CitiesGoGreen - January 2009 - (Page 19) HSC urges the ‘Green Team’ (those involved in the plan) to conduct reviews every 3-6 months for the first year, then annually. Like any new plan or experiment, it is important to monitor successes, failures and areas with A variety of case studies strongly suggest that exposure room for improvement. This not only to these cleaners puts individuals at an increased risk saves costs in the long-run, it builds a Stewardship for Cleaning Commercial and foundation of information for other districts, communities and states. Institutional Buildings. New York, the other state that requires HSC offers the The Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, a CD free green cleaning in schools, implemented upon request to schools and nonprofits, legislation in August, 2004, and made containing practical advice, tools and a revisions in March, 2007. The revisions were mostly additions of acceptable purchasing guide. It identifies five steps: green products, as well as the inclusion • Use green cleaning products of a clause that allows the use of cer• Introduce green equipment and supplies tain Green Seal or Environmental Choice products that were not initially included, • Adopt green cleaning procedures if the product meets specific certification • Use green paper and plastic standards. products A useful purchasing tool, offered by the • Share the responsibility The guide includes implementation New York State Office of General Services, tips, guides for success and an extensive is an Excel calculator to help determine which products are most cost-effective list of resources and tools. after dilution and mixing. be used by schools. They include standards from the City of Chicago (7 pg pdf ), those embedded in the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance standard, and ASTM’s Standard Guide on Connecticut Although no statewide laws exist to regulate cleaning of schools in Connecticut, The Connecticut Foundation for Environmentally Safe Schools (CONNFESS) promotes participation in a Green Clean school recognition program. The program directs users to the Healthy Schools Network, Inc., website that, along with much other information, offers a ‘Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit.’ The Toolkit is an excellent resource for anyone in local government trying to pass legislation on green cleaning, or anyone in schools trying to educate about the benefits of green cleaning. The Toolkit is described as “ an opensource, industry-free, customizable, comprehensive program to safeguard human health, reduce exposures to chemicals, and cost-effectively improve the performance of cleaning programs.” In Fairfield County, CT, making the shift to green cleaning was both exciting and challenging, according to comments by Manager of Facilities Dave Fryer, on the CONNFESS website. He urged other districts planning on going green to call local vendors for product availability and to understand the use of the products before switching over to green. Standards Organizations: Guides to Green Products EcoLogo: Canada-based, serving N. America and beyond, develops standards and identifies environmentally preferable choices in more than 250 product areas. Green Seal: Develops standards and identifies environmentally preferable products. Focuses on purchasing, operations, and facilities for governments and their agencies. Scientific Certification Systems: California-based SCS specializes in food, natural resources and manufacturing, including many office furnishings. GREENGUARD Environmental Institute: Establishes indoor air standards for products, environments, and buildings. ENERGY STAR: Energy efficient products and practices at all levels, with much information. EPEAT: Helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select IT equipment based on environmental attributes. Chlorine Free Products Association: Certifies chlorine free papers. Forestry Stewardship Council: FSC is an international program with standards for sustainable forest management. Certifies wood, paper and printers. Clean, green communities HSC predicts California will be the next state to require Clean Green Schools, because many districts are already taking steps in that direction. As far back as 2005, for instance, the Governing Board of the Emery Unified School District in Emeryville, CA, passed a resolution (pdf ) for Healthy, Environmentally Sound Schools. Part of the resolution calls for an audit of cleaning materials used in district schools, as well as a plan to use less toxic alternatives. The resolution emphasizes the importance of this practice in schools, which “have the potential to make positive, tangible environmental change in the world while teaching students to be stewards of their communities, the earth and its resources.” v Page Buono is a staff writer and editorial assistant for CitiesGoGreen. She is snowshoeing in Upper Michigan as this bio is written. Photo © dpixxels - fotolia January 2009 19 http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/GreenCleaning.pdf http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221 http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221 http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221 http://www.astm.org/Standards/E1971.htm http://pollutionfreeschools.org/greenclean/ http://pollutionfreeschools.org/greenclean/ http://www.healthyschools.org/documents/toolkit_flyer.pdf http://www.astm.org/Standards/E1971.htm http://www.healthyschools.org/documents/toolkit_flyer.pdf http://www.astm.org/Standards/E1971.htm http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/programs/gcs/guide.php http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/programs/gcs/guide.php http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/bldgadmin/environmental/default.html http://www.ecologo.org http://www.energystar.gov/ http://www.greenseal.org/programs/government.cfm http://www.greenschools.net/news/EUSD_GreenResolution.pdf http://www.epeat.net/ http://www.chlorinefreeproducts.org/ http://www.scscertified.com http://www.fscus.org/ http://www.greenguard.org/ http://www.greenguard.org/ http://www.CitiesGoGreen.com
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