Across the Table: It’s The Little Things
It’s a little thing but one of the causes I champion is the proper placement of nametags. Since 85-90% of us are right-handed, we put our nametags on the left side of our chest because it is just easier to do so. When we shake hands with someone, though, we are standing to their right, making it difficult to read nametags! Place your nametag on the right side of your chest and it will be easier for someone else to read. Assuming that is the reason you have a nametag!
In the Boy Scouts, we were taught to leave a campsite in better condition than we found it. This grew my concern for the world at large. We have come a long way since the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire in 1969, thankfully for the last time. I often question how serious we really are, though. We’ve picked the low-hanging fruit, but are we continuing to tackle the many little things?
During my 20 years on the Laboratory of the Year judging panel for R&D magazine, many entries touted environmentally friendly designs. Solar panels on the roof (but only as much as needed for LEED points). Lots of recyclable steel (don’t mention the excess energy needed to recycle). And throughout the building ... lots of chrome-plated plumbing fixtures. Chrome (the hexavalent type) is inexpensive and pretty, so we won’t worry about the environment on this one minor part of our infrastructure, right? Wink, wink.
Early in my career, I might have justly been accused of being a bit strong or energetic in my communication style. Several lab planners took offense to my crusade against the use of chrome, but didn’t tell me for almost 20 years! By then it was too late for me to apologize for my style, but I would not have apologized for the message. And that message is, if you are serious about the environment, why do you still specify hexavalent chrome?
I’m gaining some pretty hefty support for my cause nowadays. The California Air Resources Board has decided to phase out hexavalent chrome between 2027 and 2039 (based on the type of use). The European Union has long time made it difficult to use hexavalent chrome, and now is phasing it out, with a target of later this year.
What’s the big deal? Well, you might begin by looking up Erin Brockovich and her case against PG&E for groundwater contamination, with hexavalent chrome sickening many people. Hexavalent chrome is 500 times more toxic than diesel exhaust. Even if you apply it safely and capture all of the waste, eventually the products end up in the waste stream. What then?
As for alternatives, Europeans have developed trivalent chrome plating, which is friendlier to the environment and requires less energy. For laboratory plumbing fixtures, abrasion-resistant powder coatings have long been available with the appearance of chrome.
The little things do matter in life. Let’s pay attention to them.
Dave can be reached at dwithee@alum.mit.edu or 920-737-8477.
All opinions expressed in Across The Table with Dave Withee are exclusive to the author and are not reflective of Lab Design News.