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ICAN Accepts Seat on EEF’s – EPA Advisory Group on IAQ Management

Boise, ID (PRWEB) August 27, 2004

The International Custodial Advisors Network, Inc. (ICAN) is pleased to announce the appointment of its Executive Director Allen Rathey to the Environmental Education Foundation’s Advisory Group on Indoor Air Quality, convened under a sole source contract by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The non-profit Environmental Education Foundation (EEF) is the world’s largest environmental charity focus­ing on environmental, health and safety issues, with 5500-members worldwide.

According to Rathey, “Because of the Environmental Education Foundation’s recognition from the insurance and lending communities for their water intrusion and mold management program, they have now been contracted by the EPA to expand this program to include additional IAQ related items.

“This expanded program will include the use of the EPA’s IAQ Building Education and Assessment Model (I-BEAM) software as an anchor for a total IAQ management program. ICAN will work with the EEF and other industry partners to refine, rework and promote EPA’s IAQ Guidelines to establish best IAQ practices and facilitate implementation of those practices by stakeholders, including insurance companies, financial institutions, and facilities in general. ICAN will be assisting with the process by being a resource for cleaning-related IAQ issues, document review, two-way communication and industry/marketing outreach.

“We will look to ICAN for guidance and recommendations on the full range of cleaning industry issues that will assist the EEF and EPA in evaluation and refinement of the EPA’s I-BEAM software, EPA’s draft IAQ Green Building Guidance, and the EEF’s Operations & Maintenance Plan and Training Module,” said Troy Johnson, Executive Director of the EEF.

“EEF believes ICAN has the unique ability to provide input and create awareness and credibility for EPA IAQ Guidelines and the EEF O&M Plan within the cleaning industry,” he continued.

“ICAN recommends that all facilities have an effective IAQ Operations and Maintenance plan in place,” said ICAN President Jim Harris, Sr. “We strongly believe in fostering education and promoting widespread adoption of IAQ best practices within the cleaning industry, and look forward to working with the EEF in its efforts to further develop and disseminate practical guidelines and implementation strategies.”

The overall purpose of this contract is to expand on what the EEF has accomplished to date by including more of the major players in the building design/construction and property management industry, with a focus on major insurance and financial institutions, to gain a wider acceptance of the EEF program, including the EPA’s I-Beam software and certain other EPA indoor environmental quality guidance, and to use this guidance as a basis for managing indoor environmental quality risks while protecting public health and lowering the risk associated with indoor pollution underwriting, as well as for asset-protection purposes.

ICAN joins ARCS Commercial Mortgage Co. L.P., the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), Cleaning Management Institute (CMI), EMSL Analytical, Environmental Risk Resources Association, Environmental Hazards Management Institute (EHMI), HUD-Healthy Home Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Indoor Environment Department), The National Indoor Air Quality Institute, LLC, Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE), PNC Multi-family Capital and other organizations that support IAQ best practices, in working with the EEF’s EPA IAQ Advisory Group.

The International Custodial Advisors Network, Inc. (ICAN) is a non-profit association comprised of industry consultants and other educators with a wide range of expertise in building management, indoor environmental quality and service disciplines.

ICAN’s goal is to promote, strengthen and enhance respect for the cleaning industry while promoting the interests of ICAN participants through shared resources, expertise, talents, and contacts.

As part of ICAN’s mission to enhance the public perception of the cleaning industry, ICAN will engage in media outreach to show the direct correlation between cleaning and quality of life and health.

The Environmental Education Foundation (EEF)

The Environmental Education Foundation–the world’s largest environmental charity focus­ing on environmental, health and safety issues, with 5500-members worldwide–is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to engage in the developing and disseminating of information regarding hazards to human health and threats to the environment with particular emphasis on hazards or threats which are associated with occupying, purchasing, insuring, selling or owning residential, commercial or industrial property; testing methodologies and procedures to detect such hazards and threats; and programs and measures which mitigate or eliminate such hazards or threats.

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