Claire Barnett of the Healthy Schools Network recently asked Kalli Butt, Custodial Quality Assurance Coordinator, Facility Operations, Facilities & Asset Management at Portland Public Schools (PPS), and PC4HS Field Advisory Board (FAB) member, “How green is green at PPS?”

Kalli’s response:
“In Portland, Oregon, going green is a cultural norm. We use Green Seal-certified products and they perform well. For disinfecting, we use an EPA-registered Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide (AHP), no-VOC product with a strong safety and environmental profile. Hydrogen Peroxide breaks down to water and oxygen, so we feel this is the best choice where disinfecting is required (e.g., on high-tough surfaces where pathogens such as MRSA are found).”
 
More Green Elements
  • Recycling is practiced district-wide (80 schools).
  • Composting – Most PPS schools have compost bins emptied by waste management into a central compost area.
  • Microfiber – “All of our PC4HS schools use a microfiber system that works with reduced chemistry, and we launder microfiber cloths, dust mops, and wet mops once-weekly internally rather than outsourcing which conserves resources,” Kalli said.
 
Training for Green, Clean and Healthy Under PC4HS
“Every year, we hold a Summer Training Fair, a full-day of classes over three weeks including leadership, product and process training,” says Kelli. “We provide tailored education for both new custodians and veterans, nearly 400 people. Our supplier, custodians and managers are integral to the program by covering topics such as inventory management, workloading and more.”
 
Kelli adds that training the staff on standardization using PC4HS, as well as the responsive product supplier, has been the key to success at PPS.
 
“We are moving very aggressively forward with the PC4HS program,” she says. “We will be adding another 10 schools to PC4HS very soon − as it provides a clear rhyme and reason to our activities.”