Industry News

CleaningGreen Virtual Conference & Expo Has Successful Debut

On May 11 the CleaningGreen Virtual Conference & Expo debuted, attracting more than 1,000 commercial cleaning industry professionals. Presented by Housekeeping Solutions, Sanitary Maintenance and Contracting Profits magazines, the online event provided attendees with access to industry experts and suppliers that focus on green cleaning in the commercial cleaning market.

"The virtual trade show is a phenomenal idea. No doubt this is the way it will be in the future," says Brian Schindler, vice president of HOTT Associates. "Overall it was very simple to use and easy to navigate. It was exciting to be on the 'cutting edge' of the future. I look forward to 'attending' many more of these."

The event exposed new products and solutions to jan/san distributors, building service contractors, in-house service providers and facility executives. Industry experts such as Steve Ashkin, David Holly, Philip Consolino and Ian Greig presented five educational conference sessions via Webcast. Topics included green cleaning legislation, distributor partnerships, day cleaning, new product certifications and sustainability.

The CleaningGreen Conference & Expo provided attendees multiple online locations to meet their specific educational and business needs including a plaza, exhibit hall, auditorium, networking lounge and resource library. Interactions were conducted via scheduled group chats and message boards. Exhibitors also provided information and demonstrations via virtual booths and engaged with attendees using online chat for private conversations.

"I had a great time interacting in chat rooms and talking with participants. I think the ability to interact in this fashion will help our industry continue to grow and participants to grow as professionals," says Holly, author of "Green Cleaning for Dummies" and conference presenter.

An archive of the event will be available for three months at www.cleanlink.com/cleaninggreenexpo.

CleaningGreen Conference & Expo's strong debut and industry-wide acceptance has prompted event management to announce a new virtual event — The Cleaning Innovations Virtual Conference & Expo to be held September 16, 2010.

Iowa Governor Signs Law For Green Cleaning In Schools

According to reports from Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC), on April 23, Iowa's governor signed legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly requiring public schools, community colleges, institutions under control of the state board and state agencies to comply with an environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance policy.

The bill, House File 823, requires that these institutions only purchase products that meet nationally recognized green standards by July 12, 2010; schools will be provided resources about the environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance products to be used.

HSC supports state-level green cleaning legislation to promote healthy indoor environments for these students and staff, reduce chemical exposure, cut back on waste and improve sustainability efforts. In 2007, HSC brought together a coalition to successfully advocate for a policy that made Illinois the second state in the nation (after New York) to require green cleaning in schools.

New Standard Helps Limit Indoor Air Contaminants

NSF International and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) developed a health-based standard that addresses chemical emissions from products. This standard will streamline the methods currently used for measuring and limiting chemical emissions from products, and will incorporate the most recent science on human health and toxicology to provide acute and chronic chemical exposure limits.

The final GEI-NSF standard will serve as a valuable tool for sustainability programs; federal, state, and local governments; code officials; architects and designers; health professionals; specifying professionals; and consumers by helping them choose products that minimize air pollutants in indoor environments.

The GEI-NSF standard will be developed under the American National Standard Institute's (ANSI) Essential Requirements for adoption as an ANSI Standard. The ANSI Standard development process ensures that the standard is developed in a balanced, open and collaborative manner with participation from multiple stakeholders to avoid potential conflicts of interest. A consensus committee made up of government and public health officials, academics, industry leaders and product users helps develop and vote on the standard, while a group of subject matter experts provides insight and guidance. Subsequent mandatory public comment periods allow individual stakeholders and organizations to participate in the development process.

Awards Honor Custodians

Five custodians were recognized with the 2010 C.L.E.A.N. Awards (Custodial Leaders for Environmental Advocacy Nationwide) for keeping schools clean and safe.

The program, in its second year, is sponsored by The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), the National Education Association (NEA) and NEA's Health Information Network (HIN).

The top recipient was Patrick Lortie of Woodlan Junior-Senior High School, Woodburn, Ind. Four other custodians from across the nation were recognized as runners-up for their outstanding leadership in school cleanliness: Rick Larkin of West Chester, Ohio; Wendy Fowler of Pittsburgh, Penn.; Frank Lotito of Nutley, N.J.; and Kathleen Osborne of Frederick, Md.

Visit www.cleanlink.com for full details.

SEIU Names President

Pledging to "restore relations with the American labor movement," Mary Kay Henry was named president of the Service Employees International Union, becoming the first woman to head the massive and politically influential group.

Henry's election by the group's governing board follows a period of explosive SEIU growth that contrasts sharply with a decades-long slide in union membership in the United States, where fewer than 1 in 10 private-sector workers are now unionized.