raising standards Streamlining By: Dan Wagner LEED-EBOM Certification CIMS-GB simplifies the process as a direct compliance option for green cleaning requirements. C Cleaning organizations play a critical role in helping facilities operate more sustainably. Many organizations implement and follow green cleaning programs to ensure a clean-er, healthier indoor environment. Moreover, green cleaning minimizes the impact cleaning can have on the natural environment and on the bottom line. Building owners and managers are rec-ognizing the value of green cleaning, es-pecially those who strive to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leader-ship in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Mainte-nance (LEED-EBOM) rating system. Green cleaning programs (including inte-grated pest management) account for up to five points toward LEED-EBOM certifi-cation. One way to earn these five points is to have an in-house staff or a building service contractor (BSC) that is certified under IS-SA’s Cleaning Industry Management Stan-dard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB). What CIMS-GB Covers ISSA launched CIMS-GB in 2010 to help building owners and managers looking for help in achieving LEED certification. CIMS-GB criteria are closely tailored to provide building owners and managers with what they need to secure points un-der the LEED-EBOM, and because of that, the USGBC now includes CIMS-GB as one of the direct options for meeting the green cleaning policy prerequisite in its most re-cent version, which was released in No-vember 2013. CIMS-GB-certified organizations go through a rigorous third-party assessment to ensure they meet not only specific sus-tainability criteria, but also quality manage-ment and customer-focused principles. This provides building owners and man-agers with the assurance that a cleaning organization is a high performance, well-managed organization focused on custom-er satisfaction that will be a strategic partner in the LEED-certification process. The LEED-EBOM version 4 rating system includes the following requirements and possible points regarding green cleaning — all of which can be achieved with a CIMS-GB-certified cleaning organization. ■ Green cleaning – policy (required) Organizations must have a green clean-ing policy for the building and site addressing the green cleaning credits, goals and strategies and personnel. At a minimum, the policy must cover green cleaning procedures, materials and services that are within the building and site management’s control. ■ Green cleaning – custodial effectiveness assessment (one point) Organizations must implement the strategies set forth in the facility’s green cleaning policy and perform routine inspections and monitoring. Additionally, organiza-tions must conduct an annual audit to determine the appearance level of the facility. The facility must score 2.5 or better (according to APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities’ Custodial Staffing Guidelines). ■ Green cleaning – products and mate-rials (one point) Organizations must purchase green cleaning materials and products such as floor finishes and strippers, disposable janitorial paper products and trash bags. At least 75 percent of those products (by cost) of the total annual product purchases must meet at least one or more from a list of standards. ■ Green cleaning – equipment (one point) April 2014 Organizations must create an inven-tory of existing interior and exterior equipment, including what is brought on-site by vendors. At least 40 per-cent of all powered janitorial equip-ment (purchased, leased or used by contractors) must meet the standard’s list of criteria. For existing equipment that does not meet the criteria, organi-zations must develop a phase-out plan and replacement with environmentally preferable products at the end of its useful life. ■ Integrated pest management (possible two points) Organizations must have in place an integrated pest manage-ment (IPM) plan for the building and grounds within the project boundary. The IPM plan must include seven ele-ments. Organizations must implement the strategies set forth in the IPM plan and evaluate the plan annually. Changing The Way The World Views Cleaning To take advantage of the CIMS-GB option, a building will have to be cleaned by a cer-tified organization and audited by an ap-proved assessor within the past 12 months. Having the opportunity to simply use a CIMS-GB-certified provider simplifies the LEED-EBOM compliance. Programs like CIMS-GB are helping to change the way the world views cleaning, focusing on cleaning as an investment in human health and the environment. CM Dan Wagner is ISSA’s director of Facility Service Programs. In his role, Wagner is primarily responsi-ble for managing the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building pro-gram as well as working with the end user commu-nity to “change the way the world views cleaning.” 12 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ®
CMM – Archives April 2014: 12
