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The green movement continues to grow stronger and stronger every year. There’s no question about that. With more accessible information, better training and a greater overall understanding of what it means to be green, facility managers across the country are embracing green as mainstream. Along...
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Green is everywhere. The general public walks up and down consumer store aisles full of products touting green, sustainability or environmentally friendly. Consumer news stations cover water conservation and energy issues on a regular basis. Governmental bodies are moving forward with the production...
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As President Barack Obama gets settled into the White House, his push for an economic stimulus package has taken form. In an effort to reshape the economy into one that is greener, cleaner and more sustainable, the new economic stimulus package includes $71 billion for energy and environmental initiatives...
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This month, the Missouri State Board of Education formally approved the Missouri Green Cleaning Guidelines and Specifications for Schools. These guidelines are similar to the ones used in the Illinois Green Cleaning Schools Act, the only difference being that Illinois requires the use of the guidelines...
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We are all familiar with the traditional “Best Of” lists that clutter our in-boxes at the end of every year. After all, the close of a year provides a great benchmark for looking back. What I wasn’t expecting — and what seems to be all the buzz — was a very popular “Worst...
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I recently had the pleasure of attending the Green Clean Schools National Summit hosted by the Healthy Schools Campaign in the nation’s capital. It was very encouraging to see an event where cleaning industry leaders from across the country gathered for one common objective: to learn how to pass...
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In a recent discussion with a coworker, I uncovered some interesting questions regarding some of the current laws requiring green initiatives — such as green cleaning in schools throughout New York and Illinois, government buildings in New Jersey, etc. With these laws already in place, my first...
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When it comes to innovative cleaning products, the professional cleaner is often the first to know of a breakthrough. Microfiber was available to commercial cleaners long before it was available in retail stores. Green initiatives are certainly not a new concept to cleaners, but have just recently hit...
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Last month I received some staggering responses when Sanitary Maintenance surveyed nearly 450 jan/san distribution professionals asking them their current stance on green and what they’re doing as a business to go green. Let me just say this: Some jan/san distributors are guilty of not practicing...
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Today, regardless of where you go, it is hard to miss all the “green” labels. Whether for retail or commercial use, green product claims are everywhere. By one count, manufacturers launched at least 325 new supposedly environmentally friendly products in 2007, up from just 5 in 2002. But...
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As of press time of my July editorial , Missouri Governor Matt Blunt had yet to sign the pending legislation requiring green cleaning in schools. Since then, however, a bill has been signed. But unfortunately, the original bill was changed at the last minute. Missouri’s green cleaning in schools...
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Too much information is not always a good thing. The New York Times story, “That Buzz in Your Ear May Be Green Noise,” discusses the multitude of agencies and organizations spouting off on the greenest practices and products. According to the story, consumers are growing tiresome of the rapidly...
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As I was growing up, Earth Day was always surrounded by recycling efforts and experts encouraging you to plant a tree. Although both are still very important today, the focus of Earth Day has certainly evolved. Today, everywhere you look there is a push toward green building, green manufacturing and...
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In his latest blog post, Deputy Editor Nick Bragg wrote about how its one thing to sell green cleaning products, but its another to back up those sales by making your own facilities environmentally conscious. It’s definitely an industry trend and jan/san distributors are not alone. Many manufacturers...
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Jan/san distributors, if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. For years, you’ve been selling, promoting and training end user customers on the benefits of going green. However, your credibility could get thrown right out the window because your company in fact...