Energy conservation is rapidly becoming a requirement for California schools and businesses, and outsourced green cleaning services can help.
Green Cleaning Services and Energy Conservation for Schools and Businesses
The need to reduce operational costs, improve financial returns, and limit the consumption and use of finite energy resources has forced many schools and businesses throughout California to adopt a broad range of protocols to conserve energy and reduce waste.
Outsourced green cleaning services cost-effectively intersect energy conservation initiatives by managing the full life-cycle of cleaning products and specialized custodial supplies to require much less water, gas, and electricity than their conventional counterparts.
Combining green cleaning with conservation practices have been proven to:
- Enhance the health and comfort of building occupants, which has been shown to lead to reduced time off/sick leave and improved performance and productivity, as well as reduced occupant/employee turnover.
- Increase building ROI by reducing liability, operating costs, and optimizing building performance leading to improved occupant retention and satisfaction.
- Improve public image and relations by minimizing the strain on local resources and reducing natural resource consumption.
Building Custodial Resource Use & Waste
Conventional custodial services for businesses expend a tremendous amount of waste.
According to statistics gathered by the Green Sports Alliance, U.S. businesses annually consume and dispose of:
- 6 Billion pounds of cleaning chemicals.
- 4.5 Billion pounds of janitorial paper products.
- 1 Billion plastic trash can liners, and;
- 1 Billion pounds of janitorial equipment.
Source:
Additionally, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, office buildings in the U.S.:
- Consume 73% of electricity.
- Produce 38% of greenhouse gas emissions, and;
- Account for 13.6% of potable water consumption.
Source:
All of these factors contribute to vital resource waste and increased greenhouse gas emissions that negatively impact the cost of doing business, the cost of living in the surrounding area, as well as student and worker health and performance.
See Also:
The Financial Incentive for Energy Conservation
Converting your buildings operation's to more sustainable practices can produce tremendous financial savings.
According to Energy Star;
[sic]...commercial buildings that regularly benchmarked their energy performance in EPA’s Portfolio Manager™ tool cut their energy bills by seven percent over three years (2.4 percent per year on average).
That’s equal to:
For a 500,000-square-foot office building:
Cumulative cost savings of $120,000
Increase in asset value of over $1 million
For a medium-box retailer with 500 stores:
Cumulative cost savings of $2.5 million
Increase in sales of 0.89%
For a full-service hotel chain with 100 properties:
Cumulative cost savings of $4.1 million
Increase in revenue per available room of $1.41
For an 800,000-square-foot school district:
Cumulative cost savings of $140,000
Salary of 1.2 full-time teachers each year
Green Cleaning Tips
Sans a full building refurbishment and the ability to convert from conventional power sources to renewable energy, the most cost-effective method for 'going green' is to assess and monitor current usage, as well as implement product purchasing and life-cycle management practices that align with sustainable initiatives.
This can be accomplished by:
- Partnering with a LEED-certified green cleaning provider experienced in large-scale facilities maintenance and management.
- Replacing current cleaning chemicals with safer green alternatives. A better solution is to outsource the product management to the partnered custodial provider to eliminate storage and transportation costs, as well as any potential liability and training requirements for safe product handling, and possible emergencies or exposure.
- Replacing paper, cloth, and cotton cleaning products with superior microfiber alternatives, which require much less water and cleaning product, which serves the double purpose of eliminating natural resource use and waste while reducing the introduction of toxic cleaning chemicals into the air and water supply.
- Installing advanced IoT/PLC monitoring and control systems to identify sources of resource waste and determine where systems should be repaired or upgraded.
- Incentivizing occupant and community participation through gamification and rewards based programs, as well as public outreach initiatives.
References & Resources
- Go Green Hotels: Green Ideas for Hotels and Resorts
- The State of Green Business: Sustainability becomes an employee perk
- Sustainable Business Practices
Takeaway
Green cleaning creates less waste and uses far less cleaning solution, while safely removing more than 99% of dirt, germs, and bacteria, as well as preventing the spread or cross-contamination of microbial matter.
Adopting green cleaning practices will significantly reduce the energy, product use, and waste created by your organization--diverting them from landfills while reducing or eliminating their carbon footprint and contribution to climate change.
The key to success is to proactively involve building occupants and the surrounding community, for which your organization will likely be lauded as a local leader and environmental steward, resulting in expanded business opportunities, increased profits, and public trust.
If you would like to learn more about the advantages of outsourced green cleaning services to compliment your organization energy conservation efforts, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253
