Cleaner Times February 2002

Kendra

Kendra

Member
Did anyone happen to read the Letter to the Editor in the Feb 2002 issue of Cleaner Times?

I would like to hear thoughts, questions, comments, etc. I realized today that it had been published, and figured that I should bring it out in open. Don't want rumors or problems this time... :)
 
Please read this.....

Alright everyone. I want to get a couple of things straight.

Contrary to popular belief, Aron and I are not out busting contractors. If you go back and read the article in the August 2000 issue of Cleaner Times, you will see a glimpse into the hell that we have been through over the last 4 years. He and I have only EVER gone after ONE contractor. I repeat, ONE contractor….. One that threatened our business, and our lives. The District Attorney verified the illegal dumping and the unfair business practices. This contractor had been given COUNTLESS opportunities to just change his operation and comply. After ignoring all of the warnings, and becoming more shady about his operations, he was rightfully prosecuted. And made an example of.

The point Aron was trying to make in the letter, which according to the buzz on the street no one seemed to catch, was that contrary to what the author of the series “E-washing” had stated there are many other ways of being "caught" other than the Federal EPA. The organization that Aron works for, focuses on the enforcement of water quality laws. That is what they do. They have prosecuted everything from counties and cities to large companies for polluting our local waterways/oceans. Aron's job is to investigate polluters, and provide the evidence, so that the organization can enforce the laws. More often than not, this organization sues the cities and state government for failing to enforce the laws in their own areas. They DO NOT want to put people or companies out of business. They want to put them out of the POLLUTION BUSINESS. They have worked tirelessly to show and encourage people and companies ways to still conduct a profitable business while adhering to the laws. They only prosecute if that entity REFUSES to make the effort to comply with the laws.

We don't EVER want to see another contractor have to fight the fight that we have been through to be able to run a legitimate business and do things the right way. We fought all of this to also ensure that the laws that are on the books are enforced equally, and not just randomly. The selective enforcement of these laws means that ONLY the contractors that can be found will be prosecuted. The fly-by-nighters that are totally screwing up this industry are the ones that will ensure we as professionals will never get ahead or be taken seriously. I, as well as many other contractors, have a vested interest in our business’. Being environmentally compliant should be an accolade not a burden. The customer should not be allowed to decide what we make and why strictly based upon the competition of another company that does not meet the same standards. Apples for Apples, not Apples for Oranges. My equipment, experience, knowledge, etc., should not be compared to a janitorial company that comes in with only a mop and bucket. These are not fair comparisons. If they choose to just have a janitorial company, that is fine, but I do not want the prices I charge for my work compared to that of one person with a mop. That is supposed to be why we are in business for ourselves, and not an employee of theirs.

We have worked with the regulators and enforcement people here in CA, and abroad, to make sure that we didn't get swallowed up by the regulations. We showed them what could be done, and they wrote up Best Management Practices according to what we could prove actually could be accomplished. We kept them from just putting down the iron fist and later scrambling to either try and meet it, or hide in the shadows trying not to get caught.

For any of you that see us as the enemy, you are obviously missing the big picture here. We have been happy and willing to help any contractor that has ever asked for it. And still do. Ask around, and you might be surprised. Everything that we have done was to strengthen this industry. Not to destroy it.

I do not want to tell the whole long story again, I have been telling it for years. But I didn’t want anyone to be afraid or hesitant about talking to either of us based on a letter that didn’t tell much else. I’ll let everyone know when we get the chance to write the next article that Nancy has asked us to write. Till then, if you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me or call me. We’d be happy to tell anyone the whole story on the phone. :)

Kendra
Ktillery@juno.com
714-412-2646
 
Hey guys stop being afraid and post your feelings, she wants to hear it whether it is good or bad and she has made it clear she is not out to get you.

I have recieved a few Emails and phone calls and most of you are scared to post what you told me, don't be please, just post it.

I consider them friends and yes we have spoken on the phone, emailed and met and I for one plan to continue that friendship and have nothing to hide from them, in fact Kendra has steered me to products that do the same job and are enviromentally friendly and safe to use.

That does not mean I am 100% compliant yet but I am working on it, have brouchers and soon will add to my trailer more equipment to bring me closer to it.

now speak up one and all, do what I have done in the past, just say what your mind thinks and don't worry about how the rest of us look at it.

Jon
 
What an amazing yet horrifying story. I just had the pleasure of speaking with Kendra at length on the phone about her trials and tribulations regarding the environmental hell she went through. I told you on the phone Kendra and I'll tell you again, you need to seriously consider putting together a company/web site and sell your services helping power washers across the country design and implement their own environmental compliance systems. The things I learned just speaking with you on the phone is more than everything I've put together investigating these things on my own over the past two years.

Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me today Kendra. You've got a thing or two to teach all of us about this business.
 
ron p

kendra ill buy a copy if you print it
or i would pay to download it if you wanted to go that way
 
Kendra
Like most people I don't quite know the whole story but I can imagine. Squirt is right, you should put together a booklet on compliance and publish it. I for one would buy it. If you think about it, you have done the research already, the time saved would be immeasurable to a contract cleaner

Let me know what the publishing date will be, I'm sure you have nothing else going on now! He He


Have a good one
 
What if I told you I already had it written? I wrote up a 1200+ page book that equated to 3 different levels of certification that had been intended for the PWNA Environmental Certification test. THe complete test and study book were never given. I still have all of the original copyrighted material. I even got tacit approval from Federal EPA.

Is this something that everyone would really be interested in?
 
See I said you had nothing better to do, and 10 minutes later here it is.

Yeah sure I would be interested, what do you plan to do with it?
 
Till now, I hadn't decided. I had been trying to figure out what to do about the PWNA first. THat is a whole 'nother subject all by itself.
 
Kendra,

If PWNA can't figure out how to do a certification test the correct way when somebody goes out of their way to design the entire thing for them, screw 'em.

It would almost be comical if you hadn't spent 2 years designing it Kendra. This is exactly what I said in my post about putting together certifications that are worthwhile. PWNA has a great certification program for environmental compliance given to them and they decide instead to come up with a watered down version so everybody can pass it. Sounds kind of like the civil service testing that they made easier because not enough people were passing it. That's exactly why nobody from my company will be getting certified this year here in Pittsburgh at the PWNA show, it just doesn't mean anything.

If I were you Kendra, I'd develop my own program, contact the DER/EPA and work on some kind of national certification process and sell the entire training program and offer certification testing in different markets.
 
About Kendra

There are some "true advocates" in this world who remain true to their cause through thick and thin, and they just don't bend. I've met a few in my life and am happy to say that now I've met another one. Lucky me cause she lives in my state and really wants nothing more than a better environment to live in.

I still think we should put our heads together on the BMP I wrote about the "Rain Water Runoff" rule and see if there's validity in the simple solution I spoke to you about.

I'm happy to know you Kendra.
 
ron p/kendra

is there a way to condense that HUGE report
or put it into 3 sections where people could buy just the part that pertained to what he/she is doing?
there are some very popular books called
" computers for dummies"
" [anything] for dummies"
how about the same type of thing for pressure washing and
"learning envriomently sound waste water management" too long but you get the idea.
Like i posted before skip the printed version for now and do like steven king and do a download or sell a disk.
 
I currently have everything on CD-rom. I am playing with the idea right now of either setting up a site to upload all of the material, or burn more copies of the "book" and be able to distribute it. The cost for sending out a CD is pretty minimal. I have been trying to put some ideas to pen and paper on how all of this could work. But keep coming with ideas. The odds are pretty good that if we all contribute thoughts and ideas we can come up with a workable format.

The original name for the certification was "PWNA/Eco-Conscious EPA Certification". I even have a fabulous logo that was created from scratch!! The orginal logo I took and modified for my current company, since the PWNA decided they didn't want to use it. If I can find it again, I'll post you guys a copy of it. It did come out really pretty, if I do say so myself! We had intended for the logo to be on stickers, pins etc.
 
I think the idea of the CD's is probably a good one also. If you did a web site to order from you could probably just get one of those pay pal type accounts and have everybody order through check or credit card right online, then just ship them the CD.

If you wanted to really get techie, you could set it up so people could order on the secure site, have them taken back to the download page and give them an option for burning their own CD right from your site. I know the software is out there to do that and some of these web server companies actually offer that service now. I actually did that with some software I ordered a few weeks ago and it was pretty cool, clicked the button on the web site, put the new CDR in the burner and it burned it right through my cable modem. Pretty slick... :)

You know you might be on to something here Kendra. If you set this up right, you could eventually have a comprehensive site that even allows subscribers to get updates on local State's and Municipalities clean water rules to make sure they are complying with even the new regs out there.
 
Kendra
You mentioned that you had 1200 pages, not knowing exactly what you have done here, so I apoligize in advance if this is in any way offending, but here goes.
It would seem to me that you have gotten very technical to have that many pages, would someone just starting out and wanting to comply need all the technical stuff, could they work with a this is what you can do, this is what you can't do, and this is what you have to check with the AHJ for type of manuel. I know I have simplified it here, but with the conversations I have had with my AHJ this isn't rocket science.

Not intending to step on toes, it's just that the 1200 page thing got me thinking, If I am way off base here please fell free to let me know, I have pretty thick skin
 
I don't know yet!!! I haven't gotten that far. I am still trying to figure out how to do this!!!

kmjt1021:

No you are not off base. The 1200+ page study guide was intended for many reasons. Other than just the study guide for the test, it was to be a reference guide later. A place you could refer to for questions that may not have been directly asked by the test. Because every State is a little different, this test and study guide is based on Federal laws, not individual state laws. The three different levels of certification cover everything. The basic certification was just that, a basic working knowledge of the laws, and how they can and do apply. The other two certifications were more specific. They covered specific DOT regulations, tank requirements for more hazardous transportation, etc. It was for people after they had taken the basic certification, and wanted to address more specific issues.

Just bear with me people, I am trying to get this figured out. You gotta remember that I had a totally different forum in mind for this. What I am having the most difficult time with is what to include as far as the presentation that had been developed centered around all of this. I hate the idea of just mailing it out, an not being able to give specific examples, or explanations. So I am hoping to get all of this organized and get it done!!!

I'll let you all know soon, I promise!!!

Oh, and greenrw71, your welcome for the contract. Hope it helped.
 
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