Cleaning for Healthy Schools: Challenges, Solutions, and Success

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Cleaning for Healthy SchoolsChallenges,
Solutions, and Success

• Deborah Moore, Green Schools Initiative
• Alicia Culver, Green Purchasing Institute

Green Schools Summit 2008 Anaheim ? December 9,
2008
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What is a Green School?
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Green Cleaning in Schools

• Hazards of Traditional Approach to Cleaning
• What is EPP and Green Cleaning
• Benefits of Cleaning for Health
• What you can do Best practices and products
• How to get started
• Tools and ResourcesGreen Schools Buying Guide
• Green cleaning laws and policies

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Overview of the Challenge

• The schools challenge vulnerable people in
  heavily used, densely occupied spaces
• One-half of our schools have indoor environmental
  quality (IEQ) problems
• Children are more vulnerable than adults to
  toxins
• Absenteeism, lower productivity and test scores

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Children are more vulnerable

• Chemicals not evaluated for effects on children,
  risk studies are based on an average age, weight
  and height male.
• Childrens body organs are rapidly developing
  exposure to toxins contributes to learning
  disabilities, autism, and ADD.
• Childrens exposures are greater Eat, breathe,
  drink more per body weight.
• Play closer to the ground, hand-to-mouth activity
• Cannot detoxify or process toxins as adults do
• Exposures and injuries can affect lifetime health

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Health Hazards of Cleaning Products

• Ingredients in common cleaning products have been
  linked to
• New cases of asthma and triggering asthma
  episodes
• Harming the brain, nervous system, reproductive
  organs, kidneys and liver
• Irritating eyes and causing headaches
• Breathing problems and illnesses
• Disrupting/acting like hormones
• Cancer

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Workers Hazardous Cleaners

• 5 billion pounds used annually
• A single custodial worker uses, on average, 194
  pounds of chemicals each year
• 25 of these are hazardous substances
• Custodians and teachers experience some of the
  highest rates of occupational asthma
• 6 out of 100 custodians are injured each year,
  based on study in Santa Clara County
• 20 are serious burns to the eyes or skin
• 12 are a result of inhaling chemical vapours

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High Hazard Products

• Floor strippers (asthma, chemical burns)
• Disinfectants (asthma, organ poison)
• Degreasers/Solvents (cancer, nerve damage)
• Metal Polish (cancer, flammable)
• Graffiti/Paint Removers (cancer, reproductive
  toxicity)
• Acid Toilet Cleaner (chemical burns)
• Deodorizers (cancer, respiratory irritant, CNS)
• Lubricants (cancer, reproductive toxicity)

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The Solution? Cleaning for Health!

• Cleaning that
• Protects the health of workers, children, and
  the public
• Improves indoor air quality (IAQ)
• Reduces environmental impacts
• Smog, ozone depletion, global warming
• Toxicity to fish, wildlife

Health first!
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Implementation Challenges

• Lack of awareness
• Teachers or children supplying cleaning products
  from home
• Inappropriate or overuse of disinfectants
• Classrooms not ready to be cleaned storage and
  desk/chair arrangements
• Perception of higher costs
• Custodians wary of change
• What are the challenges at your school?

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Green CleaningMomentum is building!

• Green cleaning is spreading
• Laws requiring schools to use green cleaners
  adopted in New York, Illinois
• Laws requiring states to provide guidelines
  adopted in Maine, Missouri
• Similar laws introduced in CA, CT, MA, RI
• Numerous individual school district policies
• New, stronger Green Seal standard GS-37 as of
  August 2008

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Green CleaningProducts and Practices for
Schools

• Alicia Culver
• Green Purchasing Institute
• 510-547-5475
• Info_at_GreenPurchasing.org

Green Schools Summit 2008 Anaheim ? December 9,
2008
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What are Environmentally Preferable Products?
Environmentally preferable products and
services have a reduced effect on human health
and the environment when compared with competing
products and services that serve the same
purpose.
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Environmentally Preferable Products

• Made with recycled content
• Highly energy efficient
• Designed to be long lasting
• Recyclable or compostable
• Made from renewable resources
• Less toxic than conventional goods
• Manufactured responsibly

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Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)
EPP Environment Price Performance
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What is Green Cleaning?

• Products and practices that protect human health
  and environment
• Choosing safer products
• Reducing quantity of chemicals
• Minimizing exposure

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Choose Third Party Certified Green Cleaners

• Low toxicity
• Prohibits carcinogens, asthmagens, reproductive
  toxins, phthalates, 2-butoxyethanol
• Not corrosive to eyes or skin or skin sensitizer
• Wont pollute air or deplete ozone layer
• Wont kill fish
• Will biodegrade
• Low phosphorous
• Package recyclable
• Available as concentrate
• Limits on fragrances pH
• Vendor training available
• Performance tested

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Green Washing

• Discourage specification of industry
  self-certified green products
• Industry standards are usually weaker than
  those set by independent third party
  organizations.
• Avoid specification of products with single
  health- or environmental attribute (e.g.,
  biodegradable)

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Green Seal-certified Cleaning Product Types

• General/Multi/All Purpose Cleaner
• Restroom Cleaners
• Floor Cleaner/Finish/Stripper
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner/Descaler
• Tub Tile/Grout Cleaner
• Glass Cleaner
• Degreaser
• Carpet Cleaner
• Hand SoapSee www.greenseal.org/certproducts.ht
  m

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Why Buy Less-Toxic Cleaning Products

• Made by many major manufacturers
• 3M, Betco, Butchers, Ecolab, Johnson
  Diversey, Spartan
• Sold by mainstream distributors
• Grainger
• Comparable pricing
• Special discounts offered to schools
  through State contract with Waxie

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Minimize Need for Harsh Cleaners

• Assess Where does dirt come from?
• Reduce Dirt Use HEPA vacuums
• Prevent Mold and Mildew Fix leaks, eliminate
  moisture, ventilate
• Improve Interior Design Install door mats,
  install no wax floors

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Choose Fragrance-free

• Many people are allergic to scents
• Switch to fragrance- free products
• Educate building occupants that clean does
  not need smell like perfume

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Avoid Aerosols

• Fine mist can penetrate lungs
• Propellants hazardous/flammable
• Cans may explode
• Expensive

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Dilute Properly

• Use automatic dilution equipment
• Prevents exposure
• Saves money
• Follow instructions
• Twice as much is NOT twice as good

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Try Microfiber

• Cost-effective (life-cycle basis)
• Reduce chemical use (1/2)
• Minimize water use (up to 95)
• Prevent injuries (chemical exposure, back strain,
  accidents)
• Effective (reduce dirt, avoid cross-contamination
  )www.sustainablehospitals.org/PDF/tenreasonsmop.p
  dfwww.epa.gov/region09/waste/p2/projects/hospital
  /mops.pdf

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Reduce Exposure

• Provide protective equipment
• Gloves
• Goggles
• Respirator
• Ventilate
• Clean when other occupants away

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Conduct Training

• New products may require different cleaning
  methods
• Training is essential to ensure proper
  transition to green cleaning products and
  practices
• Many manufacturers and distributors offer
  training

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Minimize Disinfectant Use

• All disinfectants are toxic (EPA-registered
  pesticides)
• Disinfectants cannot be certified green
• Disinfectants should be
• Used only when needed
• Applied only after surface is cleaned
• Properly diluted
• Left on long enough to be effective
• Consider peroxide-based disinfectants

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Avoid Anti-bacterial Soap

• US Food and Drug Administration
• No more effective than soap water
• May increase germs resistance to antibiotics
• Can strip hands of oil friendly bacteria
• May interfere with hormone system
• Found in
• Hand soaps, toothpaste
• Dishwashing liquids and sponges

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Green Cleaning Pilot Tests in Schools

• Evaluated existing cleaning products and
  procedures
• Identified and tested less-toxic products
• Addressed implementation issues
• Trained employees products and practices
• Negotiated with vendors to secure discounts on
  products/equipment

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Benefits of Green Cleaners

• Minneapolis, MN conducted 3-year green
  cleaning pilot test and reported
• Cost savings moving to metered dilution
  system away from hand mixing
• Fewer sick days for custodial staff
• Reduced waste and other liabilities
• Improved indoor air quality (IAQ)

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Green Cleaners Save

• Opportunities to cut costs by
• Reducing variety of products used
• Replacing 20 different cleaning products with a
  single Green Seal certified product saved
  280,000 per year at the Riverside Military
  Academy in Gainesville, Georgia
• Reducing amount of chemicals used via best
  practices

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Cost Savings Disinfectants

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Green Cleaning Products Performed as Well or
Better

• Peroxide cleaner/disinfectant
• effective at removing dirt
• whitened grout, cleaned carpets/mirrors
• left no residue to rinse
• eliminated restroom odors and blue staining
• Green Seal-certified floor stripper removed old
  wax with less rinsing needed
• Microfiber mops more effective, especially around
  edges

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Health Safety Improvements

• Workers reported
• Green floor strippers and disinfectants caused
  fewer breathing problems
• Microfiber mops easier to push around than cotton
  mops
• Green cleaners in no-spill containers reduced
  exposure to concentrates

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Health Safety Improvements

• Vermont school reported
• 60 decrease in asthma attacks (from 15 to
  6)
• 37 reduction in reported cold symptoms
  (from 230 to 144)

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Examples of Success

• CA pilots SFUSD, Fairfield-Suisun, Martinez,
  LAUSD, Santa Cruz, more coming
• Local school districts in MA, CT, FL, VT, ME, HI
  and more
• New York and Illinois laws mandate green
  cleaning in schools

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New York State Green Cleaning in Schools Law

• State Education Law 409-I and State Finance Law
  163-b (adopted in 2005, effective in 2006)
• Requires Office of General Services to establish
  guidelines for and lists of environmentally-sensi
  tive cleaning products for schools, based on
  existing research

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NY State Law

• All public and private elementary and secondary
  schools must buy environmentally sensitive
  cleaning and maintenance products
• Green cleaning products offered on the NY state
  procurement contract

www.ogs.state.ny.us/bldgadmin/environmental/defaul
t.html
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Illinois Green Cleaning Law

• Public Act 095-0084 (adopted in 2006, effective
  in 2008)
• Requires IL Green Government Coordinating Council
  to establish guidelines and specification for
  environmentally-sensitive cleaning products,
  based on review of existing research.

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Illinois State Law

• K-12 schools (public and private) required to
  establish a green cleaning policy and purchase
  only products that meet guidelines when it is
  economically feasible
• Requires all elementary and secondary schools in
  Illinois to purchase green cleaners
• Successful pilot test in Chicago public schools
  found green cleaners comparable in cost and
  equally effective
• See http//healthyschoolscampaign.org

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What You Can Do Getting Started

• Initiate a pilot project
• Assess current products and practices
• Talk to your existing vendors, staff, parents
  get buy in!
• Test a few certified green products
• Get a CHPS or LEED credit for green MO
• Work towards a district policy
• Track success (attendance, costs, worker
  injuries, school nurse visits)

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Green Cleaning Resources

• Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit
• National Collaborative Workgroup on Green
  Cleaning and Chemical Policy Reform in Schools
• www.cleaningforhealthyschools.org
• Cleaning for Health Report (2002)
  www.informinc.org/cleanforhealth.php
• Green Cleaning Healthier Cleaning and
  Maintenance Practices and Products for Schools
• www.healthyschools.org
• Green Cleaning Site Visit Checklist
• www.informinc.org/FS_CHP_Site20Visit20Check20Li
  st.pdf

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More Green Cleaning Resources
Quick Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools
http//healthyschoolscampaign.org/campaign/green_c
lean_schools/guide.php Janitorial Products
Pollution Prevention Project offers fact sheets
on safe and effective cleaning
methods http//www.wrppn.org/Janitorial/jp4.cfm
Graffiti Remover Research and Field Test Report
The Search for Safer Products www.newdream.org/pro
cure/Graffiti.pdf
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Green Schools Buying Guide
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• Categories
• Green Cleaners
• Green Supplies Office, School, Art
• Green Papers
• Green Building
• Green Food Service, Healthy Lunch
• Green Schoolyards, Pest Control

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• From Green Schools Buying Guide on Cleaners
• Audit Form
• Cost Calculator
• Overview of Policies
• Tools for writing a green bid
• Information on state procurement contracts and
  other discounts

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Those who say it cant be done Should not
interrupt those already doing it -- Chinese
proverb
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You have to be the change You want to see in the
world -- Gandhi
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Contacts

• Deborah MooreGreen Schools Initiative510-525-102
  6deborah_at_greenschools.netwww.greenschools.net
• Alicia CulverGreen Purchasing Institute510-547-5
  475info_at_greenpurchasing.orgwww.greenpurchasing.o
  rg (coming soon)