CIMS Case Study: IH Services

The Building Service Contractors Association International’s (BSCAI) Annual Convention & Trade Show will co-locate with ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America, beginning in 2010. The co-location agreement is another step in the ongoing alliance between the two associations, which was initiated in 2008.

“This day has been a long time coming for both our associations, and we welcome this opportunity to work with BSCAI as we strive to bring together all channel partners of the global cleaning community,” said ISSA President Bob Stahurski. “The co-location of our events will facilitate better supply-chain relationships for all who attend.”

In addition, BSCAI intends to host its 2009 Executive Workshop in conjunction with this year’s ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America, which will be held October 6-9, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

The 2010 ISSA/INTERCLEAN show will be held Tuesday-Friday, November 9-12, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL, with the BSCAI show co-locating Thursday-Sunday, November 11-14. BSCAI members will be eligible to attend the ISSA/INTERCLEAN event at member rates. Although BSCAI will no longer host an independent exhibition, it will continue to offer sponsorship and other vendor-partner programs.

Leaders of both organizations have made it clear that the co-location agreement impacts only the events in question and that ISSA and BSCAI will remain independent associations, serving the needs of their respective members in ways unique to each.

Green Predictions

Predicting the future of environmental issues has become more difficult in the past few months. Because of the economic downturn, some predictions considered likely last summer may now be called into question.

Still, Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group and founder and executive director of the Green Cleaning Network, says that while no one can predict the future with certainty, he feels comfortable predicting some probable trends for 2009.

  • Although there will be a slowdown in the “green” industry, in the long term, businesses, governments, and institutions will continue to be green-focused in their building and operating plans and programs.
  • The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, along with similar programs, will shift their focus from new construction to evaluating existing buildings, where green cleaning plays an even more significant role.
  • Green will be more closely tied to saving money. Those green products or services that can save end users money will excel.
  • Customers will experience increased market pressure to become sustainable, and efforts to move to green procedures and products will prove to be a differentiator in the marketplace.
  • Janitorial manufacturers and distributors will stay committed to green cleaning. “We simply know too much about the potential hazards of conventional cleaning products,” says Ashkin.
  • The Obama presidency will see green as a way to stimulate job growth and the economy. Many are already calling these prospective programs a “Green New Deal.”
  • Recycling programs will suffer due to the collapse of markets for recycled materials; however, “closed-loop” take-back programs will grow in the United States.
  • Green cleaning will go international, spreading to developing countries around the world.
  • New green cleaning products will raise the bar on performance and further reduce costs.
  • More state legislation requiring green cleaning in schools and other public-funded facilities will be passed.

Ashkin also believes that calls for a “national green label” will grow in 2009. “Consumers are confused because of the proliferation of different green certifying organizations with different criteria and standards,” he says. “One [green] label will end this confusion and help bolster the environmental movement as well.”

 

Five Simple Steps to Green Cleaning in Schools

By Rochelle Davis

Schools have been cleaned the same way for so long that most of us haven’t really given it much thought. Starting a green cleaning program can feel overwhelming, but it’s not an “all or nothing” proposition. Most schools that successfully implement these programs begin by addressing the most significant or easily accessible issues. As they experience success, they add new elements to their plan or make adjustments to improve the results of current efforts. The process can be started with just five simple steps:

  1. Use green cleaning products. There are dozens of choices that work well and are cost competitive when compared with traditional products. This stage also includes training or retraining cleaning personnel regarding the proper product application, mixing, dilution, and disposal.
  2. Use green equipment and supplies. Use vacuums and other floor-cleaning equipment with high-efficiency filters to capture microscopic materials that might adversely impact building-occupant health or damage sensitive equipment. Green equipment tends to cost more, but the higher quality and greater durability is more cost effective in the long run.
  3. Adopt green cleaning procedures. Change the frequency, technique, or time when cleaning is performed. For instance, spraying product on a cleaning cloth rather than on the surface being cleaned, or adopting integrated pest management to cut down on pesticide exposure.
  4. Use green paper and plastic products. Introduce environmentally preferable paper and recycled plastic trash-can liners to the school. By taking a few simple steps to reduce consumption — such as replacing multifold hand towels with large rolls and replacing single-roll toilet-paper dispensers with dispensers that hold multiple rolls—higher initial costs can be offset.
  5. Share the responsibility. Educate custodial staff, administrators, teachers, students, union representatives, vendors, and visitors about what they can do to promote a healthy school environment, such as recycling paper and plastic, conserving water, maintaining uncluttered classrooms and work spaces, and handling food and potential contaminants properly.

Rochelle Davis is the founding executive director of the Healthy Schools Campaign, an independent not-for-profit organization and a leading authority on healthy school environments. She can be reached at 312-419-1810; e-mail; or visit the Web site.

States Focus on Green Cleaning in 2009

By Bill Balek

State legislatures are continuing the green cleaning trend this year, as no fewer than 13 bills have been introduced in the first quarter of 2009 mandating the procurement and use of environmentally preferable cleaning products and services. The states involved are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Washington.

Most of this pending state legislation focuses on mandating green cleaning for schools, but a number of states have taken a broader perspective, introducing legislation that would require all state agencies to implement green cleaning programs.

These legislative initiatives, if enacted into law, will have a direct impact on those companies doing business with schools and/or government agencies in these states. Perhaps more importantly, state legislation of this kind has an influence on the purchasing preferences of private-sector institutional facilities and is therefore likely to have a significant impact on the general market demand for green cleaning in these states.

It is crucial, therefore, that ISSA members stay abreast of these developments to ensure they have the right product mix to capitalize on this marketplace trend.

Presently, there are 16 states that have adopted a green cleaning procurement policy of one type or another. A summary of existing state-, local-, and federal-government green cleaning policies can be found in Green Cleaning Product Procurement Policies, Initiatives, and Requirements in the U.S., available at www.issa.com/greenprocure.

Bill Balek is ISSA’s legislative affairs director. He can be reached at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail.

 

Calendar

April 23-24, Facility Maintenance: Improve Operations in Turbulent Times, featuring Steve Spencer. Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA.

May 13-15, ISSA/INTERCLEAN® Central & Eastern Europe. Expo XXI Warsaw International Expocentre, Warsaw, Poland.

June 25, CIMS I.C.E. Workshop. Philadelphia, PA.

October 5-6, CIMS I.C.E. Workshop. McCormick Place, Chicago, IL (held in conjunction with ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009).

October 6-9, ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009. McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

October 27-28, Antimicrobial Workshop. Arlington, VA.

 

Welcome New ISSA Members!

Castle Keepers of Charleston, Inc.
 N. CHARLESTON, SC

Minneapolis Public Schools
 MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Spec Clean, LLC
 BROOKFIELD, CT

University of Toronto, Facilities & Services
 TORONTO, ON, CANADA

Whiptail Contract Services
 PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO

Whiteway Building Service, Inc.
 OMAHA, NE

Xpress Services
 OTTAWA, ON, CANADA

Individual ISP Members

Reed Richards, Augsburg College
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Justin Lasko, Gallaudet University
 WASHINGTON, DC

Brenda R. Hall, King’s Daughters Medical Center
 BROOKHAVEN, MS

Anthony Davis, Tallahassee Regional Airport
 TALLAHASSEE, FL

All information in "ISSA Reports" is furnished by ISSA. ©2009. All rights reserved.




POSTED ON: 4/1/2009