Few Westerners know that Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, and the rest of the Eastern Christian world celebrates Christmas on the 7th of January and not on the 25th of December like Catholics. Many Westerners are surprised when they hear that Ukrainians and Russians have their Christmas at the end of the first week of January. However, the history of these calendar and religious differences goes back into the centuries, and Glass Replacement Queen Creek wants to shed light on the existing disparities between the Catholics and the Orthodox.

Russians and Ukrainians have their Christmas celebrated in the best traditions of Orthodox Christianity. Based on the old Julian calendar, Christmas always happens on the 7th of January, the day of solemnity and celebration for the entire Orthodox community. After 1917 and the October Revolution Christmas, as well as all other religious holidays, was officially banned. Churches were being destroyed, and religion was called ?the opium for the masses?. 75 years passed, until in 1992 Christmas restored its status and became one of the biggest religious holidays in the Orthodox landscape. Today millions of Russians and Ukrainians come to church on the eve of the Christmas to stand the all-night Mass and express their religious gratitude.

The main traditions of Orthodox Christmas differ greatly from the Christmas traditions pursued by Catholics. Glass Replacement Queen Creek knows that Christmas in Russia and Ukraine marks the end to the long religious fast, which lasts until the 6th of Jan, when the first star appears in the sky. As always, Christmas is a family holiday, and the dinner following the church mass should be shared with all family members. This is why on this day children visit their parents or other relatives to celebrate their unity, peace, and happiness. The so-called Holy Supper follows the traditions of Christianity, with no single piece of meat but with grains, honey and garlic; the latter reminds Orthodox Christians of the bitterness of life. Despite these differences, Christmas remains one of the most important religious points in the lives of every Christian.

In the two previous blogs we were talking about the role and place of energy efficiency and environmental protection in the U.S. glass industry. We discussed the meaning and costs of energy in the glass industry in America and tried to see what exactly U.S. glass manufacturers were doing to enhance their energy efficiency and reduce the effects of their production on the environment. Glass Replacement Gilbert concluded that glass manufacturers in America were doing a lot to make themselves more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. However, we did not answer a very important question: what exactly should U.S. glass manufacturers do to reduce their energy expenditures?

Glass Replacement Gilbert believes that answering this question is impossible without developing the basic understanding of the glass melting process; the latter is considered as the most energy-intensive in the entire glass manufacturing cycle. U.S. manufacturers cannot conserve energy and achieve a better quality of capital investments without making relevant and feasible changes to the glass melting process. The most important changes are to be made in melting, and most technologies implemented to conserve energy will have to touch the melting aspect of glass manufacturing in the U.S. In its current state, the glass industry in America relies on the melting principles developed at the end of the 19th century. Despite the recent advancement of technologies, principles of melting and production have been mostly the same. Glass Replacement Gilbert believes that the development of U.S. glass manufacturing in the 20th century was devoid of revolutionary changes, and it is high time for the industry to turn itself toward new technologies. This being said, achieving greater energy efficiency in the U.S. Glass industry is possible only by means of developing a radically new melting process. The operating margins of glass manufacturers need to be assessed. Eventually, we believe that meeting these goals is possible only with continuous collaboration and support of all manufacturers. A combined effort is needed to ensure smooth and continuous implementation of energy efficient technologies.

The whole world is moving toward greater energy efficiency and energy economies. The ongoing energy crisis changes the structure of economic and social values; as a result, millions of people all over the planet have to adopt a new vision of the energy efficient reality, where efficiency is the basic measure of success. Glass Replacement Chandler realizes that the glass industry in the U.S. is not secured from these influences. In other words, like the rest of the American society and the world, the U.S. Glass Industry must learn to comply with the new and emerging energy efficiency standards. It is noteworthy, that the U.S. Glass Industry is made of the four major sectors ? container glass, flat glass, fiberglass, and specialty glass. Glass Replacement Chandler realizes that all these sectors contribute equally to the energy costs and expenditures carried by the entire glass industry in the U.S. Together these sectors consume more than $1.5 billion in energy expenses every year. In other words, every 14th dollar of production costs in U.S. glass manufacturing is spent on energy. Apparently, energy efficiency is the best and most reliable way to reduce these energy costs.

Energy efficiency is valuable not only because it allows reducing energy costs in the U.S. Glass Industry. Energy efficiency is that instrument which allows reducing energy costs without compromising the quality of the ultimate product. More importantly, and Glass Replacement Chandler is convinced, that energy efficiency provides greater opportunities to improve the quality of glass products in the U.S. Glass manufacturers in the U.S. should invest in energy-efficient technologies, since the latter result in considerable quality improvements and higher process efficiency. Energy-efficient technologies in glass manufacturing lead to increased production and other productivity gains. Customers are getting more environmentally friendly and environmentally conscientious. Consequentially, they seek to purchase products and services from environmentally conscientious companies, like them. In this sense, energy efficiency exemplifies an important element of companies? environmental strategies and ?green? brand image. Thus, it is clear that the more U.S. glass manufacturers invest in energy efficiency the more competitive they become. The main thing manufacturers should learn is how exactly energy efficient technologies need to be implemented.

Awards are extremely motivating! Different organizations and business associations develop awards and award systems to motivate their members to pursue quality and efficiency in their industrial operations. The glass industry is no exception: the Glass Packaging Institute has developed a complex system of Clear Choice Awards, and this is what Glass Replacement Gilbert wants to discuss today. The Clear Choice Awards system was established in 1989 with the goal of expanding the glass industry frontiers in the packaging glass sector. The awards are designed to motivate producers to use glass packaging in innovative ways. Glass Replacement Gilbert knows that Clear Choice Awards are granted in a number of categories, such as Beer, Wine, Food, Distilled Spirits, Conversion Recognition, and others.

The benefits from getting the Clear Choice Award are numerous. First, award recipients gain industry-wide recognition and can use their status as a source of competitive advantage. Second, award recipients have all chances to attract and retain new customers. Third, the mere fact of being a Clear Choice Awards recipient signifies the recipient?s compliance with the basic norms of eco-friendly glass manufacturing and innovative spirits. Actually, innovations and innovativeness are the basic criteria of winner selection in the Clear Choice Awards.

Certainly, the Glass Packaging Institute is not the only source of rewards and motivation in the glass industry. Moreover, rewards alone cannot ensure glass manufacturers? compliance with the norms of quality and efficiency in business. Manufacturers must be intrinsically motivated to improve their performance and social responsibility. Glass Replacement Gilbert asserts that this is the best way to promote business in the glass industry. Nevertheless, awards are a good supplement to other business motivators. Awards can guarantee that winners/ recipients work hard to sustain high quality of their products and operations in the long run. This is mainly because, once publicly recognized, glass manufacturers will do everything possible and impossible not to lose their reputation and brand image.

Glass is everywhere ? in bottles and windows, in banks and cars. Glass is everywhere, and Glass Replacement Queen Creek has discovered a unique place, which is integrally linked to glass. The place we are talking about is the Glass Beach ? one of the most unique and beautiful places in California. It is unique not because the natural forces have shaped it but because a huge mistake made by humans was later corrected by with the help of the pounding surf and time?

Since the end of the 1940s, the place which we now call the ?glass beach? used to be a dump. In other words, people would throw their waste directly into the ocean. Surprising as it may seem, there were no environmental laws at that time, and water pollution was natural, continuous, and legal. Actually, water resources all over the United States suffered the tragic effects of human activity. Rivers were dried or polluted, simply because manufacturers and businessmen were not legally required to establish and run systems to purify their wastes and reduce the scope of pollution in water. Thus, the place where the glass beach is located was merely one element of the complex pollution machine set in motion all over the United States.

The types of waste thrown into the Californian ocean ranged from household garbage to old cars. It is no wonder that so much glass accumulated along the California shores. It was not before the beginning of the 1960s that using the ocean and beaches for dumping was banned. No toxic waste would be thrown into the water anymore. Glass Replacement Queen Creek also learned that in 1967 the dumping practices were moved farther from the ocean and a new dumping place was created to avoid further harm to the nature.

30 years passed after the tragedy. Finally, the nature and the ocean were able to reclaim their right to occupy the beach. Pounding waters have polished thousands of tons of glass on the beach. Those who come here can see millions of glass pieces sparkling in the sun. To make this place even more attractive, local authorities have put a ban on collecting the glass pieces on the beach. Here, glass reminds humans of the pains and sufferings they have caused to the ecology and nature.