Everywhere we go these days we are faced with the growing trend of “Being and Buying Green”. But what does this really mean? How can this impact me or my business? Over the next couple months, we will help you better understand what “Being Green” is and how it can impact you and your business.
Green cleaning is broadly defined as “cleaning to protect health without harming the environment”. This includes the use of environmentally preferred products, procedures or services. In 1998, Presidential Executive Order #13101 formally defined Environmentally Preferred as “products and services that reduce the health and environmental impact compared to similar products and services used for the same purpose”. Many groups have emerged to assist in the certification of these products and services such as Green Seal, the EPA’s Design for the Environment and Healthy Schools Campaign.
To fully understand the impact of greening our workplace and home, we must examine the history of the green movement. Green products were first presented in the commercial workplace in the mid 80’s and early 90’s. The initial movement to green products did not last long due to the ineffectiveness of the products and the overall product expense. The Mid 90’s saw a resurgence of the green movement with the emergence of “green buildings”. In 1993, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) was formed to assist in the promotion, guidance and eventual certification of green building construction. Today, the USGBC has a structured program under their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification (LEED) for commercial/residential buildings, healthcare and educational facilities. Recent certification programs now include neighborhood design, commercial interiors and building operations. Certifications are based on a 100 point scale and require a documented plan satisfying requirements that include: Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials resources among many other facility features.
Green cleaning products and services are just one aspect in a greater program called “Sustainability”. In future articles, we will further define a Sustainable program and its benefits for business owners, employees and customers.
BRIAN HASKINS is President of The Haskins Company, Inc, an Augusta firm specializing in janitorial, packaging, food service supplies and sustainability consulting. Have any “green questions”? Call Brian at 706.733.7003 or email him at brian@haskinsinc.com.
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