The Green Building Solution
How difficult is it to be considered a Green building? One of the issues of our hour is that businesses have been encouraged to “Go Green.” Unfortunately, they have not been told what Green represents unless you consider an extensive list of ecological and environmental changes is the answer. Actually, it appears that the idea of a Green building has been usurped and taken to every possible extreme.
The core of a Green office or building is found in the improvement of the health issues of the building on the behalf of the people that work there. While it is beneficial to change the bulbs, cut energy consumption, conserve more water, and recycle the trash; the best place to create a Green office is in the janitorial service.
There are three pieces of the Green janitorial puzzle. The first of which is what we call the Green Agenda where the decision-makers implement polices. The second is to make sure the Green products are used, and the third is to require a Green certified janitorial service for your building.
The value of a Green building is the positive change of the health factor for the cleaning crew and those who work in the office day after day. Acute and chronic influences, studies have shown, are often related on the cleaning of the building. This shows up in the loss of profitability through absenteeism, lost productivity, cost of manpower, and increasing medical costs.
The Green practices are just as important as the Green products. For instance, the use of microfiber cloths can reduce chemical use. It can also decrease the bacteria and dust shuffled around the building. New cleaning methods must change the old “Spray and Wipe” routine to install a “Dwell Time” of the cleaning product. The spread of disease is greatly reduced by change of cleaning methods as well as the tools. It is not sufficient to toss a Green product in the janitor closet and assume that the whole project is Green.
It is encourages that companies require a “Green Practices Clause” in the bid or quote process for your building. Rather than employ old janitorial services, give preferential treatment to janitorial services that offers Green products and that boasts a Green trained and certified workforce. It makes absolute sense that the worker is equally as essential to the Green process as the tools of the operation. We all know that a set of tools does not make a typical man into an expert mechanic. How can we assume that a bottle of Green cleanser makes a service Green as well?
Find a Green Clean Institute Certified janitorial firm in your area or require that those hoping to service your building are Green Clean Institute Certified. Your employees will be healthier, your costs will go down, and you may even qualify for the Green Clean Institute Certified Green Building.
