September 18, 2006—A report about green cleaning shows how the process can save energy and therefore money for schools.
The report, called “The Greening – and Cash Savings – of Public Schools: Labor and Energy Efficiencies Result from Green Cleaning,” is by Stephen Ashkin of the Ashkin Group.
More public school administrators are examining new strategies for meeting the challenging objectives of keeping energy costs down and maintaining healthier school environments. Simultaneously, new programs are emerging that offer helpful information and support.
According to the report, traditional cleaning methods use a variety of products that are potentially toxic and pose threats to human health and the environment, contribute to poor indoor quality, and increase occupational hazards. A Green Cleaning program can reduce exposure to toxic ingredients through the use of environmentally preferable cleaning products and appropriate staff training.
“Team Cleaning” increases the efficiency of Green Cleaning by using specialized work loading techniques and equipment (such as backpack vacuums). Following a building analysis, all of the components of “Team Cleaning”–workers, tools, skills, schedules, job card assignments, and building areas–are precisely coordinated to produce clean, healthy buildings for the lowest possible expenditure of time, energy, and other resources. Focusing and sequencing custodians on a narrow but complementary range of tasks improves quality and speeds production, including the ability to turn off lights sooner during the evening maintenance cycle.
For more information, see the article at For more information about the SchoolFacilities.com.
