Healthy Schools Campaign: New Green Cleaning Guide

Is your child’s school clean and green?

Designed for school administrators and cleaning professionals, the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) recently released Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools delivers a simple, five-step approach to converting your school over to a healthier, green cleaning program.

According to HSC, a non-profit that advocates for healthier school environments, the demand for green cleaning in schools has grown dramatically over the past several years. In fact, today over ten states have passed bills that require green cleaning in schools, including New York, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Connecticut, Maine, and Hawaii. Each state mandates that schools use less-toxic cleaning products that meet nationally recognized green standards. HSC offers an excellent roundup on its website of where states stand today on green cleaning policies.

Other states are also working to get ahead of the curve—and future laws that may be passed—by bringing green cleaning into their school systems today. According to HSC, many are using the Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools as an authoritative guide to assist with the transformation. Launched originally in 2006, with over 125,000 copies distributed to date, the Guide is in its fourth incarnation.

Says Rochelle Davis, executive editor of the guide and president and CEO of HSC, “Since then, we’ve seen huge strides in policy, in the marketplace and on the ground in schools as more and more leaders embrace cleaning for health while protecting the environment.”

The Guide boasts an easy-to-use format, with five steps for starting or enhancing a green cleaning program (see below for details). It also includes a useful purchasing directory with hundreds of products that meet the HSC standards for schools.

5 Steps

[from the Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools]

Step 1: Plan your green cleaning program

This step involves creating a green team, assessing your school, developing your plan and policy, and evaluating progress.

Step 2: Select certified green cleaning products

This step offers tools and resources for choosing the right green cleaning products.

Step 3: Introduce green equipment and supplies

This step offers suggestions for greener cleaning equipment and supplies, such as microfiber dusting and mopping systems and eco-conscious paper and plastic products.

Step 4: Adopt green cleaning procedures

This step provides information on adopting a standardized plan for cleaning frequency, procedures, and techniques.

Step 5: Share the Responsibility

This step delivers details on how the green cleaning responsibility can extend beyond the school custodian, including teachers, students, administrators, and even unions and outside contractors.