The NJSSA (New Jersey Sanitary Supply Association) has recent taken the lead to make Green Cleaning Legislation in Schools a reality.  For information or if you would like to contribute please contact the NJSSA.

New Jersey Sanitary Supply Association
Phone: 973-283-1400
Website: http://www.njssa.net

On the one hand, the document is a comprehensive Green Cleaning guide, outlining everything from product certifications and best practices, to equipment and training. On the other hand, however, schools can volunteer to participate in this program, and Custodians can volunteer to purchase green cleaning product.  But what about the students and teachers? According to the document, the students and teachers do not have options to choose from. How can Green Cleaning Guidelines for a school NOT include options  for what students/teachers breathe in, learn in, teach in and live in for 6 hours of their day?

In my opinion, Green Cleaning legislation in schools shouldn’t be a guideline and shouldn’t set the tone as an opt-in program. What is so wrong with making Green Gleaning a mandatory must have? It benefits individuals (from the teachers, to the students to the custodians). It benefits the environment (from the classroom, to the bathroom to the playground). It ultimately benefits everyone and everything so why is it a voluntary practice?

I put my hands together in applause for Missouri’s Green Cleaning Guidelines and Specifications (Missouri is just the forth state to pass green cleaning legislation in schools).

But I raise my hand and ask, “Shouldn’t green cleaning legislation in schools be mandatory?”

Do you agree or disagree and why?

• The facility itself operates under an EPA approved clean air permit.
• With continued investments (of millions of dollars) in the facility, Americo has reduced their energy consumption by 30% in a very short time.
• Americo has replaced their old HVAC systems with the new low energy High Seer rated systems resulting in reduced carbon footprints.
• Motors, in the manufacturing process, have been placed on variable frequency drives (VFD) resulting in energy efficiency and reducing consumption by more than 30%.
• Americo’s main facility in Georgia is getting a roof replacement with a highly reflective elastomeric coating that reduces the internal temperature and conserves energy.
• The highly powerful halogen lighting systems are being replaced by T8 fluorescent lighting systems reducing energy consumption and increasing the lumens per sq. ft.
• HVAC systems in Americo’s offices are designed to automatically sense occupation levels and adjust cooling rates resulting in energy savings.
• The current purchasing system of Americo is paperless and they also encourage EDI processing for customers who do not need paper, thus reducing waste.
• With convenient placement of bins across Americo’s facilities, waste disposal is efficient and categorized.

Another environment-friendly milestone that Americo has achieved is to create a pond at is main facility in an area where wild grass grew. This pond has been designed and made in such a manner that it can preserve wild life. It captures rain water and storm run-off water to keep itself full and is home to several species of fish. The pond is surrounded by forty types of terrestrial plants and also has twenty more aquatic plants enclosed within, all planted with care and need assessment. This pond is also home to thirty Koi fish rescued from the University of Georgia and is known to attract at least fifteen species of birds and seven species of dragonflies to its radius.

More and more businesses need to get environment-friendly in Americo’s mode to make the green drive a success story.

Have any specific concerns about green or about how our industry can not only survive in the current markets but excel, drop us a line or give us a call.

The Leonardo Academy – A non-profit organization dedicated to a vision of advancing sustainability and putting the competitive market to work on improving the environment¹ — along with The Green Cleaning Network, have awarded The O’Dell Corporation for successfully completing the requirements for the Cleaning Industry Climate Initiative. Their levels of carbon dioxide, sulfur oxide and nitrous oxide emissions have dropped so dramatically that the only energy they’re using is their employees burning off their lunches!! The following table outlines the total emissions reductions that result from the company’s renewable energy use and maintenance of the company’s tree farm.

So what does all of this mumbo jumbo mean? Layman’s terms: They saved more energy than they actually used. How can something like this be possible you ask? O’Dell has established their own 1000-acre tree farm and in conjunction with The South Carolina Waterfowl Association, has also created wetlands to provide naturally occurring food sources such as fruit trees, grasses & grains, which promote healthy growth and reproduction of many other species of wildlife. Their certified tree farm REMOVES 3,600 tons of carbon dioxide and PRODUCES 4,000 tons of oxygen annually, enough to supply 16,200 people.

More recently, O’Dell has brought environmental stewardship into the manufacturing process. While recycling of corrugated and plastic materials has been implemented for some time, newer technology now offers greater opportunities to contribute to the overall environmental impact. O’Dell has become the first manufacturer in South Carolina to obtain “Green Power Partner” status with LEC and the EPA. They are 100% green power supplied. O’Dell has also fully committed themselves to taking advantage of new, sustainable technologies as they become available.

Here at Spruce, we applaud companies like The O’Dell Corporation who have single handedly changed the face of what it means to “go green”. They have demonstrated a whole hearted participation in dramatically changing how we can control the forefront of our global issue: emissions reduction. If we can all, not only produce environmentally safe products, but do it in an environmentally manufacturing way, we can hit the issue head on. Only time will tell. But I hope sooner rather than later.

¹www.LeonardoAcademy.org

In this day and age, more and more people ARE realizing that we are in dire trouble concerning global warming and the environment. For instance, Clorox has responded to these issues by coming out with a “green” product line. Yet these Women’s Voices have responded to that by saying “why pay $4.99 for a bottle of cleaner when you can just mix it yourself for pennies”. Easier said than done. Sure it sounds good to save some money in this never ending chaos that we call our economy, but unless you are a world renown chemist, I would be deathly afraid of doing such things. First off, you have no idea what the correct measurements and ingredients are for such a cleaning product. Secondly, pH levels have to be on point or one drop splashed on your skin or into your eyes and who knows what can happen. No money is worth the risk of bodily harm.

As stated above, a lot of companies are going green and doing the mixing for you but only in a less harmful way for not only the environment but for you as the consumer. Here at Spruce, we use a company called Misco. They have just come out with a product line called Elements – Environmentally Responsible Maintenance Solutions. They have made green cleaning simple. These products which include a degreaser, non-ammoniated glass cleaner, restroom cleaner, multi purpose cleaner and a super duty degreaser is the next generation in green cleaning. They are certifiably: non toxic, contains no phosphates, EDTA or NTA, they are non corrosive. There are no ozone depleting compounds as well as known carcinogens, chlorine bleach, all cleaners are biodegradable, and also the containers have low energy requirements for recycling. There’s no more guesswork of whether or not you might faint while cleaning your shower or even washing your windows. Misco has made it healthier and safer for you. But if you feel like mixing your own concoction, you’re only harming yourself and the people around you. And by doing so, you’re not really helping the environmental problem, only hurting it.

Read the entire New York Times article regarding Women’s Voices for the Earth
Raiding the Pantry to Add Sparkle and Shine – New York Times

I haven’t had a chance to read through the entire revision, but I did come across something that I thought was very interesting. A new policy has been added that requires: “Development of strategies for promoting and improving hand hygiene, including both hand washing and the use of alcohol-based waterless hand sanitizers.” I think the key to this addition is the development of strategies for “promoting” hand hygiene. It is about time. Finally people are listening to the experts. It isn’t enough to just supply hand washing products, you need to tie this in to a program that promotes hand washing. Take a look at the attached PDF. I think GOJO does a great job of attacking the problem in schools.

GOJO Promoting Good Hand Washing

The craziness continues when I found that these mops are designed not just to meet the standards set by cotton and rayon mops, but to exceed those standards! The plastics from the PET bottles help prevent the rotting that happens with traditional mops.  The mops are strong enough to hold up to laundering, and arid enough to dry 100% overnight.  These mops are free from post recycling dyes.  So when I say Beer Bottle Brown I literally mean these mops are brown from the color of the recycled beer bottles.  And if you’re not into Beer Bottle Brown, the Echo Mop collection comes in a variety of recycled materials and colors: Water Bottle Blue, Soda Bottle Green and the classic Beverage Bottle White.

And with all of these choices, you need to get a handle on these fabulous mops! So if purchasing 100% recycled mops isn’t reason enough for this must-have, perhaps O’Dell’s new Bamwood handle paired with the recycled mop will make you realize, “I need this”!  O’Dell has developed a line of handles that is created entirely from a renewable source:  Bamboo.  Some of the unique properties of Bamboo are:

(1) Bamboo is easily harvested without impacting the environment
(2) Bamboo can regenerate itself
(3) Bamboo is one of the strongest natural materials known to man
(4) Bamboo has antioxidant properties which prevent bacterial growth

So as you can see,  EchoMops and Bamwood Handles clean with the power of green.

Rather than simply introducing a new product line as an extension of The Clorox Company, Clorox has invested in its’ future with a $25 million advertising and marketing campaign for GreenWorks™. Clorox believes that its’ GreenWorks™ collection will connect with stay-at-home moms who are looking to provide both a clean and healthy home for their families.

Clorox has targeted its demographic, has allocated a robust advertising budget for reach, and has announced its’ permanence in the green space with GreenWorks™. Clorox has gone above and beyond its’ competitive set in regards to making a Green Statement.

So why should a consumer care that GreenWorks™ received the stamp of approval from the EPA as opposed to the Green Seal certification? Because, (1) The EPA takes a holistic approach to green products (reviewing the entire green process from creation to destruction) and (2) The EPA has developed a program called Design for the Environment or DfE – a program created to reduce risk to people and the environment by preventing pollution.

So does GreenWorks™ work? Is GreenWorks™ as effective as traditional products? My answer is YES, but it’s up to you to decide! If you like it, post a review. If you don’t like it, post a review! Your review of any of the GreenWorks™ products can provide you with a $5 discount on your next order!

Your opinion will save you money and enable you to buy products – so stop reading and start reviewing!

It will be interesting to see in the next few weeks and months how the new Green Works™ line fares in an already competitive and heavily inundated marketplace.

I think Clorox did their homework and developed a great product line in the eco-friendly space. However, the true question is: Can Clorox go from “White and Bright” to “Green and Clean”?