by Shane Henson — June 25, 2012—Green Seal Inc., a nonprofit environmental certification organization, recently announced that the Howard County Public School System in Maryland has the first school cleaning program in the United States to receive certification under the organization’s standard for commercial and institutional cleaning services.
The “Green Cleaning Program” developed by the Howard County Public School System qualified for certification under Green Seal’s GS-42 standard. According to GreenSeal, GS-42 establishes environmental requirements for cleaning service providers of commercial, public, and institutional buildings, including in-house and external cleaning services, to create a green cleaning program that protects human health and the environment. The standard takes a systems approach with cleaning. Guidance is provided for tools and products used for cleaning, and includes staff training and planning. The standard also includes emphasis on environmental improvements that reduce toxicity, waste, and exposure to both building occupants and custodial staff.
In their effort to meet the requirements needed for Green Seal certification, Howard County Public School System’s custodial services employees worked with the Building Wellness Institute, an organization that helps facilities protect the health and comfort of their building occupants.
