GREENGUARD Environmental Institute and NSSEA Partner to Help Improve Indoor Air Quality in America's Schools

Partnership focused on helping educational product manufacturers build sustainable, low-emitting products

ATLANTA and SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute and the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) announced today that they have formed a strategic partnership to promote the manufacture and third-party certification of sustainable, low-emitting products for educational facilities.

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"Our number one goal in teaming up with NSSEA is to ensure the health, wellness, and safety of students, faculty, and staff in America's schools," says Dr. Marilyn Black, founder of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. "We are excited to partner with NSSEA — the leader in the educational products marketplace — to drive positive change in the industry and create healthier products for healthier schools across the nation."

As part of their partnership, GREENGUARD and NSSEA will collaborate on various initiatives that support enhancing the indoor air quality of schools. NSSEA will also educate its members on the benefits of achieving third-party certification for their products to verify their indoor air quality performance.

"We recognize that chemical emissions from products in schools can pose significant health risks to students, teachers, and staff, so we're really encouraging our members to pursue third-party indoor air quality certification — particularly GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification, which is one of the most rigorous and reputable product certifications in the world," says Adrienne Watts Dayton, vice president of marketing at NSSEA. "We also applaud those of our members who have already achieved GREENGUARD Certification for their products. The more low-emitting products we can offer our nation's schools, the healthier we can make those schools — and the people inside them."

One of the organizations' first collaborations will be at the 2010 School Equipment Show, which runs Nov. 17 through Nov. 19 in Phoenix, Ariz. As a proud sponsor, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute will have representatives on hand to answer any questions about the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM), as well as to provide information on indoor air pollution and its impact on human health. Visitors to the show can look for them in the Exhibitor's Lounge.

For more information about the 2010 School Equipment Show, visit www.nssea.org.

About the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute aims to protect human health and improve quality of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing people's exposure to chemicals and other pollutants.  As an ISO-IEC Guide 65:1996 accredited, third-party organization, the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute certifies products and materials for low chemical emissions and provides a resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.  All certified products must meet stringent chemical emissions standards based on established criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by sustainable building programs and building codes worldwide.  For more information and a complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.

About the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA)

The National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA) is the leading trade organization for the educational products marketplace. NSSEA puts the collective experience of the most successful school industry businesses in the world at your fingertips. Over 1,400 companies of all sizes that produce and deliver every type of product you find in an education environment are represented by NSSEA. Founded in 1916, NSSEA promotes an open market for quality educational products and services that are produced and delivered by professional suppliers and dealers. For more information, visit www.nssea.org.

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute