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When the economy was strong, it was comfortable and popular for companies to initiate a green movement. Whether it was buying green products or initiating recycling programs, it made sense for companies to enforce a green movement internally. With the economy struggling, companies are looking to cut...
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Third-party certification for cleaning products in itself is pretty confusing to most people in the jan/san industry. So, I apologize in advance if I make your head spin a little bit more. A couple of weeks ago I spoke with a jan/san distributor who recently went through the process of getting one of...
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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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While at the ISSA show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit in on an expert panel that spoke about the current trends in the jan/san industry. One topic that was of significance was daycleaning and how it has been gaining momentum in the industry. And really, no one should be surprised...
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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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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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I recently had the opportunity to hear Carl Smith, CEO and executive director of Greenguard Environmental Institute, give a speech on indoor air quality. One point I particularly found interesting was on volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Over the years I have seen many cleaning products such as cleaning...
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I just returned from the Sustainable Facility Care Forum in Washington D.C. where there were many great presenters sharing green information. I wanted to point out one particular statement that caught my attention. Dr. Steven Spivak of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute is pushing for “cleaning...
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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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This time of year, I am bombarded with e-mails stressing the importance of spring cleaning. But, this yearly reminder not only results in a cleaner home or office, it offers the opportunity for the cleaner to truly stand out as the expert within the facility. The month of April could easily be renamed...
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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...
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Between a never-ending string of toy recalls, announcements of possibly tainted food and staph outbreaks in schools nationwide, kids have it pretty rough lately. We know that as one of the most physically vulnerable populations, children need extra attention. In addition to reactive measures such as...