Page 5 - Cable Car Catalog

Top Three Areas for
Greening and Cleaning
Today, manufacturers invest in R&D to
create more and more products, equipment
and supplies for green maintenance. There
are three areas of environmental impact
that receive the most attention:
• Chemicals. Over 6 billion pounds of
cleaning chemicals are used annually.
• Paper Products. Almost 30 million
trees go into the 4.5 billion pounds of
janitorial paper consumed each year;
manufacturing and bleaching process
have enormous environmental and
health impacts.
• Waste. Approximately 1 billion pounds
of janitorial equipment end up in landfills
each year.4
By looking at these three issues, anyone in
charge of cleaning commercial, public and
industrial buildings can make those spaces
greener.
How Being Green Pays Off
Of course, it’s good to do the best job
and respect the environment in which we
live and work. But there are also business
dividends to consider, as well. Here are a
few examples. Going green is:
• Cost-conscious. Concentrates require
less bulky packaging, and less storage
space in your facility. They also cost less
to ship, and those savings can often be
reflected in the price.
• Health-conscious. Well-trained users of
safer cleaning products needn’t fear
side effects, and the businesses that
employ custodial staff can anticipate
less sick time.
• Image-conscious. A green business
cashes in on advantages in marketing,
contracting, recruiting, employee
retention, and good will in the
community.
Green is the color of Success.
4 http://www.greenseal.org/resources/gs42_one_pager.pdf
5 http://www.environment.columbia.edu/projects/other/housekeeping.html
WANT TO GET DEEPER INTO GREEN CLEANING? BE Green
The GS-42 Green Seal™ Environmental Leadership Standard for
Commercial Cleaning Services requires in-house and external
cleaning services to meet certain requirements. The certification
standard requires:
• Planning including written operating procedures and schedules
• Products, supplies and equipment that meet eco-friendly criteria
• Cleaning procedures that address environmental goals and use
approved chemicals in an efficient way
• Communication that ensures owners, managers, occupants,
cleaning and facility managers and personnel are aware of plans
• Training of cleaning personnel for general procedures and
site specific needs
• Look for These Seals in the Product Description in This Catalog!
Go to http://www.greenseal.org/certification/standards/gs-42commercialcleaning.cfm
for more details.
The Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) program
is part of EPA’s continuing effort to promote the use of
materials recovered from solid waste. Buying recycled-
content products ensures that the materials collected in
recycling programs will be used again in the manufacture
of new products.
EPA allows safer products to carry the Design for the
Environment (DfE) label. This mark enables consumers to
quickly identify and choose products that can help protect
the environment and are safer for families.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,
is redefining the way we think about the places where we
live, work and learn. As an internationally recognized mark
of excellence, LEED provides building owners and operators
with a framework for identifying and implementing practical
and measurable green building design, construction,
operations and maintenance solutions.
Green Seal is a pioneer in promoting a sustainable economy.
In 1989 there were no other environmental certification
programs in the US. They developed the Green Seal as a
non-profit to stand for absolute integrity. Over the years
the reputation of the Seal brand has grown to symbolize
environmental leadership, and it continues to represent
unquestionably green products and services.
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