Our school custodians and facilities teams have always had the challenging job of cleaning up messes while protecting public health. During the pandemic, we have been asking school custodians to show up day in and day out to protect us all against COVID-19. We ask them to don PPE and enter classrooms where known cases
It’s Time to Lift Up Our Most Essential Workers: School Custodians
Educational Facilities Managers Reflect on the Most Challenging Year
Steering Committee Members Share Lessons Learned from 2020 The educational facilities managers interviewed for this article have led their schools and universities through many tough times in the past, with a commitment to green and healthy cleaning that has led the field. But there has never been a year like 2020, where the global COVID-19
Presenting the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges COVID Resource Center
In the 2020-21 school year, facility managers at schools and colleges across the country have more responsibility—and more attention—than ever before. For years, we have known that our custodial teams are the protectors and ambassadors of public health educational facilities far and wide. But now, more than ever before, that role is in the spotlight.
A Vast Majority of Schools and Universities Are Implementing Green Cleaning
Cleaning programs are a critical part of school and university efforts to provide students and staff with the opportunity to learn and work in a healthy, safe place. In order to better understand what schools are doing and determine the type of resources and tools schools need, we partnered with ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry
How We Grew the Green Cleaning Movement in 2018
This was an exciting year for our Green Clean Schools program as we considered our progress, highlighted current leaders and thought about the future of the movement. We Recognized Leading Programs The Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities recognizes schools with innovative programs that protect health and the environment while galvanizing the community around
Building a Movement at the 2017 Green Clean Schools Leadership Institute
Our Green Clean Schools program is enjoying a busy summer season. We held our third Green Clean Schools Leadership Institute in beautiful Park City, Utah, July 13-14 and are now gearing up for our Green Clean Schools Track event at ISSA/INTERCLEAN to be held Sept. 11-12. More than 60 Leadership Institute participants spent two packed
Exactly What You Can Expect Next Month at the GCS Leadership Institute
So you have a green cleaning program. You’re making third-party-certified purchasing decisions, you’ve revamped your team’s policies and you’re providing more training than ever before. Now what? Maybe you’re ready to get your institution or district to include your green cleaning program in its sustainability policy, or even write that policy from scratch. How are
Green Your School’s Food Service Program
The Five Steps to Green Cleaning in Schools is one of the most popular resources that we offer on our website. But we also offer more specialized guides for schools that are ready to focus their green cleaning efforts. Our downloadable guide to Green Cleaning in School Food Service Programs is a valuable resource for
This Is Where to Start to Learn About Green Cleaning
We know how overwhelming starting a green cleaning program can seem at first: There’s so much to think about, so many products on the market and so many considerations to make. And the web often makes that even more overwhelming, with differing opinions, misleading product claims and confusing messages. That’s where our new and improved
The EPA Has Made it Easier for Schools to Make Safer Choices
The EPA just made it easier for schools to make safer choices about the products they use to clean. For the past 15 years, the EPA’s label for safer chemical products has been known as Design for the Environment (DfE). Products receiving that label were those “designed for the environment and recognized for safer chemistry,”
