Following a successful model developed in Australia, GreenPlumbersUSA http://www.greenplumbersusa.com/ has a goal to train and deploy a “green army” of thousands of plumbers on the technologies and techniques that limit water and energy waste.
“Our goal is to retrain 15,000 plumbers in California, and 40,000 plumbers across the country in the next four years,” GreenPlumbersUSA spokesperson Stephen J. Lehtonen told News10 in Sacramento, CA recently.
At the core of GreenPlumbersUSA work is the FREE training available for plumbers. The training and accreditation covers five major technical and environmental categories: Climate Care, Caring for our Water, Solar Hot Water, Water Efficient Technology, and Inspection Report Service. Upon completion of the 5-course, 32-hour program, plumbers receive accreditation as a GreenPlumber.
The seminars are offered at no cost to plumbers due to the generous founding partner sponsorship of American Standard, plus funding from the government, various agencies and utilities.
Don Devine, president and CEO of American Standard, Americas, sees it as a great business opportunity for plumbers to fill a growing need in the market. “Homeowners and building managers need to understand how to contain their utility costs, plus there’s a fundamental shift in the commitment to resource conservation.” Devine added, “GreenPlumbers offers a lot of benefits to plumbers.”
Among those benefits:
- Free access to additional training and knowledge
- Enhanced public image and ability to become an expert on energy efficient products and technologies
- Increase perceived value to customers and prospects
- Practice good stewardship of natural resources.
As proof of concept, GreenPlumbersUSA cites its sister group down under in Australia, founded in 2001. GreenPlumbers in Australia has trained 5,000 plumbers nationwide and contributed to the reduction of their country’s water consumption by up to 50% from 1990 levels.
Vist http://www.greenplumbersusa.com/user/register to register for free on the GreenPlumbersUSA website. Then click on the Calendar of Events to find the next local training class or to request one, visit http://www.greenplumbersusa.com/contact-us/contact-us. The GreenPlumbersUSA staff is friendly and helpful – they’ll get back to you with more information to get a class together for interested parties in your region.
As Devine notes, “American Standard was the first to tell the world that the plumber protects the health of the nation. Now, we’re proud to be a founding partner to help plumbers protect the health of the earth.”
Here are testimonials from recent GreenPlumbersUSA training in New Jersey:
Joe Gee, AAA Total Plumbing
Brooklyn, NY
www.aaatotalplumbing.com
AAA Total Plumbing, a supplier of residential, commercial and industrial services, is a member of the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC). This New York contractor follows USGBC guidelines to expand green building practices and education through the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. AAA views GreenPlumbersUSA as part of this effort.
“Our whole company has gone green. In fact, we only do green work. Architects and designers are making all new buildings in Manhattan green. Plus, existing hotels, businesses and government buildings are converting to conservation products and are also going green.”
Judy Litt, Aaron & Company
Freehold, NJ
www.aaronco.com
Aaron and Company is the largest independent plumbing wholesaler in New Jersey, with headquarters in Piscataway and Design Galleries located in New Brunswick, Freehold and Flemington. They see the green movement as mushrooming and they plan to introduce more green products into their showrooms to better educate their customers. Attending this GreenPlumbersUSA class was a way to get started.
“We want to demonstrate how sustainable and renewable products can be stylish and cost effective, while helping the environment at the same time. We’re also in the business of education – of both plumbers and consumers. We want them to get used to using green products, so that it’s second nature to them.”
Bruce Jefferson, N.C. Jefferson
Rocky Hill, NJ
www.ncjefferson.com
N.C. Jefferson is a second-generation contractor handling plumbing, heating and air conditioning work in the Rocky Hill (Princeton), New Jersey area. Owner Bruce Jefferson was enlightened about the green movement by his daughter Jill, who is involved in environmental science. In addition, Jefferson feels that customers in the Princeton area want to change to green products. Half of the N.C. Jefferson crew attended this free GreenPlumbersUSA class, with plans for the rest of the team to participate in future training.
“The green movement will bring us increased business as people eventually change over. They are becoming more aware due to the internet and are definitely requesting green products when they contact us.”
N.C. Jefferson staff attending GreenPlumbers class:
Standing: Jason Astore, Karl Zabel, Russell Wiltsey.
Sitting: Tony Farrer, Bruce Jefferson, Brian Pedone
Bill Whitney, William A. Whitney Plumbing & Heating
Washington, NJ
Owner Bill Whitney of William A. Whitney Plumbing & Heating read about the partnership between GreenPlumbersUSA and American Standard in an industry trade magazine. Already familiar with energy efficient products, he decided to learn more about the green movement by attending this GreenPlumbersUSA class.
“My customers are asking for green products. They are very willing to participate in the green movement and avoid pollution. And they are willing to pay more for these products.”
Anthony Natoli, Roto-Rooter
Somerset, NJ
www.rotorooter.com
Scott Jackson, Roto-Rooter, Pennsauken, NJ
The national Roto-Rooter organization is committed to going green and is encouraging local office personnel to join the green movement. With over 600 locations nationwide, Roto-Rooter can have an impact on water and energy conservation through its efforts. Local Roto-Rooter representatives had previously heard of GreenPlumbersUSA and decided to bring five employees to this Caring for our Water class.
“Our corporate president is making a big push for all Roto-Rooter personnel to attend green education classes like this one. We think this is the way the economy is going.”
Jeffrey and James Stanch, Runnemede Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric Company
Runnemede, NJ
www.runnemedeheating.com
Now a third generation company, Runnemede PHCE began with coal and oil furnaces in 1946, and over the years has expanded its operation to include state-of-the-art plumbing, heating, cooling and electric services. The owners of Runnemede PHCE learned about this GreenPlumbersUSA class through their Nexstar affiliation. A Nexstar goal is to guide independent service providers to be ‘Simply the Best” – and GreenPlumbersUSA training can help them achieve this objective.
“We think the green movement will definitely affect our business. And not just water, but all types of conservation – air, energy, resources. Eventually this movement will lead to houses being self-sufficient. With the way the world economy is going, they’ll have to be.”
Aaron Brosseau, EVCO Mechanical Corporation
West Orange, NJ
www.evcomechanical.com
EVCO Mechanical Corporation provides licensed plumbing, electrical, sprinkler and HVAC contracting services to both the private and public sectors. Already part of the green movement, the EVCO website touts a Global Environmental Solutions presentation where “technology meets nature”. The result is energy savings to the customer and the earth. EVCO was particularly interested in the water savings aspect of this GreenPlumbersUSA seminar.
“At EVCO we offer efficient business solutions, mostly to commercial accounts. The green movement and this GreenPlumbers class – they’re both important parts of these solutions for our customers.”
Tom Pitcherello, Code Specialist, State of New Jersey
N.J. Code Specialist Tom Pitcherello had over 30 years of experience as a plumbing designer when he joined the N.J. Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in the Code Assistance Unit ten years ago. The DCA is currently developing a green building website and manual for the state of New Jersey. Pitcherello was most interested in attending this GreenPlumbersUSA class to gain information for this project. FYI, to check on current adopted plumbing codes in N.J. visit the website: www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/.
“We want to create both a website and manual for homeowners with recommendations on how they can make their homes more environmentally friendly and emphasize the benefit of doing so. For example, by using water saving plumbing fixtures the homeowner not only conserves water (and reduces their water bill) but also reduces their sewer bill because of less waste water being disposed of.”
Rose Ann Greenwald, Market Development Specialist, American Standard
A sales professional for American Standard for over 20 years, Rose Ann Greenwald is an expert on fixtures, faucets, whirlpools and any other bath or kitchen product. She presented information at the GreenPlumbersUSA class about the energy efficient, water saving products in the American Standard line. The plumbers listened, learned and later ordered them for customers.
“As of June 1, 2008, all American Standard residential faucets will use 1.5 gpm, down from the standard 2.2 gpm. This energy savings improvement will be phased in with all new manufacturing, without any change in sku numbers,” explained Rose Ann Greenwald. “I am so proud of my company for doing this. Besides the 32% water usage savings this change represents for homeowners, we’re saving all of this water for the universe as a whole”.
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