contractor success Green? By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor Are You Certifiably Your shirt is the color green and you clean with green-tinted formulations, but are your practices authentic? Because being “green” is perception-based, it has traditionally been quite simple for a contractor to claim he or she is greener than the next person with little to no evidence. But, as the green movement matures and simply becomes the accepted way of operating a cleaning business, many build-ing service contractors (BSCs) are seeking solutions that can help them be authenti-cally green beyond philosophical assertion. And, because the actions of a contractor can seriously affect the sustainable aspira-tions of a facility — either positively or nega-tively — it is of grave importance that you are as green as possible in every aspect. Say you clean offices in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facility or are bidding on such a contract. Unless you have pre-qualifications through a program such as ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) — which independently assesses the pri-mary characteristics of a successful, qual-ity cleaning organization — you may have difficulty proving that you and your company “walk the walk.” According to ISSA, “CIMS is a way for cleaning organizations to set themselves and their green cleaning operations apart in the marketplace. Facility managers and others responsible for selecting a cleaning service provider can gain an increased level of confidence in their contractor by using CIMS and CIMS-Green Building (CIMS-GB) as a powerful pre-qualification tool.” Moreover, your actions as a BSC can jeopardize the LEED certification of a facil-ity if you are not in adherence to specific protocols. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you are as green as monetarily possible — not only to ensure the facilities in which you clean remain green, but to differentiate your-self from the masses and position yourself as the green cleaning authority in your area. “We, as an organization, have been investing time and resources into talking with our customers about how we can help them meet the higher bars that are being set by green certifications,” says Roger McFadden, vice president and chief scien-tist of Staples Advantage. alone, it is wise to choose trusted verify-ing bodies like Green Seal Inc., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) program, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing’s EcoLogo program or GREENGUARD certi-fication from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Environment. If it all seems overwhelming, ask your green cohorts about the equipment they use and what certification bodies they trust. ■ Workload effectively As previously stated, green cleaning encompasses efficiency and time manage-ment. Rearranging custodial crews to utilize a teamwork approach that maximizes resourc-es with specialists — dedicated personnel for carpet care, hard floor care, restroom care, light-duty cleaning, etc. — is much greener than going at an area without a plan. Effective workloading can drastically cut cleaning times while boosting morale and delivering ideal results. ■ Place satisfaction at the forefront You cannot please everyone, but if you strive for 100 percent customer satisfaction, the chances are good that you will satisfy almost all of your customers nearly every time. Customers want clean, healthy environ-ments achieved through minimal chemical usage and with as few interruptions to build-ing occupants as possible; this is a realistic goal of a green cleaning program. “Make sure everything is out on the table to avoid any misalignment,” opines McFadden. “You do not want to contradict your customer’s green intentions by failing to comply with their goals.” Satisfaction should also be hoped for from your employees. A satisfied worked is a compelled worker. In other words, keep your employees B What You Can Do As a BSC, there are a whole slew of things you can do — large and small, inexpensive and costly — to be greener in your cleaning approach. For argument’s sake, let’s say green clean-ing covers all aspects of business operation, including the tools, equipment and chemicals used, training and education, workloading practices and customer service. If you are only focusing on one aspect — green chemical formulations, for example — you are not truly green. You may be using more environmentally preferable formulations, but other facets of your operation may not be “green.” The same can be said if you employ a teamwork approach to cleaning and strive for optimum customer service yet clean with caustic chemicals. Being green does not pertain to one fea-ture; rather, green is all-inclusive. Common ways you can be greener in your cleaning operation include: ■ Purchasing tools, chemicals and equipment with third-party certifica-tions Such certifications verify manufacturers’ claims and make disseminating valid green claims from greenwash much easier. However, because there are nearly 100 different green labels in North America 28 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • March 2012
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