News

College of Agriculture joins Building Services' Green Cleaning Program

Statement: The College of Agriculture is partnering with Purdue Building Services to identify and implement the latest innovations in low environmental impact, or green, cleaning in our buildings. Our program follows a template we've developed over the past eighteen months for campus-wide green cleaning that better protects the health of our students, researchers, faculty and staff, our capital investments in facilities and infrastructure, and lessens the impact our activities have on the environment.

What is "green" cleaning?

Green Cleaning is a holistic approach that simply means cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. A Green Cleaning program goes beyond chemical and equipment choices. It includes policies, procedures, training, and shared responsibility efforts that minimize the impact of cleaning materials on the health of building occupants and protect the environment as a whole.

Why go green?

• Green cleaning helps ensure that our students, researchers, faculty and staff work in a healthy, safer environment.
• Green cleaning protects the health of our custodial staff.
• Green cleaning increases the lifespan of our facilities.
• Green cleaning protects the environment.

What are the major elements of your green cleaning program?

1. Use environment-friendly cleaning products that meet Green Seal certification standards.
2. Use dispensing systems that automatically and accurately dilute chemicals with cold water. Adopt green cleaning procedures.
3. Stock consumable products that meet EPA requirements for high post-consumer recycled content.
4. Educate, train and motivate our staff to work in environmentally responsible ways.
5. Share the responsibility.

When did you start this program?

Our green cleaning pilot program started in July, 2008. Phase I involving the School of Agriculture will begin March 1, 2009.

What buildings are covered?

Phase I implementation encompasses all College of Agriculture facilities on the main Purdue campus:

• ABE
• FS
• LSPS
• AGAD
• HANS
• PFEN
• BCGM
• HORT
• POUL
• EEL
• HGRH
• POAN
• FORS
• KRAN (6th Flr)
• SMTH
• FPRD
• LILY
• WSLR

What are your goals in going "green"?

Our goals in implementing green cleaning are:

• to Improve Indoor Air Quality in all our buildings.
• to eliminate ozone depleting compounds from our cleaning products.
• to reduce water pollution from our cleaning processes.
• to reduce the amount of solid waste materials we contribute to the university's waste steam.

What benefits have you realized from going green?

1. A reduction in energy and water consumption of 10-20%.
2. A 50% reduction in our inventory of cleaning chemicals.
3. Reduced toxicity, waste and exposure.
4. All packaging is 100% recyclable.
5. The appreciation and engagement of staff and students.

What type of products are you using?

Our cleaning staff uses only third-party certified bio-based, biodegradable products derived from renewable resources.

Why did you choose to use bio-based cleaning products?

When we looked at the lifecycle of the products we use we found that bio-based products are safer and gentler on the environment, they increase rural economic development and foster domestic production, and they reduce our country's dependency on petroleum. It's also interesting to note that the Federal government is pointing the cleaning industry towards sustainable practices by requiring bio-based green cleaning in its facilities.

What about other non-chemical products?

All of our consumable products (can liners, paper towels and toilet paper) are made from post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled materials. Our hand soap is from the same bio-based product line as our cleaning chemicals.

Does green cleaning cost more?

Although cost reduction is not a goal of our green cleaning program preliminary data suggests that overall it will not increase our cleaning costs.

Is recycling a part of your program?

Solid waste minimization, reduction and recycling are a big part of our program. All of the cleaning products we use come in recycled or recyclable packaging. In addition, we have committed to increasing the amount of solid waste generated in our facilities that's diverted for recycling.

What will be your next step?

Our green cleaning program supports the university's sustainability goals which include providing a safer, healthier environment for students and staff and reducing the university's footprint on the environment. To that end Building Services will apply the knowledge gained from this program to systematically expand outward until all of campus is included. Building Services' goal is to have fifty percent of campus participating in a green cleaning program by the start of the Fall Semester, 2009; one hundred percent by the Fall Semester 2010.

What challenges do you see ahead?

• Maintaining the momentum of the pilot program.
• Staying abreast of cleaning industry advancements.
• Sharing our program with peer institutions.
• Supporting LEEDS certification for campus facilities beginning in 2010.