Wally’s Workshop

How much does it cost to become a Green office or Green Building? One of the challenges is that businesses have been encouraged to “Go Green,” but they have not been told what Green represents unless you consider a rambling list of environmental and ecological changes an answer. In truth, it seems that the concept of a Green building has been hijacked and taken to every extreme possible.

The basis for a Green office or building comes down to improvement of the health issues of the building for the people that work there. While it is helpful to change the light bulbs, reduce energy, conserve water, and recycle the trash; the best place to start a Green office is in the janitorial service.

It need not be so complex. We feel that any building can accomplish a three step janitorial improvement. The first step is what we call the Green Agenda. This is when the decision-makers implement polices. The second step is to insure the Green products are used, and the third step is to require a Green certified janitorial service at contract time.

The impact of a Green building is the improvement of the health factor for those who do the cleaning and those who put their eight hours in every day. Studies should that there are acute and chronic influences based on the cleaning of the building. This reflects in the cost of manpower and the loss of profitability through absenteeism, lost productivity, and increased medical costs.

Green practices by the janitorial service are equally as important as the Green products. As an example, the use of microfiber products reduce chemical use. They also decrease the bacteria and dust moved around the building during cleaning. Newer sanitizing processes must change the old “Spray and Wipe” routine and provide for a “Dwell Time” of the product. The spread of disease is greatly reduced when there is change of cleaning tools and methods. It is never enough to add a Green product into the janitor cart and declare the whole service Green.

During the bid or quote process for your building, you should include a “Green Practices Clause” that gives preferential treatment to janitorial services that not only offer a line of Green products but also boast a Green trained and certified workforce. It makes ultimate sense that the operator is equally as valuable as the tools of the operation. A set of tools does not make an average guy into an expert mechanic. Why should this not be true of the people protecting the health of the building for your employees?

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.