GP Russ Chaney
Executive Director
We have much to share with you in the newest issue of Official magazine. New IAPMO Group offices are opening, World Water Day is being recognized on March 22, the United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation and our membership magazine – Official – celebrates its 50th anniversary.
In April 1958, the first issue of Western Plumbing Official was released to the members of IAPMO. That was 50 years ago. Today, renamed Official magazine, IAPMO’s membership publication has won prestigious awards, displayed a new image and is counted on as a communication channel and educational tool for many in the built industry. You can see how full circle the magazine has come by looking at the variety of designs displayed on the cover of this issue. If you flip through the pages of this magazine, you will find a reprint of the entire first issue of Western Plumbing Official. At only sixteen pages, including the cover, the stories published in 1958 were not dissimilar to those of today.
Over the past 50 years, IAPMO has grown to include several business units to aid its members and customers around the world. To support a worldwide constituency, several things at The IAPMO Group have changed. However, there are very strong similarities with today’s Official as with the first issue printed in 1958.
Understanding the desire of our members to be kept abreast of the association’s major activities, many traditional aspects of the magazine remain. The President continues to publish a regular article to introduce each issue of the magazine. The results of the Product Certification Committee (previously known as the Research Committee) are shared in each issue. Membership information is available, including the minutes from IAPMO chapter meetings held throughout the United States. Code development news is shared along with the timeline of the code development cycle.
New features have been added over the years to provide much more detailed information to IAPMO’s membership. Code interpretations, quizzes, and workshop questions and answers related to the current Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code are published as an educational source for readers of the magazine. Industry news is shared for the benefit of the readership. The IAPMO member bulletin board was added for members to share photos of important events with each other. Finally, information about the IAPMO R&T Lab and IAPMO ES can be found in each issue.
For some time now, every magazine or newspaper I read includes a story about environmental awareness and conservation. This truly has become a worldwide issue in all sectors of industry. IAPMO’s Committee for the Awareness and Understanding of a Sustainable Environment (C.A.U.S.E.) will continue to educate the IAPMO membership and the industry with regard to their activities specific to environmental awareness and renewable energies within the Uniform Plumbing Code, Uniform Mechanical Code and Uniform Solar Energy Code. Working with the Green Technical Committee, C.A.U.S.E. will remind users of these codes of the current green provisions and will propose additional environmentally responsible provisions that will be noted as such in future editions of these codes. Updates on these committees’ activities can be found in IAPMO’s monthly Green Newsletter. If you are not receiving this newsletter and would like to, you can sign up at www.iapmo.org. As addressed in my last article, IAPMO’s conference this year will be in conjunction with ISH North America, where additional educational sessions will be taught on this worldwide initiative. In the coming weeks, you will find conference and ISH North America registration and itineraries at IAPMO’s Website.
World Water Day is celebrated on March 22 of each year. As we have reported in the past, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution in 1992 to recognize March 22 as World Water Day with the hope of generating global awareness of the need for clean water. Each year, the theme for World Water Day changes. The 2008 theme is Sanitation. Perhaps your organization has considered recognizing this day by way of water conservation efforts. The United States has several areas that are experiencing very serious drought concerns. Cities like Austin, Texas, and Atlanta have responded to those concerns. Local governments in other areas have asked residents to conserve water by way of turning off sprinklers, installing high efficiency products where possible, or by charging a premium for using too much water. I encourage you to recognize World Water Day by educating yourself on the use of reclaimed water, grey water or other water conservation methods.
In conjunction with this initiative, the United Nations General Assembly further decided to assign 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to accelerate awareness and involvement in the basic need for sanitation. Although there are countless developing countries that need assistance beyond code development and implementation, the United States has several jurisdictions that are in need of basic sanitation. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita left too many families without shelter and the basic sanitation required for everyday living. The United Nations logo for the International Year of Sanitation – which you will see in upcoming issues of Official and posted to the IAPMO Group Website – utilizes graphics to illustrate hand washing and the use of toilet facilities. These are the basic sanitation requirements. You can read more about this at the World Health Organization site at http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/iys/about/en/.
In past issues of the magazine, I have shared my belief that plumbing is everyone’s business. One key defense mechanism to ensure your safety and the protection of your constituency is education. Learn about the many ways we are protected by a sound plumbing and mechanical (HVAC) system. Know the importance of certified plumbing and mechanical products and why they should be tested and recognized by a reputable agency. Understand how to verify if a product is safe for installation whether you are a contractor, inspector or a weekend do-it-yourself installer of a plumbing or mechanical product. The amount of money that can be saved is nice, but the safety provided by a properly installed and approved product is priceless.
IAPMO’s forefathers began this association for good reason and with good cause, not because of pecuniary necessities but for improved methods of sanitation. This purpose still rings true today as The IAPMO Group strives to educate and protect all users of plumbing, mechanical, solar and swimming pool systems.
Happy Anniversary Official!