Illinois School Earns GC Award

July 10th, 2013 • BY

Columbia Public Schools (CPS) has been named the recipient of the 2011 Green Cleaning Award given by American School and University, a leading trade publication for the education sector.

This award recognizes school districts that have taken significant steps toward cleaning their facilities using environmentally preferable products and cleaning methods that help protect human health and the environment.

The jury that selected the winning school districts included Stephen Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group, as well as Mark Bishop and Rochelle Davis, both with the Healthy School Campaign.

IMPROVED ATTENDANCE

CPS reports that since switching to Green cleaning, student attendance throughout the district has improved. This is not surprising.  Studies have shown that conventional cleaning products can cause allergic and respiratory reactions, especially in young children.

Along with using Green cleaning chemicals, the district has also selected more environmentally friendly cleaning equipment.  This change includes using floor machines such as Tornado Industries’ cylindrical brush floor machine, which uses brushes instead of rotary pads to clean floors.

GREEN PARTNER

The end result is a machine that has ample “elbow grease,” removing soils and contaminates from floors, while using smaller amounts of chemicals and water. Further, these brushes can be used over and over again, helping to promote sustainability, while conventional rotary pads are usually replaced after each use.

“We are very proud of the achievements CPS has made and we are glad to be one of their ‘Green’ partners,” says Jolynn Kennedy, Marketing Manager for Tornado Industries. “They are cleaning more effectively and more healthfully, all at the same time.”