cleanthoughts GREEN: The Mindset Of Choice T The green and sustainable movements continue to gain popularity as they slowly saturate the com-mercial cleaning market. Unless you have been trapped under-neath a rock for the past several years or recently decided that being a hermit with no access to print or digital media is no longer your milieu, you likely have heard a barrage of green and sustainable rhetoric. Given the vast amount of verifiable infor-mation available at the click of a mouse or by listening to or reading the content of any reputable news organization, it is surpris-ing that some facilities and businesses either refuse to adopt sustainable initia-tives or lack the information needed to go green. If your company or organization is one of the anti-greeners, this month’s cover story, “Making The Case For Green Cleaning,” which begins on page 14, offers some insight on how to combat sustainable naysayers. While the misconceptions about green cleaning are aging and quickly los-ing validity — if they were ever truly legiti-mate to begin with — they are still held by a dwindling number of individuals who refuse to view sustainability through a cos-mopolitan lens. According to research performed by the Claire Manufacturing Company, last year, 64 percent of U.S. government buyers were subject to a green purchasing policy of some kind. Likewise, 57 percent of U.S. companies have either a formal or an informal green purchasing policy in place. While these numbers are encouraging and will undoubtedly continue to rise, there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of getting the entire cleaning industry to make that turn to — or at least veer in the direc-tion of — the sustainable road. An all-encompassing greening of the cleaning industry — if the thought is possi-ble or even feasible — will not happen overnight. Moreover, the ideals of the green and sustainable movements will not gain addi-tional traction unless we all continue to push for environmental preferedness on all fronts. Kudos to all of you who have made the switch to less caustic cleaning chemicals, recycled paper goods and other sustain-able business practices. To those who have not seen the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb shine: You have some work to do. Luckily, the information is out there and the resources are ready and waiting to be tapped. CM Publisher Matt Gallinger mgallinger @ ntpmedia.com Associate Publisher Micah Ogburn mogburn @ ntpmedia.com Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo rdipaolo @ ntpmedia.com Managing Editor Aaron Baunee abaunee @ ntpmedia.com Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] Account Executive Susan Pierce spierce @ ntpmedia.com Art Director Marty Harris marty @ grandviewmedia.com Director of Business Operations Michael Perkins mperkins @ ntpmedia.com Ad Materials Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] CMI ® Administrative Manager Sharon Hillis shillis @ ntpmedia.com ext. 3159 ext. 3179 (516) 404-4532 ext. 3157 ext. 3154 (256) 715-0342 ext. 3133 ext. 3138 ext. 3165 Editorial, Advertising & Publishing Offices NTP Media, division of 19 British American Blvd West • Latham, NY 12110-6405 (518) 783-1281 FAX: (518) 783-1386 S u b s c r i p t i o n Q u e s t i o n s o r I n q u i r i e s T o l l F r e e ( 8 6 6 ) 7 2 1 -4 8 0 7 O u t s i d e U . S . ( 8 4 7 ) 7 6 3 -1 8 6 7 o r e m a i l c l e a n i n g m a i n t e n a n c e @ h a l l d a t a . c o m S u b s c r i b e / R e n e w / C h a n g e o f A d d r e s s : h t t p : / / w w w . c m m o n l i n e . c o m / s u b s c r i b e Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608 Canada Returns to be sent to: Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations Brent Kizzire [email protected] Chief Marketing Officer, Publishing Services Group Hank Brown [email protected] Vice President of Business Publishing Tracy Aston-Martin [email protected] Vice President of Finance Brad Youngblood [email protected] Director of Circulation & Fulfillment Delicia Poole [email protected] Circulation Manager Brandy Pate [email protected] Honorary Advisory Board: Aaron Baunee, managing editor Send comments or thoughts on this topic or any other article that appears in CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® magazine, to [email protected]. Mike Adams, Greenfield, IN; Stephen Ashkin, Bloomington, IN; Jim Brewer, Arlington, TX; Laura Dellutri, Lenexa, KS; Ron Goerne, Bloomington, IL; Russell Kendzior, Southlake, TX; Don McNulty, Blue Springs, MO; Bob Merkt, West Bend, WI. CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.cmmonline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • June 2010
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