NCA initiates green ratings for cleaners
The National Cleaners Association is launching its Green Cleaners Council as a
means to help consumers find environmentally conscientious cleaners.
The council uses a five-level rating system that evaluates the “green” practices of drycleaners on a host of issues ranging from hanger and poly
recycling, energy conservation, waste disposal, cleaning technologies and
training.
The council will be promoted to consumers through a website,
www.greencleanerscouncil.com, that identifies “green” cleaners and links to their websites. Council promotion will also include a
professionally managed public relations campaign to raise consumer awareness,
in-store signage and brochures.
Cleaners get their “green” rating by completing a questionnaire that asks about products, water use,
electricity, delivery vehicles, alternative energy, pipe insulation and other
key issues. The council will verify the information, add up the points
associated with each issue and give the cleaner a rating of one to five leaves.
“Today’s eco-conscious consumers want to spend their dollars with companies that share
their environmental and health values,” NCA said in announcing the program. “They are looking for a way to differentiate the genuine ‘green’ cleaners from the pretenders and the greenwashers.”
For more information, contact NCA’s Ann Hargrove, (708) 205-7611.
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Anton’s kicks off 14th Coats for Kids drive
This year, Anton’s Cleaners is looking to collect 60,000 coats for kids, adults and babies during
its 14th annual Coats for Kids drive.
So far, the drycleaning chain of 44 stores located in eastern Massachusetts and
southern New Hampshire has brought in almost 500,000 winter garments since it
debuted in 1994.
The recent drive kicked off on October 1 and will run through the final day of
the year.
As usual, Anton’s will be seeking gently used coats that are free of tears, missing buttons,
broken zippers and/or permanent stains. As a general rule-of-thumb, they
suggest donating warm winter coats that you would give to a friend to wear.
In addition to using all Anton’s and Jordan Furniture locations as drop-off points, the drive encourages
schools to participate, too.
In fact, Anton’s offers a School Rewards Program which awards the top three elementary and
middle schools who collect the most coats per student enrolled.
Such a massive project can not be successful without the aid of several
promotional, supporting and distribution partners, as well.
Getting the word out on the program locally will be FOX25, Comcast Spotlight,
WROR and Jordan’s Furniture.
Once Anton’s has collected and cleaned the garments, many groups will step up to assist in
distribution, including: Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Mass Bay, Salvation Army, Lowell Wish Project, MA Coalition for
the Homeless, Cradles to Crayons, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty of Children, and Massachusetts Association for Community Action.
Other supporting partners for the drive are Graham Communications, Citizen’s Bank, Package Supply Co. and over two dozen corporate sponsors.
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NCA offers classes at NY School
The National Cleaners Association will host several classes at its New York
School of Drycleaning in the final two months of 2008.
First up will be two one-day seminars on Nov. 2 and 9 that will run from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. The first will cover the topic of wetcleaning; the second will
focus on hand finishing.
Next month, NCA will host another one-day seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
Sunday, Dec. 7. The session will be called “Technical Training at the Counter for Customer Service Reps.”
All three classes will each cost $250 for members and $275 for non-members.
For those looking for a more in-depth course, NCA will host its signature
ten-week class on the “Principles and Practices of Drycleaning” starting on Nov. 11. The course will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 11
p.m. through January 14 of 2009. Tuition is $970 per student.
In addition to its classes at the New York School, NCA also offers webinars at 6
p.m. EST on designated Wednesdays.
The next one will be “Finishing w/Tensioning Equipment” by Kathy Childers on Nov. 19.
The cost is $69 for telephone and Web-based participation.
