Going Green

Part of the ProTeam Package of Green Cleaning Solutions

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The Cleaning Industry

• One of the largest industries in the world

• $150 BILLION industry in the U.S.

• Employs over 3 million people in the U.S.

• Consumes huge quantities of natural resources

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Why Do We Clean?

• Create a good impression…

• Improve morale…

• Improve customer retention or sales…

• It’s in the contract…

• It’s my job…

• Appearance

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Cleaning as a Commodity

• Perception that all cleaning services are the same

• Focus on cost reduction

• Maintain “acceptable” appearance

• Tends to neglect cleaning’s impact on– Indoor air quality– Occupant health & safety– Occupant performance & productivity– The environment as a whole

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Green Opportunities

• Distinguish yourself from the competition

• Positively impact your facility’s occupants’– Health– Safety– Performance

• Improve your ROI for products & equipment

• Make a difference

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can

change the world.

In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

Agenda

• Understanding Green Cleaning• Exploring the impacts of cleaning• Implementing a Green Cleaning program• Stewardship• Conclusion

Understanding Green Cleaning

• Defining Green Cleaning

• Exploring common misconceptions

• Exposing the reality of Green Cleaning

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Defining Green

• “Green Cleaning: Cleaning to protect health without harming the environment.”

• “…products and services that reduce the health and environmental impacts compared to similar products and services used for the same purpose.” Executive Order 13101

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Defining Green Cleaning

• Selecting the right products– Cleaning chemicals & dispensers– Paper products– Equipment, tools, and accessories

• Understanding proper use and impact of the products

• Implementing “stewardship” programs

• Providing training for workers

• Communicating with all participants

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Common Misconceptions

• Green products are expensive

• Green products are not effective

• Green cleaning is too complicated

• Green Cleaning is a fad – it will pass

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In Reality…

• Green products are competitively priced

• Green products can be more effective and have higher ROI

• A good program is easier to monitor, train, and maintain

• Green Cleaning is real and here to stay– Over 1000 registered LEED projects – 1000 – 2000 unregistered projects– Government Agencies– School Districts– Private Building Owners

The Impacts of Cleaning

• On the environment• In commercial settings• In educational settings• In health care settings• On custodians

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Cleaning’s Impact – The Environment

• 6 billion pounds of cleaning chemicals

• 4.5 billion pounds of paper

• 500 million pounds of equipment

• 35 billion plastic liners

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Cleaning’s Impact – Commercial Setting

• Building Owners & Managers– Complaints– Tenant retention– Profitability

• Building Tenants & Occupants– Productivity– Litigation– Marketing

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Cleaning’s Impact – Education Setting

• Children are not simply miniature adults

• Indoor air 2 -5 times as polluted as outdoor

• Asthma incidences riding dramatically– 160% increase in children under 5 years old– 4.8 million children affected– 14 million missed school days

• Cancers– #1 disease related cause of death in children– 8,500 children diagnosed with cancer every year

• Impacts teachers and staff as well as children

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Cleaning’s Impact – Education Setting

If children are sick in class or too

sick to attend class…

How will they learn?

If teachers and staff are sick during

the day or too sick to report…

How will they teach?

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Cleaning’s Impact – Education Setting

• Creating a better learning environment– Improvements on standardized test scores– Charles Young Elementary School

• Battling the budget cuts– Documented improvement program– Documented results

• Influencers– CHPS– EPA – Tools for Schools– Unions – NEA, AFT– Healthy Schools Organizations

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Cleaning’s Impact – Health Care

• Nursing Homes & Assisted Living– 3,350,000 residents– 2,000,000 full & part time staff

• Hospitals– 660,000 patients per day– 4,535,000 FTE staff– 100,000 hospital trainees– Countless visitors

• Many of these people are exposed 24 hours per day

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Cleaning’s Impact – Health Care

• Many patients suffer with compromised immune systems

• Difficult to isolate patients & staff from cleaning functions

• One key issue – nosocomial infections– Approximately 2,000,000 patients acquire these infections annually– Over 70,000 result in death every year– Approximately one-third are preventable

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Cleaning’s Impact - Custodians

• Over 3,000,000 custodians employed in the United States

• Workman’s Compensation

• Turnover– Hiring– Training– Motivation

• Levels of service

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The Impacts of Cleaning - Summary

• Cleaning’s impact felt in 2 ways– The results of the cleaning activity– The effects of the cleaning activity

• NOT an indictment of the cleaning industry– Dedicated professionals– Responding to market needs & pressures

• The new Green Cleaning market

Implementing a Green Cleaning Program

• Planning the project

• Choosing products & equipment

• Procedures & training

• Documentation & communication

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More Than a New Product…

“The goal of Green Cleaning is to reduce the total impact on both health and the environment.This cannot be accomplished simply by switching

to an environmentally-preferable product. It requires the willing participation of all those

involved in the process.”

Stephen P. Ashkin

President, The Ashkin Group, LLC.

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Planning Your Green Project

• Commitment & Team Development– Sr. Management– Stakeholders– Goals & Measurements

• Establish the Baseline– Identify needs goals, potential problems– Identify unique situations, occupants

with special vulnerabilities– Review complaints, IAQ, and other

records– Evaluate current products, equipment

and procedures

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Planning Your Green Project

• Develop a written operations plan– Products & equipment– Procedures & training– Controls & continual improvement

• Develop a communications strategy– Shared responsibility– Include ALL stakeholders

• Consider a “pilot program”– Larger, multi-building campuses– Regional, national organizations– Large school districts

Choosing Products & Equipment

• Cleaning chemicals & dispensers• Janitorial paper & liners• Powered equipment, tools, & accessories• Entryway mats• Landscaping & pest control

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Choosing Cleaning Chemicals

• Work with dedicated suppliers

• Concentrated products – closed dispensing systems

• General purpose, restroom, carpet, & glass cleaners– Green Seal GS-37 standard

• Other typical cleaning chemicals– California Code of Regulations – maximum allowable VOC levels

• Floor finishes– Metal free– Long lasting – minimize recoating & stripping– Minimize or eliminate burnishing– Green Seal GS-40 standard

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Choosing Paper Products & Liners

• EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines

• Bleaching – process chlorine-free

• Other “green” opportunities– Using large roll dispensers– Using “hands-free” dispensers– Replacing c-fold towels with roll dispensers

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EPA Guidelines

Item Post-Consumer Fiber % Recycled Fiber %

Toilet Tissue 20 – 60 20 – 100

Paper Towels 40 – 60 40 – 100

Paper Napkins 30 – 60 30 – 100

Facial Tissue 10 – 15 10 – 100

General Purpose Wipes 40 40 – 100

Plastic Liners 10 – 100 10 - 100

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Choosing Equipment

• Improve productivity

• Enhance ergonomics

• Durability, longevity, ROI

• Use of post-consumer recycled content– Carts– Mop handles, buckets, wringers

• Replace “traditional” tools– Micro fiber cloths vs. paper wipers– Drain “snake” vs. concentrated, toxic

drain opening chemicals

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Choosing Equipment

• Vacuum cleaners– Ability to capture “local” dirt, dust & contaminants– Ability to retain small particles – filtration system– Ability to maintain power as collector loads

• Carpet extractors– Ability to recover water – carpets should dry

within 24 hours– Ability to heat water where appropriate– Ability to conserve water

• Buffers & burnishers– Active vacuum attachments to capture dust

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Choosing Entryway Mats

• 80 – 90% of all dirt comes in on people’s feet

• Grills, grates & mats should be used– At ALL entry points– Inside & outside doors– Be chosen for local conditions

• Appropriate length – typically at least 2 steps – 12 feet

• Proper & adequate maintenance

• Consider total life cycle when choosing matting materials

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Landscaping Products

• Products are frequently toxic– Look for safer alternatives– Communicate to occupants when applying

• Minimize exposure to building & occupants– Create “buffer zones” near buildings– Use application methods that prevent overspray– Choose application times to minimize exposure

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Integrated Pest Management

• Many typical products are extremely toxic– Look for safer alternatives

• Prevention is more effective than treatment– Use barriers to prevent entry– Eliminate clutter– Eliminate, clean-up spills, crumbs, etc.– Create “buffer zone” around the building

• Communicate with occupants & stakeholders

Procedures & Training

• Follow your plan

• Maximize labor productivity

• Document & improve

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Procedures & Training

• Work from the plan– You know HOW to clean– The plan details WHAT, WHEN & WHY to clean– Each facility is unique

• Minimize impacts– Use closed-system dispensing equipment– Keep janitorial closet clean & organized– Floor care systems that minimize scrubs, recoats, stripping– Communicate when using products that contain higher VOCs

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Maximize Labor Productivity

• Select a cleaning system– e.g. Team Cleaning©

• Use an effective training program– Cross train employees– Document training

• Choose equipment, tools, and products to enhance productivity

• Consider equipment ergonomics

• Check & repair equipment & tools to prevent down-time

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Document & Improve

• Document all complaints & resolutions

• Document compliments

• Review all procedures on a regular basis

• Measure progress against goals

• Modify procedures to improve results

• Develop & maintain a continual training program

Stewardship

• What Stewardship Means

• Elements of a Stewardship Plan

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Stewardship - Concepts

• Everyone in the facility has an impact on the indoor environment

• Includes:– Owner & Manager– Tenants & occupants– Cleaning staff– Other contractors– Visitors– Clients & customers– Delivery people, etc…

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Elements of a Stewardship Plan

– Building Policy– Management Goals– Staffing Plan– Building the Stewardship Team– Product Criteria– Cleaning Guidelines– Safety & Health Guidelines– Hazardous Materials Management– Hazardous Waste Management– Waste Minimization & Recycling– Communications– Goals Measurements

Derived from ASTM National Cleaning Standard

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Review

• Green Cleaning can positively impact people’s– Health– Safety– Performance & Productivity

• Green Cleaning can dramatically reduce our impact on the environment

• Green Cleaning can re-establish our industry’s value to the public

• Green Cleaning can improve your ROI and bottom line

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The Green Continuum

• We’re Green Cleaning champions

• We’re establishing a stewardship program

• We’ve joined the USGBC and have a LEED project

• We’re implementing Green Cleaning in our facility

• We’ve begun a pilot project

• We’re choosing “greener” products & equipment

• We’ve begun investigating Green Cleaning

• We clean for appearance

Why Do We Clean?

How will YOU answer that?

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© 2005 ProTeam, Inc. All rights reserved. ProTeam The Vacuum Company, Cleaning for Health, and Team Cleaning are

registered trademarks of ProTeam, Inc. All other trademarks used are the property of their respective holders.

The American Lung Association does not endorse products.

This presentation was developed by

The Ashkin Group, LLC