It's starting to get chilly, are your pipes properly insulated?

In this fall edition of the Green Plumbers newsletter, we announce the winner of the 2011 Green Plumber of the Year Award, tell you about the new Green Inspectors class being offered by Green Plumbers Training and Accreditation, try to convince you that kangaroo meat is good for you and the planet, and show you a heartwarming video from John Smith on why he became a Green Plumber.

2011 Green Plumber of the Year Awards

Green Plumbers USA is proud to present its Green Plumber of the Year Awards! The winners, judged on their community involvement, innovative projects and effective branding, were announced last month at the WaterSmart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas. Because water conservation issues vary across climates, this year, Green Plumbers recognizes the following business leaders from around the country doing outstanding work in their respective regions.

Western Region Winner	Jamie Rogers of Rogers Remodel, Inc. in Novato, CA has been awarded the Green Plumber of the Year for the Western Region. Jamie has gone above and beyond by collaborating with community partners to install water catchment systems in two local schools for watering gardens and flushing toilets. Jamie calculated that he has saved 2.4million gallons of water this year in the Bay Area and has also promoted water conservation by serving on local job-building boards and green employment councils.
Eastern Region Winner	Andy Krause of Thunder Hill Plumbing, Inc. in North Carolina, winner for the Eastern Region, worked with the municipal water council to promote programs that reward customers for reducing their water usage. Andy is also a licensed Green Plumbers trainer and is committed to educating his community on the value of water conservation.
Northern Region Winner	Bill Battles of Village Plumbing, Inc. in Cape Cod, Mass. has been awarded the Green Plumber of the Year for the Northern Region. Village Plumbing has installed green energy systems for several local Boys and Girls Clubs as well as the National Marine Life Center. For Bill, green plumbing is not only the way he does business, but it's also the way he lives his life. Bill lives sustainably on his wind- and solar- powered farm in Massachusetts.
Southern Region Winner	Craig Woolheater of Innerline Plumbing in Dallas, Texas is the deserving winner of the Green Plumber of the Year for the Southern Region. Innerline Plumbing has partnered with non-profit organizations to install green plumbing technologies in local affordable housing. Craig also works with the city government and local task forces to green the city's facilities, promote green jobs, and educate the public.
	The 2011 National Green Plumber of the Year Award goes to John Smith of The Arizona Green Plumbers for the second year in a row! John has endeavored to promote green plumbing in every aspect of his business. His outreach and education efforts include authoring a book, Plunging Into Green: One Plumber's Journey to Becoming a Water Hugger. John's book is being incorporated into the curriculum of a local high school, helping to educate the next generation about water conservation issues. In addition to professional outreach, John is very active in local charities and community projects, such as Habitat for Humanity. The Arizona Green Plumbers continue to offer top rate services to their customers, such as the installation of several gray water and home water filtration systems. from left: John Smith, business partner Jim Snyder, and associates

Green Plumbers Training and Accreditation spotlight: Green Inspector Courses

The first Green Inspectors class in the United States has been completed in Los Angeles. Participants from Los Angeles County Department of Public Works were joined by Inspectors from the City of Los Angeles for a beta presentation of Green Plumbers curriculum adapted for plumbing, mechanical, and building inspectors. Over one hundred employees took part in the offerings, including other city and county personnel. As of this writing, twenty-three are scheduled for the first examination.

Once finalized, the Green Inspectors courses will be offered to jurisdictions across the United States. In addition, The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and the International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) have announced a joint program to create a "Green" Plumbing Designer/Engineer course in 2012.

The Accredited Green Plumbers Training Program will have three Train-the-Trainers courses available in 2012 (dates to be announced soon), and will continue to schedule "live" courses on demand, with a minimum of twenty participants. For information, contact bill@greenplumberstraining.org or visit the training website.

Go Green, Eat Kangaroo

...from the Blue Granola blog, by Justine Dowden:

If I had to think of ten ways to "go green," eating kangaroos would probably not be on my list. But according to scientists in Australia, I should add it on there. Beef is currently the most widely produced meat down under and the environment suffers greatly as a result. In fact, over 50% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from cow burps. When the grazing animal is digesting food, it continuously expels methane, a gas that is much more ecologically destructive than carbon dioxide, in the form of a burp. Indeed, enteric fermentation (the polite scientific term for burping and flatulence) is a serious environmental concern because methane is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2.

Kangaroos on the other hand require fewer resources and do not expel nearly the amount of methane as a cow does; so some Australians are trying to bring it into mainstream eating habits. Kangatarians- those who do not eat any other meat besides kangaroo for environmental reasons- are growing in numbers. According to one Australian newspaper: "The low level of greenhouse gas emissions produced by kangaroos, and the fact that they require no additional feed, water or land cleared for them, make them an obvious choice for the ecologically conscious." While it is organically harvested and humanely killed, there will be many difficulties on the road to making kangaroo-eating popular and widely-accepted.

The cute furry animal is a symbol of national pride for Australians and is featured on the country's coat of arms, so seeing kangaroo nuggets in the grocery store freezer might turn some stomachs. I can imagine that it would be a bit like Americans eating bald eagles as a greener alternative to chicken. Also, kangaroos cannot be herded and it would take ten of them to produce the same amount of meat as one steer. As the debate continues, consider finding more alternatives to eating beef.

Licensed Green Plumber video: Why I Became a Green Plumber

John Smith, owner of The Arizona Green Plumbers, was followed around for four days by a two camera crew in this inspiring video about why he became a Green Plumber.

Plumbers and contractors, become a part of the green revolution by signing up today for Green Plumbers Licensing. Ask us about the benefits by calling toll-free (888) 929-6207 during normal business hours.