As seen on NYSUT.com. 

Peter Giangaspro cares about students, parents and his colleagues in his school building. His district — Wappingers Falls in Dutchess County — has become more "green" since 2006, when New York became the first state in the nation requiring schools to use "green" cleaning products.

Giangaspro and his co-workers in the Wappingers Federation of Transit, Custodial and Maintenance Workers, led by Jeff Savino, are monitoring how new cleaning products work, how the school population perceives them and what they mean for union members who use them daily.

"When I see some of the teachers who are expecting, I'm really glad we're using healthy chemicals," said Giangaspro, a 20-year veteran custodian.

Among concerns are that buildings may not look as clean as before because new cleaning materials don't work in the same way as the old products.

"We need to let parents know what we're doing," Giangaspro said, "because the public isn't fully aware of why we've made these changes." These include ammonia-free window cleaners and vinyl tiles that contain no asbestos.

"We're in a transition," said Giangaspro, noting that many green products will continue to be improved over time.

A committed union activist, Giangaspro is a member of NYSUT's statewide health and safety committee. As a daytime custodian who "floats" through the district's 13 schools, he sees first-hand some of the challenges of the transition for his members, and thinks about ways local unions should be involved in shaping this new approach to the planning, construction and maintenance of school buildings.

He concedes that green cleaning is sometimes more challenging, but always worth the effort.

"Let's face it — those caustic chemicals worked faster for us," he said.

Still, the bottom line is the need for products "that are safe for our students and our members," Giangaspro said. "We should be involved in the discussions and raise the issues about what works best for the different environments and needs we face."

Union oversight
NYSUT Vice President Kathleen Donahue, who oversees health and safety issues for the union, said NYSUT supported the green-cleaning measure through its membership in the Healthy Schools Network.

According to Wendy Hord, NYSUT health and safety specialist, the statewide union is looking at other districts that are making the transition to green cleaning.

"If they're successful, we want to use their experiences as examples," she said, "to make sure vendors and districts are providing all the information our members need to get the best results."