University of Georgia Green Cleaning Program
Type: Program
Status: Ongoing
Source File: http://gogreen.uga.edu/greencleaning.html
Description:
What exactly is Green Cleaning
Green Cleaning is so much more than just the products used in a given building. The "Green Seal" and "Environmental Choice" labeled products used in our program are listed in the campus buildings and will be standardized throughout the entire campus. Our approach includes the use of ergonomic cleaning tools in our program which serves to:
- decrease worker contact with waste
- decrease fatigue
- demonstrate our commitment to workplace safety
- increase productivity
The Services Department plans on establishing a 3-year campus building transition timetable for implementing the "Green Cleaning Program." This process will include establishing a chemical inventory of all Building Service closets for the cleaning agents, identifying buildings for immediate transition, relocation of chemicals and/or equipment to a central location for clearance distribution, Leapfrog training of Building Supervisors, Building Service workers, and staff members about the green cleaning techniques and procedures, establishing a Level I cleaning team for the campus, and implementing a computer software program to track our building service program throughout the campus community. We also plan on implementing green cleaning in all new campus buildings.
- Green Product Selection
- UGA's Action Plan for Going Green
- North Campus Green Corridor - Includes a list of Campus Buildings with green cleaning underway.
Green cleaning is a powerful new trend in the cleaning industry that has now been embraced by:
- State Agencies
- Federal Agencies
- Cities
- Schools and Hospitals
- Private Buildings
- Property Management Companies
Green cleaning is seen as an opportunity to offer their clients and workers a cleaner environment which leads to:
- Less absenteeism
- More worker productivity
- Lower insurance rates
What is the purpose of "Going Green?"
- Enhance public relations by using environmentally sound chemical agents
- Improve environmental hygiene by preventing cross contamination of microbes into sensitive areas
- Improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by reducing chemical and particulate exposure
- Decrease the number of cleaning agents (UGA specifically will decrease the campus wide number of cleaning agents from 325 various chemical products to 3 per building!)
- Decrease cleaning expenditures - Cost analysis per building shows a 20% savings per building (Old College spent only $200 on cleaning agents in fiscal year 2006!)
- Centralized buying (Centralized buying from UGA's Physical Plant Warehouse will increase savings from vendors, which we can in turn pass along to UGA departments!)
- Reduced chemical hazard exposure for Building Service employees
- Update and simplify Right to Know program requirements