CM/Spotlight: Floor Care Celebrate Earth Day With Green Floor Care Five quick tips for improving the sustainability of your hard floor care program. By: Lance Brown O Lance Brown is an innova-tion leader of floor care for JohnsonDiversey. For more information, visit http://www.johnsondi-versey.com/prospeed or call (262) 631-4001. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Sustainability . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Green . On April 22, 2009, people throughout the world will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day developed to bring awareness to issues surrounding sustainability and the protec-tion of the Earthʼs natural resources. The first Earth Day celebration was very effec-tive at changing attitudes toward environmental issues. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Public opinion polls indicate that a per-manent change in national priorities followed Earth Day 1970. When polled in May 1971, 25 percent of the U.S. public declared protecting the environment to be an important goal, a 2,500 per-cent increase over 1969.” Since then, the movement has reached its tip-ping point in many countries. Individuals and organizations have become increasingly aware of the broader implications of their actions and their potential affect on future generations. No one knows this better than managers and directors of cleaning departments who face increased pressure to green their cleaning opera-tions. To meet this demand, manufacturers are offer-ing “green” products, some of which do not have any less impact on the environment. While chances are good that youʼve already implemented at least one green cleaning process or product into your overall operations, floor care is one area you can focus on starting this Earth Day. There are several simple strategies you can use to green your hard floor care program, begin-ning with the process of floor finishing. In addition to helping improve the sustainability of your operations, these strategies can also save you money. Old Techniques, Old Problems For many cleaning professionals, “sustainability” means using equipment and chemicals that limit the impact of cleaning on the environment. However, cleaning professionals should also consider products and processes that limit impact Equip employees with today’s comfortable, green products. 24 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2009
CMM – Archives Apr 2009: 24
