The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has been one of the most significant developments in the Green Cleaning movement over the past decade. For a facility to be LEED certified, it is now required to be cleaned using environmentally preferable products, tools, equipment, and procedures. No facility can be LEED certified without a Green Cleaning program in place.
The LEED program has been very worthwhile for the professional cleaning industry for a variety of reasons. First, it connects the dots between the potential negative impact of conventional cleaning products on health and the environment and how this can be rectified with Green Cleaning products. And it has also elevated the value of our industry, the services we provide, and the role we play keeping people healthy has never been better understood than it is today.
The LEED program has also helped all of us involved with building operations, including business and building owners and managers, better understand why Green Cleaning is important and how we can all play a role in protecting the environment. And now, it is helping us evolve to an even higher plane: sustainability. This is the next step in Green Cleaning. Our industry will be called on to help our end customers protect the Earth's natural resources and use them more responsibly, as we do the same with our own businesses.
Change is Brewing
Since the LEED program and the Green Cleaning movement have been so crucial to our industry, I want to give you the following “heads up” about possible changes in the program. This notice is not because the discussed changes may in any way minimize the role or importance of Green Cleaning. Instead, I am bringing this to your attention because it is an opportunity for our industry to get more involved with the LEED-Existing Buildings, Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) program, encouraging the implementation of new programs and procedures that will benefit our industry, Green Cleaning, and other sustainability initiatives.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which developed the LEED rating system that awards points to facilities which implement strategies to be Greener and more sustainable, is considering making revisions to LEED-EBOM. The Council has been allowing industry professionals to comment on the current Green Cleaning credits and provide suggestions on improving the program. It is very important because the feedback will influence what types of changes, if any, will be made, and which have the potential of impacting our industry and building operations in general for many years to come.
As someone who has worked with the Council’s Technical Advisory Groups, there are three changes impacting our industry that I believe will be forthcoming. These are:
1. Requirements that facilities increase their purchase of environmentally preferable chemicals, paper products, liners, and equipment;
2. Allowing more Green certification programs and organizations to be honored; for instance, along with Green Seal and EcoLogo, environmentally preferable criteria developed by such organizations as the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program and ISSA’s new information-based environmental label program will be recognized; and
3. Changes dealing specifically with custodial effectiveness and how effectively facilities are cleaned.
The first two items, regarding raising and expanding the requirements for the use of Green chemicals, products, and equipment and allowing more criteria to be honored, are somewhat self-explanatory. However, the third item, dealing with custodial effectiveness, requires more explanation.
The Council is coming to the conclusion that just the use of Greener products does not necessarily equate to a cleaner, healthier building. The effectiveness of the custodial workers also must be given greater scrutiny. New provisions may require building managers or owners seeking LEED-EBOM certification to begin measuring cleaning performance and reward more effective cleaning procedures and systems.
To measure performance, the Council is turning to a program with a proven track record, having been developed nearly 20 years ago by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) of Universities and Colleges. This program is called the Custodial Staffing Guidelines and includes an audit tool the Council believes has proven its usefulness, flexibility, and adaptability in all types of facilities.
While the council recognizes that there are other valuable proprietary quality control and measurement systems, the APPA program was chosen exclusively because it will provide the best comparative information, and enough data, from one building to another in just one program. Rather than just rewarding buildings for implementing a quality control program, the Council’s intention is to implement a benchmarking system for buildings that would provide industry-wide data and, ultimately, encourage more cleaning – resulting in a healthier space for the occupants.
There are other items in the LEED-EBOM rating program that may also be reviewed and possibly changed which can impact our industry. Instead of exploring those now, I encourage all cleaning professionals to visit the Web site we have launched that specifically addresses these issues and allows you the opportunity to express your views. The address is www.ashkinleedeb.com. This is important stuff. Please take advantage of this opportunity.
