The Airblade Breakthrough
I just spent two days doing a train the trainer
session focusing on industrial pollution prevention (P2) and energy
efficiency.
Part of the conversation focused on the
difference between incremental change and massive change in the
context of reducing chemical substances in manufacturing processes.
One participant stated that focusing on an improvement of a few
percent wouldn’t be a bad start. A fellow participant stated
that we really need to ‘think outside of the box’ and
make major change, like a 100% elimination of a particular
substance.
I flew to this training session, and en route
stopped in an airport restroom and took a photograph of the hand
dryer. Yes, you heard that right, the hand dryer. In fact, I showed
it to the people in the workshop and they thought I was nuts. I
showed them the photo to prove the gentleman right about thinking
outside of the box (ok, enough of that cliché).
Please check out the
Dyson
Airblade, it is a game changer in the restaurant hand drying
market, in my humble opinion. This piece of equipment comes from
the same company that revolutionized the vacuum cleaner. The
Airblade consumes about 75% less electricity than normal hand
dryers by drying hands much more efficiently.
I am not usually one to write a particular
product, but this one intrigues me for a couple of reasons. One
– it is much more energy efficient than any other model out
there (face it, they haven’t changed much in the last few
decades). Two – a massive change in thinking came from
outside of the traditional hand drying industry. Someone in an
ivory tower must be a bit ticked off right now at this very cool
invention.
I believe that there will be many game changing
products coming to our homes and businesses over the next few years
that will make a big environmental difference. I wonder what is
next and who is asleep at the wheel?