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As more people look for ways to be ecologically responsible, and maybe save a few dollars, it’s no surprise members of the business community are doing the same. HVACR contractors are not only recycling metal, paper, and plastic; they are using less water, applying green technologies to their buildings, and encouraging employees to follow the example.

Good news: The recession is over. Even though Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke is shy about going out on a limb just yet, The NEWS is not quite so reluctant. Obviously, there are a lot of bad things still going on in the general economy. However, there have been enough good signs to point toward an end to the Great Recession.

In an industry now heavily regulated with concerns about “what the Environmental Protection Agency might do next,” there is at least one aspect that is hardly regulatory and actually finds the EPA as a partner. It is called the GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, and it has caught on with equipment suppliers, refrigerant manufacturers, and supermarket chains.

Between 2003 and 2008, it is impossible to know exactly how many homes were built or renovated using inferior Chinese drywall. Homeowners have complained, but many assumed these complaints were isolated incidents. These inferior products have caused compromised IAQ and have corroded metal structures in the homes, including the HVAC systems.

MCAA was one of the earliest members of the Rebuilding America Coalition, a coalition of construction trade associations, labor unions, manufacturing and supplier companies, and other advocacy groups for green construction practices and energy efficiency. This year, Rebuilding America and its members are advancing a program called Building STAR.

To be sure, some real integration does take place thanks to cooperation among some suppliers and control protocols, but for the most part, a pipe dream still exists. As new protocols or control platforms are introduced that do not seamlessly and transparently cooperate with each other, a chasm seems to be widening.

In a few weeks, The NEWS is going to be starting a series of articles on contractors who have been ahead of the curve regarding ecologically responsible designs and business practices - the things we have been calling green for many months now.

Are you using Facebook? Now before your eyes glaze over and you become agitated that we have wasted precious space in our magazine talking about marketing and social media, it is important to point out that I want you to use Facebook for evil. If you want to use it for good also, that is cool. But evil is more fun to talk about.

I’m not really much of a fan of reality show television, but I must admit that the title and concept of “Undercover Boss” intrigued me. Its premise is that the president/CEO of a large corporation goes “undercover” within his own company to see how things are operating.

When I happen upon an HVAC contracting company or a distributorship, I usually show up early for morning appointments and walk around to the back lot before ever knocking on the front door. The back lot is fun.