wringing required.”

Ecolab also offers a rinse-free product for manual and machine cleaning that is said to save water. Magic Maxx contains a blend of active cleaning agents to create what Ecolab calls 'super-wetting technology'.

Diversey corporate communications director Rafael Echevarria agrees that besides any sustainability issues, water alone is not always an effective cleaning medium. “With a chemical-free system it is not necessarily the amount of water that is the issue,” he said. “The water will need to be hotter which gives rise to safety and environmental issues. Also more abrasion may be required which could lead to damage to the cleaning surface or the user. And when using water alone it may take significantly longer to clean which will lead to productivity and cost issues.”

He argues that chemicals play an important role in hygiene-critical environments such as kitchens and washrooms. “Although water alone could be used in these areas, the germs would have to be physically removed by microfibre or through thermal disinfection,” he said.

Scientific assessment

“Very few microfibre systems have been scientifically assessed for their ability to remove harmful bacteria. As regards thermal disinfection, you would have to use either very high temperatures for relatively long contact times, or steam. This may be fine in a closed system such as a laundry machine, but elsewhere there will be some environmental impact regarding how the water is heated, damage to materials and personal safety.”

He says it is misleading to categorically claim that water-only systems are more sustainable than those that use chemicals. However he adds that a sustainable cleaning regime should successfully balance both water and chemical use.

“Around 1.5 billion people live in river basins where water is physically scarce, while another billion live in river basins where water is economically scarce,” he said. “Water management and conservation is critical to any regime - cleaning or not. The water-only/chemical balance can be extremely complex and the only certain answer is: whatever the answer, it doesn’t apply to everyone.”

Four Generations Of Window Cleaning

Fourth generation swept into cleaning business: Four generations of Steve Altman’s family have been cleaning up. Literally. Altman’s great grandfather Max Webber started a window-washing business in Youngstown in 1904, which branched out into a janitorial company servicing office buildings. But window washing remained the mainstay of Webber’s bustling Youngstown Cleaning Company. “In those days, window washers hung from tall buildings with ropes when they washed windows,” Altman says. “Back then it was very dangerous, but now that the lifts have changed, it is much safer. OSHA has made sure of that.”

As the Youngstown community grew, so did Altman’s family’s business, which prospered with each generation that included his grandfather Milton Altman (pictured), his uncle Charles “Buddy” Altman and father Alan Altman. Upon graduation from Kent State University, where Altman even started a small cleaning company to pay his expenses, the Solon resident decided not to return to Canton to work with his father and uncle. “They wouldn’t pay me what I thought I was worth, and I never felt comfortable taking orders from people,” he says. Based on his working knowledge of the residential and commercial cleaning industry, Altman, 47, opened All-Pro Cleaning Services Inc. in Solon in 1984. He bought the family’s Youngstown Cleaning Company from his father and uncle 12 years later, and credits his successful running of both companies to his early hands-on apprenticeship.

“When I was 12 years old, I told my dad I wanted to help him, and he put me to work cleaning toilets,” he says. Starting from the bottom up “grounded me and gave me a strong sense of respect for the company’s workforce.” Over the years, Altman’s cleaning businesses morphed from residential, retail and office accounts (including offices of the CJN, Kent Hillel and Jewish Federation of Cleveland) into large institutional accounts. The 150-employee company has also expanded into the Akron/Canton area and Pittsburgh. As school districts and universities have tightened their belts in the recession, they have turned to professional cleaning companies like Altman’s because “our labor costs are much lower than their unionized maintenance workers,” he says.

“Doing business with Steve has been very positive because of his many years of experience and his easy accessibility,” says Jeffrey M. Kahn, president of NAI Daus commercial real estate firm. “When I have a maintenance issue, it is great to know he’s on the front line immediately straightening things out. The green movement has had a positive effect on the cleaning business. “In my great- grandfather’s day, he knew nothing about environmentally-friendly cleaning products,” Altman says. Other than clog cleaners, every item he now uses is suitable for LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) buildings. “When the Federation asked us to clean its new building, we went to our distributor and got green-certified products,” he says. His staff now uses vacuum cleaners with better filters and dust recovery and micro-fiber rags that are better for recycling.

Altman’s employees are working “greener” and smarter ever since 9/11, he says. “Every member of our staff is now trained in security, because they are often the only ones in a closed building at night,” he explains. But some aspects of Altman’s business have not changed since Max Webber washed his first window. “My great-grandfather built his business on the premise of an honest wage for an honest day’s work, and I follow the same ethical principles in all my dealings,” Altman says. “The family business was founded on a handshake, and it’s the same today.”

Will there be a fifth generation in the family business? “My wife Pam and I don’t want any of our three kids to come into the company unless they are ready to work hard,” Altman says. “I would rather they work for someone else and see what it is like on the other side of the broomstick.” Altman believes nepotism is often the biggest downfall of a family business. “It is unfair to give someone a job just because they are related to the owner – they have to earn their job, like my loyal employees have over the years,” he explains.

When Altman’s oldest son Blake, a business major at The Ohio State University, asked to work for his dad, Altman gave him the same job he began his career with: scrubbing toilets. “I was not going to give him preferential treatment,” he says. “After he helped one of my cleaning associates for a week cleaning 75 lavatories a night, he had a new respect for what I do for a living and for his co-workers. This business is not ‘show and tell,’ it’s real work. But it’s the kind of real work that prepares you for the future, whatever your career path may be.”

Window Cleaning News & Photos

A window washer does his best to clean up the view of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

THE PANES OF HALLOWEEN SPIRIT: Window cleaners from World Wide Window Cleaning Inc. wore hockey masks just like the character Jason of the "Friday the 13th" movies in observance of Halloween yesterday while cleaning the Century Square building in downtown Honolulu.

The heights some go to for sake of clean windows: My mom was a clean freak. I mean that in a nice way. She kept her floors so clean you could eat off them. We used to joke — if only Mom cooked well enough that if something did drop, you'd be willing to eat it off the floor. OK, we weren't really joking. Her real pride, though, wasn't her clean floors but her clean windows. She was fanatical about them. Smudges and smears didn't have a chance. I'd come home and find Mom hanging out the window, cleaning the outside. She'd be sitting on the window frame, her red head and upper torso outside and her legs dangling inside. No straps or hooks. Nothing to hold on to but a rag and some cleaning solution. The only thing that kept her from falling out head first was the window that she had closed on her mid-section. This maneuver would be a neat trick and a bit dangerous if the window was just a few feet off the ground. But we lived on the third floor of an apartment building. If the window had moved up or she reached too far, Mom would have created her own smudge marks on the second- and first-floor windows. Or if she leaned too far back, Mom would be left hanging upside down until one of us realized she wasn't just cleaning the window below.

You gotta be a real neat freak to risk your life for clean windows. That's what I told myself as I reached for a smudge on the upper corner of our living room window, gingerly standing on the top rung of a ladder that had taken me 17 feet up to the second story of our house. I thought of Mom and the sense of security she felt by having that strong, sturdy window pushing down on her midsection to keep her safe. Mom had a sturdy window.

I had my twin sons, whom hours earlier I had awakened, yelling at them for not cleaning the kitchen, leaving their clothes around and ignoring chores. Note to self: Don't yell at sons for frivolous things and then ask them to hold your life in the balance — literally. "I love you guys. You know that, right? You're holding the ladder tight, right?" I ignored the boys' laughter, focusing instead on the window. I saw Bonnie in the kitchen and remembered that she asked me to clean the windows so she could see the snow better when it falls. That made no sense when I was inside sitting on the couch. It made even less sense to me as I tried to find the smears. I tightened my grip on the ladder and knocked on the glass, yelling for her to get me more paper towels. She yelled back about having to stay by the stove to stir chili. I yelled back with a suggestion on what she could do with the chili and to get me some paper towels. I ignored the boys' laughter, quickly explained to Bonnie it was the altitude talking, and finished cleaning the window. Many of you, including my friends who used to regularly use a tight rope between skyscrapers, are thinking, "He's scared being up 17 feet?" Let me tell ya, reaching daring heights in order to earn a living is commendable. Reaching for a smudge at any height in order to see the snow fall is crazy.

President Obama took a hammering in the US mid-term elections this week - largely due to the Tea Party, the political movement which opposes "big" government and high taxes. In view of the current US Tea Party's success, we decided to hold our own tea parties around the UK to see what issues Sun readers would like the British government to address. Here Jenna Sloan highlights the views that emerged from our chats over cuppas and slices of Victoria sponge - the opinions which David Cameron really needs to pay attention to. Director Mark McClure (pictured center), 47, runs a window cleaning company in the nearby village of Bursledon. He said: "People are being squeezed very hard by the Government. That is having a knock-on effect for people such as me who run small businesses. "Next year VAT will jump to 20 per cent and I don't understand why I should be hit with more taxes when I will be creating jobs for people. "If I had my way I would not be punishing the businesses who need to prop up the economy."

About the owner Phil Humphrey: In October, Phil Humphrey celebrated his third year in the commercial business cleaning service. It was a pretty good decision actually. You see, Humphrey doesn’t just clean; he embraces the growing green concept and cleans with green cleaning supplies, equipment and methodology. A former insurance man, Humphrey retired after 20 years in that career and, with the “economy in the tank,” decided to move back into something to carry him through. He chose green cleaning.

“I believe it was a good decision,” he said plainly, adding that he has been living the “green lifestyle” for several years. Based in his home, EcoClean’s mission is twofold: clean for the sake of cleaning and clean to increase employee morale and overall health. “There have been studies that show, mainly through the Environmental Protection Agency, that some of the basic cleaning supplies used in offices are some of the worst in quality and safety,” he said. “My business aims to address that.”

When he started the business, Humphrey consulted the U.S. Green Building Council’s methodology, an often used “bible” among green believers. From there, Humphrey purchased inventory, including floor care equipment that is certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute for HEPA filtration. By cleaning green, Humphrey aims to eliminate as many volatile organic components in the workplace as possible. “I wanted to get into this business a few years back, but the timing just wasn’t right,” he said. Now having chosen it, Humphrey joins one of the fastest-growing markets in the country.

What’s unique about the business: Beyond regularly scheduled janitorial duties, EcoClean provides services in upholstery and carpet cleaning; window washing; floor stripping and refinishing and providing dispenser supplies. The company also provides recycling services by helping companies implement its own waste reduction and recycling plan. If you go and special deals: If your company decides to use EcoClean as a cleaning service, all new accounts will see 15 percent of the bill used for the Haitian Relief Fund. “It’s a cause that’s special to me because I’ve been there,” Humphrey said.

Pest control and cleaning company Rentokil Initial Plc (RTO.L: News ) Friday reported a rise in pre-tax profit for the third quarter, despite tough market conditions. The company also said it expects full-year performance in line with current market expectations. In its third-quarter update, the company said that on a continuing operations basis, pre-tax profit in the period increased 31% to GBP 39.3 million from GBP 30.0 million reported in the prior year. On a currency-neutral basis, pre-tax profit increased 33.9%. In Initial Facilities Services, revenue grew 6.9% from last year. Adjusted operating profit advanced 19.3% owing to actions taken in the second half of last year to streamline the business as well as the turnaround in the Retail and Window Cleaning businesses.

In January 2004, Jeanie Crumpton of New Albany was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle. She was placed on a heart transplant list. For five years, Crumpton sat by the phone with a bag packed, waiting for the call that would change her life. In 2009, she decided to start living again. "For a long time, I wasn't allowed out of a two-hour radius of Memphis," said Crumpton, 58. "Finally, last year they let me travel to Seattle to pick up my granddaughter and I've been going ever since. But I know my limitations." Crumpton had a commercial window-washing and chalet-cleaning business in Gatlinburg, Tenn., before retiring in 2003 and moving to Northeast Mississippi.

Tipton Town aiming to dump Carlisle Utd out of FA Cup: “We’ve got two carpenters, two scaffolders, a window-cleaner, a roofer, three salesmen, and an IT technician,” says Tipton Town’s captain, who sounds like he is offering to build you a school but is in fact talking you through the bunch of non-league players who bring their aspirations to Brunton Park this weekend. Carlisle United’s opponents on Saturday practically form a Yellow Pages of professions. This is nothing new in the Cup’s long history of pitching expensively-prepared professionals against enthusiastic amateurs..... Carlisle United  6 - 0 Tipton Town.

R.I.P. Mary F. Barnes, 94, of Wellsville, left this planet, whose joys and losses she celebrated during all of her life. Mary was born in Buffalo, at her grandmother’s house, on Aug. 4, 1916. She was the daughter of John H. and Mary F. (Vetter) Perry. After graduating from high school during the Depression, disguised as a boy, she worked as a window washer with her father.

How much should you plan to tip your housecleaner, child-care provider, or hairdresser this holiday season? The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a nationally representative survey early this year, when memories of holiday tips were fresh, to find out. Despite the recession, respondents who did tip spent at about the same rate as in years past. The highest median tip was $35, for the category of cleaning people, with a few service providers receiving thank-yous as high as $500. If you plan on offering gifts of thanks this holiday season, take these tips from Consumer Reports: Give cash equal to the value of one session or a week’s wage to self-employed or lower-wage earners.

Asia-Pacific represents the largest as well as the fastest growing market for flat glass, as stated by the new market research report on Flat Glass. The industry is also deriving growth from new smart-glass products such as electrochromic, switchable glass, self-cleaning window glass and heads-up display windscreens.

Cape business reports theft by window washer:  A money bag was reported stolen from Blind & Shutter Gallery on Del Prado Boulevard, according to a Cape Coral police report. A store worker told police a man washed their windows for $5, and allegedly took the money bag while she was helping a customer, according to the report. She discovered the bag was missing from a file cabinet after he left. The bag held $385 cash, along with a customer check and credit card number, according to the report. Other businesses in the area use the man to wash windows and did not know his name, according to the report, which lists no arrests.

A major event on the Tunbridge Wells calendar has been cancelled for next year – and could face being permanently scrapped. Organisers of the Hawkenbury Allotment Holders' Association show said the popular Dunorlan Park event was costing too much and have cancelled next September's show. The association's committee said the decision was taken "with great regret". Acting chairman Janet Sturgis warned the show was losing up to £4,000 a year and revealed almost half the entrance fees for the family extravaganza were used to hire a main marquee. She said: "It will not happen next year at Dunorlan Park, although we are not ruling it out for the future.

Mr Blake, of Southview Road, Tunbridge Wells, said people in the town had a "huge feeling for the show". He said: "The public are losing something they really love. Families come to the show to see the quirky side of gardening, to find out who has the biggest carrots or who has grown the largest pumpkin. They come to laugh at the ugly vegetables and watch the donkey derby. "It's one of the few things left in this town where young and old people mix together, which is affordable for everyone." The 45-year-old window cleaner said the committee didn't realise the affection the show had in the town. He said: "I'm damned if this is going without a fight."

Cleaning Shower Doors: In a recent article, we talked about the cleaning of shower doors, due to soap scum and calcium buildup. We received several comments and suggestions from readers that I thought I'd pass along. Marge Meyers uses a cleaner designed for smooth-top ranges. She finds it cleans not only the glass, but the chrome as well. She then follows this up with a regular window cleaner to prevent the stains from building up. Al B. finds that using an SOS pad works well, as it is inexpensive, quick and rinses fast. He also uses this on the shower floor.

Vandals hurl paint at Norwich pub: A Norwich pub which has recently been given a facelift has been targeted by vandals who have thrown pots of red and pink paint at the building. Part of the front of the Heartsease pub has been cordoned off with police tape to stop people from accessing the area where paint has been splashed up the window and recently-painted white walls of the building. Police are investigating the vandalism, which is believed to have happened at the Plumstead Road pub at about 11.45pm on Tuesday. People living in the area were shocked to discover the state of the pub, which had just been given a fresh lick of paint a few days ago. Steve Moy, 52, a window cleaner, said he was told last week to come clean the windows on Wednesday as they would have finished painting the pub by then. He said: “I came up in the morning and it was a bit of a mess. It shocked me, They’ve only just painted the pub,”

What do AYI's (local maid in China) talk about when they get together, we wonder? “We make payment comparisons and gossip about clients.” So what is it that makes a good client? “Someone who speaks their mind; I’m not afraid to get feedback. If I make a mistake, let me know. I hate those who are picky but only say bad words behind an ayi’s back.”What about the most unusual request she has ever had? “Another of my clients wanted me to climb outside of his window and do cleaning. He lives on the 8th floor – he’s crazy!”

Meanwhile, the Country Music Association has named Dewey Twiddle, an unemployed Nashville window washer, as its preseason Songwriter of the Year, even though Twiddle has never written a song. "I can't sing, read music, or play an instrument, so this is quite an honor," said Twiddle.

6,514 Windows - Greening The Empire State Building

How the Empire State Building Is Pioneering the Future of Energy Efficiency - Greening the world’s most iconic skyscraper. The Empire State's State Iconic but aging, the Empire State was an energy suck. Now its undergoing an energy overhaul that will cut its energy consumption by nearly 40 percent.

The Empire State Building, arguably the world’s most famous office tower, is 1,472 vertical feet of historic American real estate. It also contains 2.8 million square feet of office space, constructed to the energy efficiency standards of the early 1930s. So when Anthony Malkin took over management of the building several years ago, he also inherited an $11 million annual energy bill and a problem: How could he turn the iconic but aging building into a 21st-century office tower?

Now, a sweeping $13.4 million energy retrofit is slashing the Empire State Building’s energy consumption by nearly 40 percent and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 105,000 metric tons over the next 15 years while trimming $4.4 million from annual energy costs. We took a firsthand look at what such a massive and meaningful project looks like, starting in a nondescript corner of the fifth floor where the Empire State Building is turning two-decade-old glass into future dollars.

 It’s here that 100 double-pane windows per day are ripped from their aging frames, put through a rigorous cleaning process, treated with a thin UV-resistant film, and pumped full of pressurized argon and krypton gasses that improve their insulation values. By the time the retrofit is complete, all 6,514 windows will have been refurbished at a cost more than $1,600 per window less expensive than replacing them would be.

The window rehab – and other projects like it – reduces the energy load on the building, which in turn allows the engineers behind the retrofit to find efficiencies elsewhere. It’s all part of an 8-point plan that will eventually reduce the building’s energy consumption by 38.4 percent and its expenses by a few million dollars each year. With a footprint the size of the Empire State Building’s, that’s game-changing not just for the building, but also for the city and the world.

“Eighty percent of the energy consumed in New York City is consumed by buildings,” says Malkin, who is president of Malkin Holdings, part-owner of the Empire State Building. “Not by cars, not by buses, not by taxis, not by subways, not by trains. Even more interestingly, 20 percent of the buildings consume 80 percent of that energy. So 64 percent of all energy consumed in New York City is consumed by 20 percent of the buildings. That really took me by surprise.”

The Empire State Building fell into that energy-sucking 20 percent, so perhaps it was no surprise that the Clinton Climate Initiative took an interest in the building. In 2007, a representative for CCI approached Malkin seeking a building in which to demonstrate the foundation’s green retrofit program. Malkin was in the midst of a massive renovation project spanning his company’s entire portfolio, so he offered up a building at Broadway and 35th street in Midtown Manhattan.

The CCI pressed for something bigger. If it could turn the world-renowned Empire State into a model for efficiency, the whole world would take notice. At the time, the Empire State Building consumed the same amount of energy as 40,000 single-family homes, a figure that is unfortunately not unique; 43 percent of office space in New York City was constructed before the end of World War II, much of it comprising that 20 percent of buildings consuming the majority of the city’s energy. Greening the Empire State Building and skyscrapers like it wouldn’t just benefit real estate owners and their tenants; it would significantly move the dial on the entire city’s energy consumption.

Malkin agreed for reasons both altruistic and self-interested. “This is all about making money,” Malkin says bluntly of the retrofit. “To me, the whole concept of ‘green’ is a misnomer. The world is getting greenwashed. If you can’t prove it economically, it doesn’t matter.” Malkin and the CCI set out to prove not only that enhanced energy efficiency is a cost-effective means of controlling expenses, but to create an economically feasible model that can be implemented by any building anywhere.

“If we succeeded only at the Empire State Building, we failed,” Malkin says. “It had to be broadly adoptable and malleable, and it had to be quantitative." To create a cost-effective retrofit regimen, the project would have to be carefully managed. Malkin and the Empire State Building brought in technology and management experts from Johnson Controls and real estate consultants Jones Lang Lasalle, as well as the green-thinkers at the Rocky Mountain Institute, to craft a suite of technologies that not only incrementally reduce energy consumption but that have a multiplying effect on one another that generates further efficiency.

For Paul Rode, business development director for building efficiency at Johnson Controls, this synergistic effect was crucial. The retrofit team considered more than 60 off-the-shelf technologies and practices. They came up with eight initiatives that together were more effective than the sum of their parts. “If we take any one of these items out, the overall reduction values of the others change disproportionately,” he says.

The technology package attacks the problem from three sides. First, the team found ways to reduce the existing load on the building’s infrastructure by rehabbing the windows, installing better insulation behind the more than 6,500 radiators in the building and outfitting offices with occupancy sensors, better lighting controls, and layouts that maximize natural daylight. They also improved the efficiency of existing systems, retrofitting (rather than replacing) the chiller plant and replacing old air handling equipment with fewer and more efficient units.

The third component entails smartly controlling energy use. New York City’s tallest building is now home to America’s largest wireless control system. Carbon dioxide sensors throughout the building determine exactly how much outside air needs to be brought into the building at a given time, cutting down on unnecessary circulation, and occupancy sensors allow the building to better allocate air and manage lighting. And the Empire State's wireless thermostat sensors, unlike the hard-wired variety, can be moved around an office space to ensure they are placed where the temperature is average (rather than, say, tucked behind the copier or coffee machine where they record a falsely warm ambient temperature).

The same occupancy sensors that manage air allocation and lighting also tell the building’s management which offices are leaving the lights or the coffee maker on when no one is around. Offices are individually metered – and billed – and metering information is archived and provided to tenants online so they can see when and how they are using the most energy. That kind of meaningful information helps tenants manage thier behaviors to trim their own energy use – and expense. The Empire State Building's management is a partner in the entire process, helping each tenant figure out how it can reduce its load on the building.

“Tenants are drawn to us because tenants’ largest three expenses are salary, rent, and utilities,” Malkin says. “The ability to control expense is extremely important. The work that we are doing is not just from the perspective of our own building systems, but we’ve created a suite of services to help tenants achieve things that give them tremendous payback for their own spaces, their own investments.”

As for Malkin’s investment, he’s paying out $13.4 million incrementally for the retrofit, an investment that should save him $4.4 million per year. That means his capital investment in green tech will pay for itself in just three years, two years ahead of schedule. And by creating a competitive advantage for tenants, the building creates a monetary incentive for tenants to be conscious of their own energy consumption. Which, as Malkin is quick to point out, is how you really initiate change. “It’s not just about doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing,” he says. “It’s about making money by doing the right thing.”

Empire State Building - More Here.

Are You A Green-Wash Window Cleaner?

What does green' mean? By Julie DearDorff/Chicago Tribune

These days, going green seemingly is a breeze: Pesticides, SUVs, laptops, bottled water, coal, airlines, cruise ships and dry cleaners all promise that they're "friendly," "gentle" and "kind to the planet." Unfortunately, there probably is no such thing as an "eco-friendly" product since all use resources to create some amount of waste. Environmentalists argue ad infinitum about what "green" really means. And though the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, is supposed to crack down on fraudulent advertising, critics say the agency hasn't kept pace with the burgeoning number of misleading environmental claims.

The result is that consumers are often flooded by greenwash, the practice of disingenuously spinning a product, service or policy as greener than it actually is. Think whitewashing with an eco-brush. One environmental marketing firm, TerraChoice, found some form of greenwashing in 98 percent of the more than 2,219 products with environmental claims that it surveyed. But since no one really knows what "green" means - and marketers have relatively outdated FTC guidelines - consumers are left to sort out which green companies are the real deal.

"The good news is that consumers are taking environmental performance into account when making buying decisions," said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center, which is starting to look at which wireless service providers might be truly green. "But if people pay good green dollars to get green performance, the environmental results should justify the investment." Even if you haven't heard the term "greenwashing" which originally referred to hotels making inconsequential environmental changes, you've likely seen it.

A well-known example is the bottled water company that uses a picture of Mother Nature to advertise its product. Greenwashing could be a "biodegradable" label on a product that ends up in a landfill, where it won't decompose. At its worst, greenwashing is outright fraud: Last February the FTC warned 78 retailers, including Wal-mart, Target and Kmart, to stop labeling and advertising rayon textile products as "bamboo" which is considered an environmentally friendly fiber. Fearing that "green" will end up as meaningless as "natural," marketers, environmentalists and business alliances are sponsoring anti-greenwashing conferences across the nation. At the University of Oregon, journalism professors have helped create a tool called "The Greenwashing Index," an initiative designed to draw attention to issues with environmental messages.

The FTC, meanwhile, is expected to release revised environmental marketing guidelines, called The Green Guides, later this year, which some say hope will signal the start of a greenwashing crackdown. When the guides were last updated in 1998, words such as "sustainable" and "carbon neutral" were rarely used. "Greenwashing is confusing to consumers; it takes away business from reputable companies and, most of all, it delays change," said Marilyn Jones, the owner of Consolidated Printing Co. in Chicago, a printing company that uses natural alternatives to conventional printing chemicals. "Why would a dry cleaner or printer become green if they can lie about doing it?"

Though greenwashing is prevalent in all industries, from energy to travel, it's especially controversial in the dry cleaning world, where companies are scrambling to find alternatives to the hazardous chemical percholoroethylene, or perc, which is classified as a "likely" human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency. A Chicago-area discount dry cleaning chain, Dry Clean Direct, which uses the hydrocarbon technology, proclaims "We're the Green Cleaners!" The company recycles hangers, uses biodegradable plastic bags and calls its petroleum-based solvent - "environmentally friendly." "Save Money, Save the Planet," the company urges.

But Frankel worries that companies like Dry Clean Direct are clouding the issue and making it hard for consumers to figure out what green cleaning really is. "If a chemical company is recycling paper, are they green?" Frankel asked. "The core process of what you do needs to be sustainable, not the peripheral things you do to market yourself as green." Dry Clean Direct CEO Yale Gordon has a different perspective. "It's different views on green," he said. "Some folks say you're only green if you're wet cleaning. But you need to look at the entire business rather than an isolated component."

These differing philosophies show that "green is a continuum" said Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice. "Consumers need to understand there is no finish line. Recycling coat hangers is a nice step, but when you focus the consumer's attention on or two minor improvements you hide a bunch of the environmental hazards."Case calls this the "sin of the hidden tradeoff' because it often works to distract consumers from the larger environmental issues.

"Greenwashing is often committed by well-intentioned people asking the wrong questions," said Case, taking a break from meetings during the Green Products Round Table in Boca Raton, Fla. a conference held to address greenwashing. "They're exaggerating the environmental benefits or perhaps not asking themselves the right questions about how to improve the environmental service." Consumers, who generally find energy and car companies as the worst greenwashers, can protect themselves by asking their own questions, said Kim Sheehan, a journalism professor at the University of Oregon and co-creator of the Greenwashing Index. "If a company uses green colors, trees, leaves, any type of nature symbol, dig a little deeper to see if they can back up their 'eco-friendliness,'" Sheehan said.

HOW TO AVOID GREENWASHING:

Watch for the sneaky six. The following six words: eco, earth, green, friendly, gentle or kind. They can be mixed and matched to create a phrase that sounds green but means nothing, said Kim Sheehan, co-creator of the EnviroMedia Greenwashing Index. Look for third-party certifying seals. Since there are more than 350 different eco-seals, you have to look carefully. EcoLogo, Green Seal, Energy Star and Watersense are all considered trustworthy. Also look for the Forest Stewardship Council, the FTC, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Use Google. Though far from scientific, try googling the company name plus the word "environment" and see what pops up. "If consumers or environmental advocates have a beef with the company's track record, something's bound to pop up," according to the Greenwashing Index Web site. Know TerraChoice's "Seven Sins of Greenwashing." These include the "sin of no proof" (tissues that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence), "the sin of vagueness" (all-natural isn't necessarily green since poisonous substances such as arsenic and mercury are also "natural"), the "sin of irrelevance" (a product labeled CFC-free doesn't mean much since CFCs are banned by law) and the "sin of lesser of two evils (the fuel efficient sport-utility vehicle).

Window Cleaners: Social Networking, Bananas & Vinnie Jones

Local businesses use social networking: Social-networking sites may seem like just a way to meet new people, but for Tony and Dawn Evans, social networking helped their business take off. Five years ago, when Tony Evans quit his job at a Wal-Mart deli, he knew very little about window cleaning. Today, he and his wife — also known as Mr. and Mrs. Squeegee — use social-networking sites to get in touch with other business owners and clientele. Online forums have been a huge help to the Evanses in their business, New View Window Cleaning. Window cleaners gather on the sites to discuss methods and new technology, post videos, and even arrange conferences, he said. “I’m pretty active in some window-cleaning forums where we get a lot of our information,” he said. “It helps us to cut down on our learning curve.” He also joined the social-networking site Twitter around a month ago and has amassed around 60 followers. For Mr. and Mrs. Squeegee, social networking has become essential to the operation of their business. “We were getting responses within the first couple of months from the website,” Evans said. “It’s been very, very beneficial for our business.”

Eric's 'banana' tumour ordeal: It was a mammoth operation to remove a mammoth brain tumour. In fact it took 18-and-a-half hours at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital to cut out a tumour the length of a banana and twice as wide. Now Eric Holden, aged 63, is recovering from his ordeal, grateful that specialised brain equipment funded by a Sheffield charity could be used to help save his life. He was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in July 2008, after losing his reading sight. "When I was told I had a brain tumour it was a real shock, mainly because I didn't have any headaches or fits. I just lost my reading sight. I'd been to the opticians to tell them my glasses weren't strong enough but after new lenses failed to correct the problem, I was referred to the hospital for a field test.
"I failed this miserably, so I was referred for an MRI scan, which found I had a brain tumour entangled in my optic nerve. It was as long as a banana and twice as wide. I just couldn't believe something so big could fit in such a small space… "I was told the tumour needed to be removed so, soon after being diagnosed, I underwent a massive 18-and-a-half-hour operation. Surgeons removed the tumour using a microscope and endoscopic drill. "Although the operation went really well, I did have a long recovery time. For weeks after I slept constantly and my surgeon, Dr Tom Carroll, was really worried. But I was a lot better after a month or so. "After that I had Gamma Knife treatment to shrink the rest of the tumour. I won't know whether that has been successful for a few months yet. But my sight improved as soon as I had Gamma Knife treatment, which was a relief." Specialised equipment was funded by Neurocare, a charity which supports the neurosciences department at the Royal Hallamshire.
Doctors told him that without the operation he would have died. "But a factor which also played a part in my survival was my fitness level. Because I used to be a window cleaner, my fitness level was exceptional – in fact that of a 30-year-old. At my age that is pretty good going and it helped to save my life. "It's been a tough couple of years. Just before I was diagnosed one of my three children, Kristopher, who had cerebral palsy, passed away. Then this happened. My wife Patricia has been brilliant, a complete star. "We've been happily married for 46 years. She's the most wonderful person I could ever meet and she helped me enormously in my recovery.
"As for now, things have started to settle down a bit, although having to stop work has really impacted my life because I used to love it so much. I hope to get my fitness level back so one day maybe I can clean some windows again. But I feel brilliant again, so I'm grateful for that. I now need a new knee and then I'll be raring to go!" After hearing of the success of Eric's operation and the size of his tumour, The May Hearnshaw Trust made a donation of £35,000 to Neurocare, which helped to finance another piece of revolutionary equipment, the Skull Base Endoscope. It allows surgeons to operate more easily on life-threatening brain tumours in the skull base, which are particularly hard to reach.

Vehicle-mounted access platform - CTE lift: Specialist window-cleaning contractor RJ Norris has recently started using a CTE ZED21J vehicle-mounted access platform from CTE UK to be able to clean a wider range of buildings. The ZED21J is said to incorporate a sigma boom with a fly-jib to offer 21m maximum working height and access to windows and fascias even when there is an obstruction between the vehicle and working area.
The ZED21J has a maximum working load of 200kg in all possible configurations – enough, says CTE UK, for two average-sized people and up to 40kg of tools, with 10m outreach from 1 to 14m above ground level in a straight vertical line. Performance includes full and continuous 360o turret rotation for all-round access, with true zero tail-swing, which is important when working in narrow streets.
The company adds that simple controls inside the basket and at ground level allow users to operate the platform very easily. The boom and basket can be positioned using just one hand. The maximum working height of 21m is achieved by straightening the entire boom and fly-jib using the same controls. The vehicle can be driven by anyone with a normal ‘Category B’ car licence.

A Green Certification Adds Value To Any Company: The Green Business Leagues sister company Green Clean Institute has just certified Clean World USA. Clean World USA has received the Gold Certification from the Green Clean Institute, which is the highest level of Green Certification that a Janitorial firm can receive. They are located in the South Carolina area and are a large corporation that has made tremendous strides on developing a Green program in their company. Getting a Gold certification requires more than just token effort, it requires janitorial firms to educate, and implement green techniques and practices to their operations.

Police today renewed an appeal for help in finding a 33-year-old-man who has gone missing in Grove. Alexander Wileman was last seen leaving his home in Albermarle Drive on Wednesday, February 3, to go to work as a self-employed window cleaner. He was driving a white Citroen van at the time, with Red Star Window Cleaning written on the sides. Mr Wileman is described as white, 6ft tall, of medium build with cropped black hair. Police said they believed he was wearing a multi-coloured top like the one pictured. A police spokesman said: "Alexander’s partner received a letter saying that he was going to stay away. "He is a vulnerable person and Thames Valley Police appeals for his safe return. If you see him, please contact police immediately on 0845 8 505 505."

How to turn your children into nice little earners: Earning money not only lets parents off the hook (somewhat), it is good practice for later life, and might even help them acquire such useful skills as how to turn up on time, or sort out fractious infants. The problem is where to find these jobs. Shops won’t take under-16s, and often prefer responsible 18-year-olds. Waiting at parties isn’t an option for under-18s, who aren’t allowed to serve alcohol. And so few people now get their newspaper delivered in my area that the traditional boy on a bicycle has pedalled into history: our newsagent does drop-offs in his car. Sweeping up leaves and running errands for elderly neighbours are nice ideas, gleaned from the internet, though it takes a hard heart to charge the neighbour for fetching her milk from the corner shop. Window cleaning or grooming unfamiliar pets I would not encourage, because a trip to A & E after a fall from a ladder or a savage bite would be a bore.

Vinnie Jones: The Window Cleaner? What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I bought a window cleaning round from a bloke when I was 17 – you buy a book with the addresses. People came out of their houses shouting: ‘What are you cleaning my windows for? Bugger off.’ He’d made the whole thing up. I was thinking it would make me a millionaire but it ended halfway down my street. I’d borrowed the £300 for the book; it may as well have been £3million. Not only did I not I have a business, I had a £300 debt.

DEPARTMENTAL INFO, WINDRUSH DR.: A resident who initially reported that he had arrived home to find footprints in the snow around his house called back on Saturday to notify police that the prints were those of a window-washer, as evidenced by an invoice he had later found.

Google unveils virtual glass elevator that lets you fly around the world (Melbourne): The Liquid Galaxy project is an interactive booth with wraparound LCD screens, reports News.com.au. Screens show synchronised views via Google Earth and you can use a six-axis mouse to move your way through air and water. The video was taken by Mashable staff at a live demo by creator Jason Holt at TED. "With the Liquid Galaxy, we could fly through the Grand Canyon, leap into low-Earth orbit, and come back down to perch on the Great Pyramid of Giza without even breaking a sweat." The effect is stunning. Take a look at the video.

About 1400 customers in Melbourne’s west are still without power, after lightning during yesterday’s storms struck transformers and strong winds blew tree branches and debris across power lines. The storms were also bad news for three men who fell while cleaning out roof gutters or carrying out repairs during the wild weather. A 67-year-old man tumbled more than three metres and dislocated his shoulder when his ladder buckled during his roof repairs at Springvale South. A second man, 48, fell from a ladder while cleaning his roof gutters at Red Hill, while a 63-year-old man injured his chest and ribs after falling while cleaning gutters in Boronia. Ambulance Victoria paramedic team manager Carmel Rogers should people should consider checking their homes before predicted weekend storms hit. "Carrying out repairs in the rain is quite hazardous with the potential for the ladder to slip," she said. Emergency crews are continuing to mop up after the devastating thunderstorm, which dumped more than 30 millimetres of rain over inner Melbourne in less than two hours.

Window Cleaner Rescue, Swine Flu + Window Cleaning News

Firefighters Rescue Window Washer After Lines Jam (BALTIMORE) : A window washer got stuck 12 stories in the air at a Baltimore high rise Tuesday. Weijia Jiang reports the man was in the 800-block of Lancaster Street in Harbor East working several stories up when his lines jammed, affecting his ability to maneuver around. "The mechanism that allows him to go up and down to wash windows is powered by a motor, which malfunctioned," said Kevin Cartwright with the Baltimore City Fire Department. Fire department members were able to secure the man with a rope and safely get him inside the building. Witnesses say the man stayed calm while he was hanging in the air. "That's the thing about it, you can't think about it because if you think about it, you can't do what we do. It takes a lot of courage to do what we do. We're out here in the snow, the rain, the sun," said foreman Roland Boyer. "This is what we do. This is our job." The window washer was not hurt. He has not been identified.

Cowtown Cracks Down on Signs - Popular hamburger joint ordered to remove name from window: As part of a crackdown on signs, city inspectors on Tuesday ordered Kincaid’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie Boulevard to scrape its name off its front window or face fines of $500 per day. An ordinance passed two years ago forbids businesses from having signs or lettering that block more than 10 percent of a window. The law, aimed at cleaning up clutter, also limits the use of temporary and permanent signs. The owner of the iconic hamburger joint, which opened in 1946, said he is puzzled by the order to remove the sign. "We don't consider it offensive,” said Kincaid’s owner Ron Gentry. “There's nothing about it that would upset anyone. Obviously, the city is upset about it."
At least two other businesses near Kincaid’s also received similar orders. The owner of a salon was given two days to remove a sign from her window, which advertises the services she sells, such as manicures and facials. "And I'm like, ‘OK, so you're telling me I have to take it off?’” the owner of Salon One recalled asking the inspector. “And he said, ‘You have to take it off except for three lines.’” Next door, a small business that sells cupcakes was ordered to remove a temporary sign with two helium-filled balloons out front. City managers said the inspector was just doing his job, enforcing a law designed to make the city look better. "We're not trying to negatively impact anyone's business,” said David Hall, assistant manager of Fort Worth’s planning department. “The ultimate goal is compliance with the law, and we'll give people enough time to come into compliance." He noted that businesses can appeal the orders to the city’s Board of Adjustment. The owner of Kincaid’s said city leaders should rethink the entire ordinance. "That signage is very important for these small independent businesses,” Gentry said. “There aren't a lot of chains up and down Camp Bowie… and we need our signage so people can see us." Several customers echoed his comments and said the advertising is harmless. “I love the sign, I love the burger, and I see no reason for the sign to go,” said one man. Hall said the city is enforcing the sign ordinance all over the city, not just along Camp Bowie.

H1N1 Flu Is a False Pandemic, Health Expert Claims: A leading health expert said the swine flu scare was a "false pandemic" led by drug companies that stood to make billions from vaccines, The Sun reported Monday. Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, claimed major firms organized a "campaign of panic" to put pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic. He believes it is "one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century," and he has called for an inquiry. An emergency debate on the issue will be held by the Council of Europe later this month. The Council of Europe covers 47 European countries and seeks to develop common and democratic principles between the nations.
Wodarg said, "It's just a normal kind of flu. It does not cause a tenth of deaths caused by the classic seasonal flu. "The great campaign of panic we have seen provided a golden opportunity for representatives from labs who knew they would hit the jackpot in the case of a pandemic being declared. "We want to clarify everything that brought about this massive operation of disinformation. We want to know who made decisions, on the basis of what evidence, and precisely how the influence of the pharmaceutical industry came to bear on the decision-making." He added: "A group of people in the WHO is associated very closely with the pharmaceutical industry." The WHO recently reaffirmed its stance that the pandemic is not over. However, the number of swine flu deaths is dramatically lower than expected.
In an interview with France's L'Humanite Sunday, Wodarg also raised concerns about swine flu vaccines. "The vaccines were developed too quickly. Some ingredients were insufficiently tested," he said. "But there is worse to come. The vaccine developed by Novartis was produced in a bioreactor from cancerous cells, a technique that had never been used until now. "This was not necessary. It has also led to a considerable mismanagement of public money. "The time has come at last for us to make demands on governments. The purpose of the inquiry is to prevent more false alarms of this type in the future." "We must make sure people can rely on the analysis and the expertise of national and international public institutions. The latter are now discredited, because millions of people have been vaccinated with products with inherent possible health risks." Also see here.

Joy Braband of Glencoe and Justin Richter of Brooklyn Park announce their engagement and plans to marry on Feb. 27 at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie. Parents of the couple are Jon and Jodi Braband of Glencoe, Maureen Hanley of Fargo, N.D., and Kurt Richter of Oak Grove. Braband is a 2008 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and is a second-year student in phsyical therapy at the Mayo School of Health Sciences in Rochester. Richter owns Richter Window Cleaning Service and is a student at the University of Minnesota, Rochester campus, majoring in nursing.

More states are requiring schools and government buildings to use environmentally friendly cleaning products, raising debate about their costs and benefits. In New York, schools that responded to a state survey said their costs went up 10 percent, on average, in the first year they complied with a 2005 cleaning law. But New York's Office of General Services said successful programs reduce levels of cleaning chemicals, mold and dust that cause asthma attacks, a top reason students miss school.

Owners' plea for return of precious puppy Lola: Despairing Lisa and John Creaghan are offering "a generous reward" after a thief took their English bull terrier from John's van while he was window cleaning at a house in the hamlet of Highbrook, near Ardingly. The five-month-old red and white puppy called Lola is microchipped and John and Lisa think an "opportunist thief" may have taken her after expecting to find tools or other valuables in John's van. Lisa, of Bolnore Village, said: "She means so much to us. She is my life." Anyone who knows of Lola's whereabouts should ring Sussex Police on 0845 60 70 999 or anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.