Flush for Good Campaign to Provide Safer Sanitation and Improved Quality of Life for 5.5 Million People in Developing Countries by 2017 View Videos: American Standard’s Flush for Good Campaign PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 30, 2014) – In 2013, respected plumbing manufacturer American Standard donated 533,352 SaTo sanitary toilet pans to help reduce the transmission of Read more
General News
Flush for Good Campaign to Provide Safer Sanitation and Improved Quality of Life for 5.5 Million People in Developing Countries by 2017
View Videos: American Standard’s Flush for Good Campaign
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 30, 2014) – In 2013, respected plumbing manufacturer American Standard donated 533,352 SaTo sanitary toilet pans to help reduce the transmission of disease and improve quality of life in Bangladesh. Many of these SaTos were distributed to the needy in 2013, with the remainder being distributed and installed this year. This donation is expected to impact the lives of an estimated 2.5 million people by providing safer sanitation facilities.
In addition, American Standard made a Commitment to Action with the Clinton Global Initiative in October 2013, pledging to improve sanitation and quality of life for three million people around the world from 2014 through 2017 through the use of SaTos. Including the 2.5 million residents of Bangladesh receiving safer sanitation assistance during 2013 and 2014, American Standard will reach an estimated 5.5 million people by 2017.
This commitment is an important piece of the Flush for Good campaign launched by American Standard in 2013, with an aim of increasing awareness of the global sanitation crisis and creating innovative solutions to help prevent the spread of disease caused by lack of safe sanitation facilities in developing countries. In early 2013, American Standard unveiled the SaTo (pronounced SAH-toh, derived from Safe Toilet) sanitary toilet pan, invented to work without sewer infrastructure. The SaTo uses ingeniously simple mechanical and water seals to close off pit latrines from the open air, thereby reducing the transmission of disease and odor.
Careful planning took place during the research and development process to ensure that the SaTo pan incorporated local bathroom practices while being affordable for the local population to purchase. American Standard created partnerships with local manufacturing companies so the product could be made in Bangladesh at a low cost, thus maintaining a sustainable business model. Distribution throughout the country has been aided through various NGOs that include BRAC, WaterAid and Save the Children.
Field tests of these toilet pans received extremely positive feedback by users, who found the SaTo toilet pans easy to use and effective at reducing disease transmission and odor as well.
Following this success, American Standard sent a team of product engineers to Zambia and Kenya in the fall of 2013 to learn about the specific sanitation needs in this part of the world and begin developing an appropriate solution. Scarcity of water in these regions of Africa presents a different challenge as compared to Bangladesh, and requires the development of a new latrine pan prototype.
Creating a sanitation solution as part of a sustainable business model is also part of the latrine pan development for Sub-Saharan Africa. The company’s goals is to once again deliver an improved sanitation experience that is affordable to the local population.
Worldwide, 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. Every day, 2,000 children die from diseases caused by this lack of proper sanitation. The United Nations has set a 2015 Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people who lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
“American Standard has been dedicated to raising the standard of sanitation since the very beginning,” said Jay Gould, president and CEO of American Standard. “The Flush for Good campaign represents the newest chapter in this proud history. It is an honor and a privilege to have the ability to make such a difference in so many people’s lives.”
For more information on this announcement, visit www.americanstandard.com or www.flushforgood.com.
Though the Kampani School and Clinic in the Zimbabwe’s remote Tsholotsho District aren’t far from the world famous Victoria Falls, it had been twenty years since either had a reliable source of fresh drinking water. Women and children walked an average of seven miles a day to haul surface water by bucket—and many of the Read more
Though the Kampani School and Clinic in the Zimbabwe’s remote Tsholotsho District aren’t far from the world famous Victoria Falls, it had been twenty years since either had a reliable source of fresh drinking water. Women and children walked an average of seven miles a day to haul surface water by bucket—and many of the clinic’s patients suffered from water-borne diseases. That all dramatically changed in 2013 when Franklin Electric’s Franklin Wells for the World Foundation (FWWF) installed five wells in the region powered by Franklin’s innovative new SubDrive SolarPAK pumping system. Now more than 12,000 people—many for the first time in their lives—have easy access to clean water.
According to Franklin CEO Scott Trumbull, “Five thousand children a day die in Africa of water-borne diseases. But that problem could be solved if they could get to the aquifers 200 feet under their feet. We established Franklin Wells for the World Foundation in 2009 to address that problem.”
Since then, FWWF has installed wells in Kenya, Sudan, Botswana and Zimbabwe using Franklin’s proven submersible pump systems powered by diesel generators. With the introduction of the new SubDrive SolarPAK in 2012, Franklin saw an opportunity to make new FWWF installations even more efficient and reliable.
“With the SubDrive SolarPAK system there are no moving parts other than the highly reliable pump that is 200 feet underground,” explains Trumbull, “So it will be a much longer lasting solution for those communities.”
In fact, SubDrive SolarPAK technology gives water pump installers and users the option to use solar as the power source on virtually any 4” well. The rugged, high-output system is capable of a wide range of applications, including irrigation systems, tank and cistern filling, renewable energy projects and rural water supply for villages, cottages and homesteads. Thanks to the SolarPAK’s variable frequency drive (VFD), the pump produces water even on cloudy days or with minimal sunlight.
Besides the Kampani School and clinic, FWWF also installed new wells at the nearby Jabulani, Jakalasi, Mpindo and Zigo schools. Because the SubDrive SolarPAK system is designed to deliver higher flow rates than most existing solar powered products, each one of the new Zimbabwe installations is able to fill large, above-ground water tanks at the rate of 5,000 to 10,000 liters a day.
“Each one of those will provide enough water for drinking, bathing and garden irrigation,” says FWWF Project Leader Attie Jonker. “For many of the people in the region—especially the children—that’s literally the difference between life and death.”
To view a video of the applications by Franklin Wells for the World in Africa narrated by Scott Trumbull, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVgOS38TL_I
For more information about Franklin Wells for the World Foundation and the SubDrive SolarPAK system, visit www.fwwf.org and www.franklin-electric.com/solar.
Wilo USA, a provider of pumps and pump solutions for water management, building services and groundwater, has promoted Mark Schmittzeh to the position of National Sales Manager for its Building Services sector. Mark started with Wilo in 2010 as a District Sales Manager and was later promoted to Regional Sales Manager in the Northeast. He Read more
Wilo USA, a provider of pumps and pump solutions for water management, building services and groundwater, has promoted Mark Schmittzeh to the position of National Sales Manager for its Building Services sector. Mark started with Wilo in 2010 as a District Sales Manager and was later promoted to Regional Sales Manager in the Northeast. He will continue to represent the Northeast while serving in his new capacity.
Before joining Wilo, Mark was the director of sales and marketing for Blackman Plumbing Supply, a plumbing and HVAC supplier with 22 showrooms and branches in the metropolitan New York area.
Wilo USA LLC, 9550 W. Higgins Rd. #300, Rosemont, IL 60018
Phone: 888-945-6872, Fax: 888-945-6873
Email: info@wilo-usa.com, Internet: www.wilo-usa.com
SaTo Hygienic Toilet Pans, Invented by Subsidiary American Standard Brands, Provide Interim Solution to Sanitation Problems LIXIL Corporation, a global leader in the housing products and building materials industry, announced that in collaboration with American Standard Brands, its wholly owned subsidiary in the U.S., it supplied UNICEF Philippines with 10,000 SaTo hygienic toilet pans to Read more
SaTo Hygienic Toilet Pans, Invented by Subsidiary American Standard Brands, Provide Interim Solution to Sanitation Problems
LIXIL Corporation, a global leader in the housing products and building materials industry, announced that in collaboration with American Standard Brands, its wholly owned subsidiary in the U.S., it supplied UNICEF Philippines with 10,000 SaTo hygienic toilet pans to support reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.
SaTo – pronounced SAH-toh, derived from “Safe Toilet” – is a sanitary toilet pan designed by American Standard Brands for use in Bangladesh. It works without sewer infrastructure and uses ingeniously simple mechanical and water seals to close off pit latrines from the open air, reducing the transmission of disease. LIXIL and American Standard collaborated to donate these pans to the Philippines, where UNICEF estimates that as many as 4 million children may be affected by the disaster. UNICEF intends to employ the toilet pans as an interim solution until the sewage system in the area can be rebuilt.
“We are delighted UNICEF will be using the toilet pans to effectively improve sanitation in the disaster-stricken area. Improving world sanitation is a key corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative for LIXIL,” said Harumi Matsumura, executive officer and senior managing director, public relations, CSR and environmental for Lixil.
This commitment to supporting the area is in addition to the 10 million JPY ― nearly $100,000 in U.S. dollars ― and 10,000 plates, bowls and spoons donated immediately after the typhoon struck in November 2013.
In addition to emergency responses such as these, LIXIL is implementing the “ISIS 2018” Project, as part of a wider program focused on improved sanitation with UNICEF. This initiative was formalized in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations in November 2013.
Victoria Bolam, global brand and CSR director for Lixil, explained that the Improved Sanitation In Schools 2018 (ISIS 2018) program will provide improved sanitation facilities and education to 2,018,000 school children worldwide by the end of 2018. A minimum of 44,000 children will benefit from sanitation education and basic sanitation kits in the Philippines in 2014, and 16,000 school children in rural schools in China will receive new toilet facilities in July 2014.
“LIXIL’s most challenging ISIS project is the installation of eco-sanitation toilet systems in schools located in the poorest and most marginalized communities in Mukuru, Nairobi. These involve design, construction, education, maintenance, compost manufacture and compost sales. The first system will be installed at the beginning of April this year, and will benefit up to 400 children,” said Bolam. “Improved sanitation is not just about toilets. It is about improved health, education, safety, and, most importantly, dignity. We are committed to finding workable, scalable solutions which provide an impactful solution to this global issue,” she concluded.
Useful information: LIXIL CSR Activities
Pentair earns award for protecting the environment through manufacturing energy-efficient products Sanford, N.C., April 3, 2014 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Pentair Aquatic Systems as a 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and educating consumers about Read more
Pentair earns award for protecting the environment through manufacturing energy-efficient products
Sanford, N.C., April 3, 2014 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Pentair Aquatic Systems as a 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and educating consumers about energy efficiency. Pentair’s accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2014.
Pentair, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2013, will be honored for its leadership in manufacturing products that earn the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency.
“Pentair Aquatic Systems continues to be a leader in swimming pool industry innovation,” said Karl R. Frykman, President, Pentair Aquatic Systems. “Pentair was the first manufacturer to earn ENERGY STAR certification on its pool pumps. Additionally, it was the first manufacturer to introduce variable speed technology to the pool industry, years ahead of any other manufacturer. We are constantly working to develop more products which allow our customers to enjoy the pool lifestyle while being energy efficient.”
To earn the ENERGY STAR certification, pool pumps must be at least 30-72 percent more energy efficient than typical pumps. In 2013 all Pentair variable speed pump models and most two-speed models earned ENERGY STAR certification. Currently, 53 Pentair pool pump models carry the ENERGY STAR.
Through 2013, with help from ENERGY STAR, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2014 Partner of the Year Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency. Award winners are selected from the 16,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
“Pentair is helping consumers save money and reduce harmful carbon pollution by producing energy-efficient ENERGY STAR products,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe. “This outstanding effort in product manufacturing demonstrates a commitment to reducing our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.”