What is green cleaning?
“Green cleaning” is defined as cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. But it’s much more than just using environmentally preferrable products; it is a comprehensive program that includes:

• Understanding any unique needs of individual occupants; building structure, furnishings and equipment; individual cleaning personnel, the organization’s mission and the local environment

• Selecting the right products, including chemicals, paper, tools and equipment

• Understanding how products are used to reduce their impact on product users, building occupants, and the environment

• Implementing “stewardship” programs for occupants, visitors and other vendors so that they can share the responsibility to maintain a healthy indoor environment

• Providing training for those using the products and eliminating waste

• Implementing labor management systems to optimize performance, establish clear performance requirements and maintain accountability

• Initiating extensive communications to educate, inform, recognize, and get all parties working together to optimize all efforts

• Developing a process of continual improvement that includes cleaning staff, building occupants and management

Why Clean Green?
Cleaning is a huge industry. We annually consume billions of pounds of paper and chemicals, and we have a huge impact on water, electricity and landfills. Green cleaning helps preserve our resources for future generations.

But beyond the outdoor environment, green cleaning is a good business decision as well.Green cleaning is important to contractors as a means to differentiate from the competition. Certain customers also are beginning to demand green cleaning. One example is the members of the U.S. Green Building Council. These building owners are committed to the concept and require green cleaning in their buildings.

Also, going green can help improve the health of janitors and building occupants alike, reducing lost workdays and improving productivity. Chemicals with moderated pH levels, low VOCs and so forth can help reduce injuries and illnesses. These benefits will continue to drive building owners to green cleaning because even small increases in occupant productivity and performance can result in huge profits and improvements.

In closing, Green cleaning is an excellent business strategy that will provide contractors with an opportunity to not only offer innovative solutions to maintaining a healthy and productive environment for customers, but to do so in a way that is more responsible to our workers, building occupants and the environment. In coming months, I hope to provide you with ways to implement a green-cleaning strategy that not only makes sense for health and environment, but for your bottom line.

Stephen Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a nationally renowned consulting firm helping both contractors and building owners "green" the cleaning process.




POSTED ON: 2/1/2004