Happy New Year, All!
First, my thanks again for the well-wishers about my eye. My vision is still wonkier than ideal, and the various parts of my right eye are apparently not reacting quite the way the doctor hoped/expected but it absolutely beats the alternative! So really, all is good. And I get great lines from the doctor like this one from my last exam: “Your eye is a conundrum. It’s going to make a fascinating paper.” (I’ll let you know when that’s published.)
Now with the new year, I’m looking at all the projects on my plate and wondering about blogging. After ten years, you guys really must be exhausted with my ranting on formaldehyde. I know the NWFA staff refers to it as “Elizabeth’s F-Word.” So I think rather than post a blog every week as I’ve tried to do for the last decade, we’ll just go now and then based on events and ideas popping up. So we may have something every week for a while and then nothing for a month. We’ll see how it goes, ok?
Next week I’ll do my usual calendar and then the annual index and I’ve got a few more posts in my mind, but after that, we’ll just see what comes up.
One thing I’ll note now is that I hope to see a full house at the IWPA due care training in Nashville this February 24-27. It’s a good run of classes, including a brand new one on complying with those tricky “F-Word” regulations. Every year the issues impacting our industry grow and become more complex and compliance is something everyone in the supply chain needs to understand. It is not just a manufacturer or an importer issue. And this training week is being done in partnership with the North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) and the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), so there should be plenty of flooring people there for a particularly meaningful discussion.
So see you all at Surfaces and then in Nashville? Great! And again, Happy New Year!
Elizabeth Baldwin is Environmental Compliance Officer for Metropolitan Hardwood Floors. In her 25 plus year career in the wood industry has visited over 70 countries and hundreds of facilities of all sizes and types. She describes herself as a “jack of all wood trades.” Familiar with jungles of all sorts–having camped out along the Amazon and walked the halls of Congress–she blogs for the NWFA on both environmental and regulatory issues for educational and informational purposes only. Her blog is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. Persons seeking legal advice on compliance with CARB, TSCA, the U.S. Lacey Act or any other law, regulation, or compliance requirement/claim should consult with the regulatory agency directly and/or a qualified legal professional.