News / Business
Green Janitorial Goes Gold
Green Businesses need a Green Janitorial
Many smaller firms have benefited from the GCI Firm certification. The Green Clean Institute has recently announced the creation of the Gold Firm certification for large janitorial services. One of the reasons for this program is to insure that the workers actually doing the work are familiar with Green Practices. Prior to this program, owners and managers were the only ones who knew something about a Green program.
GCI Gold Firm certification offers unlimited training for all janitorial workers. This includes the technicians who clean the facility, the managers who supervise, and the owners who must convey the value of Green cleaning to customers mostly interested in the cheapest price.
Any Green business should include a "Green Certification Requirement" in the RFP or contract demands. Any janitorial service can toss a product on the cart and claim to be Green, but the ability to offer a truly Green service comes from trained workers as well as the use of Green products. A sample of a Green Clause that can be added into an RFP or Contract is found at www.Green-Practices.com.
Janitorial services can greatly impact the indoor air quality of any facility. Improper cleaning does not remove dust from the air, adds VOC laden fumes, and can exacerbate chemical sensitivities. In the long run, employees exposed to poor indoor air suffer from increased headaches, lethargy, and take more sick days. It has been estimated that poor indoor air quality at the workplace costs approximately $1 billion dollars a year in related medical expenses and costs employers about $60 billion a year in sick leave payments and lost production.
Bottom Line: Don't hire a janitorial service that is not Green certified by a national organization like the Green Clean Institute. Avoid any company that makes up its own Green certification (a common practice), and do not accept a Green certification that can be bought over the Internet. In the long run, your employees are still a valuable asset that will work better if the employer provide a safe and Green workplace.
