Understanding the New ‘Green’ Guidelines
While many industries will be impacted by the new green guidelines recently released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), few will be as affected as the professional cleaning industry. One reason for this is that the industry has wholeheartedly embraced green cleaning. In most cases, an environmentally preferable product is considered first, with a traditional, [...]
Green Cleaning: Six Winning Lessons
The following are the “lessons learned” from the winners of the 2012 Green Cleaning Awards for Schools and Universities. These tips may make an important impact on buildings, their occupants and the environment. And most are feasible, readily available and affordable. 1) Products. In 2012, every winner used an assortment of green chemicals, paper, equipment, tools [...]
Cleaning Jobs Linked to Asthma Risk
Bloomington, IN – March 4, 2013 – Researchers at the Imperial College London have tracked the occurrence of asthma in a group of nearly 9,500 people born in Britain in 1958. Not including those that had asthma as children, 9 percent developed asthma by the age of 42. While one in nine of these cases were attributed to [...]
How Your T-Shirt Can Make a Difference
World Wildlife Fund and National Geographic have partnered to release a new video series called “Make Each Choice Count”. The videos, less than two minutes long, demonstrate how the seemly isolated actions we take every day leave an imprint on our planet. This first video is about the t-shirt on your back, tracing its path [...]
Ashkin sees 2013 as ‘tipping point’ for sustainability and the cleaning industry
Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, believes 2013 will be a ‘tipping point’ year for the professional cleaning industry as cleaning professionals become more involved in reducing clients’ operating costs by becoming more sustainable. “Building owners will increasingly turn to their suppliers, including cleaning contractors, to help reduce [...]
Climate Change and the Cleaning Industry
This past Halloween, Mother Nature played a big trick on all of us. Hurricane Sandy pounded the East Coast killing 70+ people and causing billions of dollars worth of property damage. And this once in a hundred years storm was the second such storm in just the past year (Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast [...]
Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities
Does your school or a school you work with have a successful green cleaning program? Now you can spotlight this great work with the 2012 Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities! This award, presented in collaboration with American School & University magazine, the Green Cleaning Network, and Healthy Schools Campaign recognizes the efforts of schools around the nation with outstanding green cleaning programs. Through national recognition, it honors schools and [...]
How the changes to the cleaning credits in LEED-EBOM will affect your Green Cleaning Program
Steve’s webinar is packed pull of information about the changed prerequisite for Green Cleaning, since most of the cleaning credits were eliminated or moved. View a recording of the webinar. Please note: You will need download the ARF player to see the recording. Download the webinar presentation slides. (PDF)
Beyond Green: Making Hotels Sustainable
By Stephen P. Ashkin – When selecting a URL for the Web site of my new company—the Sustainability Dashboard Tool—I was lucky enough to get my first choice, www.green2sustainable.com. I chose that URL because of what it says about the ways environmental issues and Green Cleaning are now evolving. The Green Cleaning movement is expanding [...]
Green Cleaning is Alive and Well – Thank You
By Stephen P. Ashkin – Despite the vaporings of naysayers, Green Cleaning is doing very well, so much so it is becoming mainstream. For example, I just saw that the State of Kentucky passed legislation on Green Cleaning in Schools, and it is the second State already this year to do so (Vermont passed legislation in January). What also [...]
