Why Going Green is the Right Choice, AND the Most Cost Effective.
By Josh Brown;
Industry Expert. Building Service and Management Advisor.
We all want to be a bit more proactive when it comes to doing our part for the environment.
We, as responsible upstanding citizens of our planet, know that climate change and the climate crisis are very real things. We all want to be a part of the solution, and not a part of the problem. Often though, it’s hard to know exactly what we can do to make a difference. As the world has changed over the last century, so have the people in it. Our ways of thinking have become more and more responsible over the years, and we realize that our personal choices can have a massive impact. And so, just as we move past Earth Day, we find it only fitting to gift you with this useful blog on the benefits of Green Cleaning, buying eco-friendly, and maintaining an environmentally aware company.
Green Cleaning has changed a lot since its introduction in the 1960s, and will continue to change as we better learn how to create better and more globally conscious habits and products. When I started in this business almost 20 years ago, Green Cleaning wasn’t even a term, and as far as I was aware, there was no such thing as “Green Cleaning”. Just a few short years later, I started to hear and learn more about Green Seal and Green Cleaning. At first, these “Green” products didn’t work very well and cost much more, so it wasn’t very ideal financially to run a green business. You can just imagine how frustrating it is to want to do good for the environment, but simply not have the money to do so. Luckily, since those early years, a lot has improved. Today, Green Cleaning is not just the “modern way”, and the right way to clean, but it is quickly becoming the standard for the janitorial industry. And if done correctly, believe it or not, it can save you an impressive amount of time and money!
Want to know more about Green Seal certification and products for your janitorial company? Check out Green Seal’s official products and services here!
The best way to help people review and upgrade their programs and standards is by addressing their universal business needs. What are “Universal Business Needs” you say? Glad you asked! Well, the description goes like this:
No matter if you are a Class A Building (like fancy offices or Art museums), a Hospital, a Day Care, ect.. everyone has universal needs. However, each building or location may have different priorities. Using what we like to call C.H.I.P.S. (an acronym that stands for Cost, Health & Hygiene, Image, Productivity, and Sustainability) can help to tailor your work processes or programs. These are the areas where most universal needs can be identified. Knowing that, let’s discuss some of the benefits of Green Cleaning in your business by addressing your universal business needs:
Curious what eco-friendly products are the most recommended? StopWaste, a not-for-profit government agency has put together this handy fact sheet to help janitorial companies with buying the most Environmentally Preferable Janitorial Cleaning Products For Commercial Applications
Who Doesn’t love CHIPS?
Cost – In spite of what most people assume, these days it is actually cheaper to “Go Green” as they say. Investing in sustainable equipment and products to replace traditional cleaning machines and chemicals has been proven to provide a lower total cost to janitorial companies. While the price may appear to be higher, in the end, the total cost should end up being less with a higher ROI (Return on Investment).
Health & Hygiene – Having properly trained and healthy employees who are fully versed in health, safety, and workplace hazards, are likely to be more happy & productive! Using the right products and process will help to reduce germs/bacteria from returning, improve indoor air quality, and reduce exposure to toxins. Additional ways to promote health would be hand washing signs, and fun, readable signage for small but important workplace things like how to fight flu, etc.
Image – Image means a lot to all companies and commercial properties big or small. The appearance of the building is very important to tenant satisfaction. A building that looks clean and has a Green Cleaning program will not only keep/retain more tenants, but the appearance of being worth more can actually make something worth more. Examples of ways to elevate the image any professional space would be things like uniforms for staff, tonal guidelines for how the staff communicates with the public, recycle stations and programs visibly in place, branded logo in key visible areas, touch-free restroom technology, cutting edge tech when it comes to cleaning equipment. Of course, there is so much more than this, but we’d be here for days if we talked about everything.
Productivity – By using the right products and processes you can make an impressive impact on productivity. Two trends in Green Cleaning that jump out as striking and efficient are battery powered technology and smart restroom technology. Battery Powered Vacuums are proven to increase productivity by up to 50%. This allows janitorial companies to be more profitable, or re-allocate that labor to address some of the bigger pain areas (areas of a job that need constant attention) for their clients. One of the biggest of these pain areas, you probably could’ve guessed, are restrooms. Smart Restroom Technology is becoming more and more popular. This is an incredibly helpful technology that goes into each towel, tissue, and soap dispenser to alert the cleaner if there is a jam, battery issue, or product that needs changing. And of course, this helps to reduce complaints and increase productivity by only addressing the supplies when the system tells you to, versus very unproductive travel and check in trips. And who needs all that wasted time?
Sustainability – This is a combination of putting the right products, equipment, processes and systems in place to make the biggest impact possible on the overall health of the building. It’s about doing what is right, and being a good steward and friend to the environment. A couple of great examples of environmentally responsible janitorial supplies would be, using microfiber cloths instead of a disposable paper towel, and buying coreless toilet tissue instead of standard bath tissue. A standard case of bath/toilet tissue can have as much as 6-10 lbs of waste per case.
If you keep these five universal needs, or points of interest in mind, you’ll find that you’ll easily be able to identify the pain points of potential clients, but also prepare in advance to make informed decisions about supplies and best practices. And being proactive is always a better idea than being reactive.
Curious about how you can save money on janitorial supplies without sacrificing quality or lowering labor costs? Of course you are. We just happen to have compiled a list of:
5 Ways to Save Money on Janitorial Supplies.
Outside of C.H.I.P.S. and the idea of universal needs, did you know that almost every local government has efficiency rebates that are available to any company, business, property, or person who is willing to invest in green, eco-friendly, or energy efficient technologies? That’s right! All you need to do is give a call to your local state or province information line, and they’ll supply you with a very long list of available rebates, grants, and funding, just for being more globally responsible.
As of today, it no longer makes sense to pretend it costs “too much” to go green. If you make a plan and proceed responsibly, you’ll be saving money, saving time, and doing your part for a better tomorrow. Really, if you think about it, it costs “too much” not to Go Green. Not just for your company, but also this little place we live called Earth.
Josh Brown
To learn more about Green Cleaning please be on the look-out for our Green Cleaning webinar. Our CEO Mike Brown will be doing a deep dive and Q&A with Industry Expert Josh Brown on some of these talking points. To learn more about Going Green, and the best products, equipment, and processes please tune in…
