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Sustainability
Why go "green"?
It’s a matter of sizing up the numbers, as your buildings occupants become more aware of the statistics:
- 17,000: the number of petrochemicals available for home and commercial use, only 30 percent of which have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment.
- 63: the number of synthetic chemical products found in the average American home and office, translating to roughly 10 gallons of harmful chemicals.
- 100: the number of times higher that indoor air pollution levels can be above outdoor air pollution levels, according to US EPA estimates.
- 275: the number of active ingredients in antimicrobials that the EPA classifies as pesticides because they are designed to kill microbes.
- 5 billion: the number of pounds of chemicals that the institutional cleaning industry uses each year.
- 23: the average gallons of chemicals that a janitor uses each year, 25 percent of which are hazardous.
How do I go "green"?
- Determine your starting point by conducting a simple audit. This will help you recognize all opportunities for improvement and build a better plan. Also, as part of your plan you will need to evaluate your cleaning budget. Unfortunately, you may be paying the same amount per square foot as the building next door, but are only paying for acceptable appearances and minimal complaints. Today, while green cleaning services are competitively priced compared to traditional janitorial services, you may find that you need to invest more in cleaning in order to achieve the health, performance, productivity and other benefits of going green.
- Identify vendors or service providers that have experience with green cleaning. This is a lot easier than trying to drag them along in the process. Cleantec can work with you through each step of the process, as a member of the U.S. Green Building Council; we have access to resources that will assist you in the development of your green cleaning program.
- While simply switching to a few "green" products or equipment is a good thing, this is not enough. For best results, ask your service provider to implement a comprehensive program that includes the chemicals, paper, equipment, entry mats, tools, etc. Keep in mind that 80% to 90% of the cleaning budget is labor, so don't forget your service provider must train the cleaners in new techniques and procedures.
The bottom line is this – employees, tenants, and building occupants are becoming ever more aware of the quality of their indoor environments. Getting ahead of the oncoming demand for a cleaner, healthier workplace by putting a green cleaning policy in place now will save you time, money and hassles in the future.
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