LEED-EB Revision Wins Approval
According to Steve Ashkin, the U.S. Green Building Council has announced that the revisions to LEED-EB have been approved by an overwhelming majority.

According to Doug Gatlin, vice president for market development at the USGBC (and was until recently the LEED-EB program manager) "It passed member ballot with flying colors. In fact, we received over 2,110 votes in all. Quorum requirements were for 1200! In addition to this, 98 percent of all votes were positive. This is a very high number of 'yes' votes, so we can take this as a strong endorsement from the membership."

The revision of LEED for Existing Buildings means good news for the cleaning industry. In the new version, green cleaning is now a prerequisite, which means everyone going after LEED certification must do green cleaning which should further accelerate demand for green products and services.

Reportedly, the Core Committee has introduced a new credit worth up to two (2) points for conducting a "custodial effectiveness audit" which for the first time will reward facilities who do superior cleaning and will create an incentive for others to improve.

Other important changes include:

1. Slightly changing the name to LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance as a way to clarify how this Rating System is to be used.
2. Clarifying that green cleaning requires "effective" cleaning as opposed to just switching to a few green products.
3. Adding Environmental Choice as an additional option to Green Seal for "certified" products to make compliance even easier.
4. Reorganizing the credits to make finding all of the green cleaning credits simpler.
5. Including language that requires the development of a program to encourage hand washing.
6. Clarifying language on equipment requirements and adding some additional language for CRI certified products.
7. Adding language that allows janitorial paper products derived from rapidly renewable resources or made from tree-free fibers in addition to those made with recycled content.

• “We have some that apply both indoors and out, as we have to deal with snow and ice entrances to buildings are patrolled continually, Snow & ice are removed as required to ensure pedestrian safety. Interior entrances are all matted and the mats are serviced to ensure they are working at optimal levels. This may mean using a wet vac throughout the day to remove slush from out side. We use Tenant Fast hallway machines and JohnsonDiversey floor finishes which increases our floor traction. Buildings entrances classrooms and washrooms are signed advising occupants of the number to our maintenance desk so occupants can report unsafe conditions.”
  — George Thomlison, manager of human resources and procurement for buildings and grounds services and facilities management, University of Alberta, Canada
  
  
• “We do regular slip, trip and fall training with staff which includes not only how to avoid them themselves but also how to use signage and barricades to help prevent them for other parts of the campus community.”
  — William Sutter, director of facilities management, American University in Washington, D.C.
  
  

March Question:
What have you done to combat the spread of MRSA within your facility?

E-mail Housekeeping Solutions your response and look for the results in the March issue of the HS Update.

When I talk to my readers, my first question is, “What’s new in the world of cleaning?” Lately, the most common response has been, “MRSA.” Although Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is certainly not new, cleaners have been forced to readdress the issue as recent outbreaks have emerged.

To help make controlling outbreaks easier, Housekeeping Solutions has made a point to address this topic in detail. Look for the Market By Market column in the February issue to focus on what schools can do to combat MRSA outbreaks.

We have also introduced a special section to CleanLink focusing specifically on MRSA. The section will highlight breaking news, featured articles, product solutions, blogs, podcasts and additional industry links that address this concern. For more information, visit www.cleanlink.com/mrsa or look for this section on our home page.

Planning For A New Year

Green Products and Techniques

Day Cleaning

Carpet Care Equipment

Disinfectants in Health Care