Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation, highlighting the people and initiatives making waves in standardization.
National Restaurant Association Releases Research on Restaurant Sustainability Practices
ANSI organizational member the National Restaurant Association recently published the results of an investigation into the implementation of sustainability best practices by restaurants and other food service operators in the United States. The findings were drawn from a survey of about 1,000 food service and restaurant operators that was conducted in January 2014.
According to the survey's findings, 74% of respondents recycled used grease, fats, and fryer oil and 66% recycled cardboard and paper in connection with their operations. A total of 61% purchased products that were made from recycled materials, while 63% made use of compact fluorescent lighting. However, relatively few respondents reported donating leftover food to food banks (22%) or composting food waste (17%), suggesting that there was room for more work in this area.
The full list of survey findings is available online. To learn more about the National Restaurant Association and its activities, visit www.restaurant.org.
NGWA Releases Factsheet on Dangers of Bacteria and Nitrates in Water Wells
ANSI member and accredited standards developer the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has released a factsheet providing information to household well owners about the health and safety threats posed by bacteria and nitrate build-up in water wells. The factsheet discusses common types of bacteria and nitrates, covers potential sources and pathways for these contaminants to enter water wells, and touches on associated health risks. In the document, NGWA recommends water well owners carry out regular tests of their well water in order to ensure the safety of household water.
The full factsheet is available online. For more information about the NGWA, visit www.ngwa.org.
ANLA and OFA Merge to Form AmericanHort
Earlier in 2014, ANSI member and accredited standards developer the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) officially merged with OFA - The Association of Horticultural Professionals to create a new organization known as the American Horticulture Industry Association (AmericanHort). The combined organization will maintain accreditation as an ANSI-accredited standards developer and ANLA's last set of reaccredited operating procedures.
For more information about this transition, please contact Warren Quinn, the principal of the Quinn Management Group LLC, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 410-382-5569.
Applications Submitted for Accreditation of a Proposed U.S. TAG on Domestic Gas Cooking
ANSI has received separate applications for accreditation from CSA Group, an ANSI organizational member and accredited standards developer, and UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.), an ANSI member and audited designator, for a proposed U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 291, Domestic gas cooking appliances, and both organizations have requested approval to serve as the TAG Administrator. The proposed TAG will operate using the Model Operating Procedures for U.S. Technical Advisory Groups to ANSI for ISO Activities as contained in Annex A of the ANSI International Procedures.
For more information, or to obtain copies of and to offer comments on either or both applications, please contact Greg Orloff, CSA director of energy, fuel burning and distribution equipment, at [email protected], and/or Sonya Bird, UL program manager, international standards, at [email protected], with a copy to [email protected]. The comment deadline is November 3, 2014.