Stricter Requirements for LEED Credits

The prerequisite isn’t the only aspect of green cleaning to receive adjustments. Each of the individual credits has also been updated — many with stricter guidelines.

After developing the green cleaning policy and putting the program into action, both components need to be monitored for effectiveness. As was the case with LEED 2009, cleaning personnel must perform routine inspections to identify areas of improvement. This cleaning audit falls under EQc6: Green Cleaning – Custodial Effectiveness Assessment and is still worth one point. However, LEED v4 is more stringent.

Cleaning providers can still use the APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities Custodial Staffing Guidelines for the audit, or they can use a local equivalent. The facility must score 2.5 or less (previously it was 3).

The biggest change in LEED v4 to affect jan/san distributors is the amount of products and equipment end users must purchase to earn the Green Cleaning Products and Materials credit. This credit is still worth one point and covers the procurement of chemicals, paper and can liners. However, at least 75 percent of purchases (based on cost) must meet specific environmental standards, compared to LEED 2009 when only 30 percent of purchases had to be considered green.

“This credit is intentionally designed to raise the bar and drive green products into the marketplace,” says Ashkin.

While providers have to purchase substantially more environmentally friendly products, LEED v4 actually makes it easier to earn the credit because there are additional certifications available to choose from. For all product categories, LEED v4 allows products approved by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment standard in addition to the previously accepted Green Seal and Environmental Choice certifications.

Besides these third-party standards, cleaning providers can use ionized water or electrolyzed water in place of chemicals, assuming those products have third-party-verified performance data.