For hundreds of years, the janitorial service has been the forgotten and ignored industry. Suddenly, it has become the legitimate starting point for buildings that want to Go Green. The concept of Green relates primarily to the health and well-being of the people who inhabit our homes, schools, offices, and factories everywhere. The pressure of federal, state, and city mandates will soon force all buildings to transition to Green, and it often starts with the janitorial service.

The increased demand for Green Offices, Green Schools, and Green Buildings will continue to drive this concept. Governor Christ of Florida has passed rules that denied state business from any hotel that did not qualify as a Green facility. The impact was felt immediately as all Florida hotels implemented Green practices with haste. Similar rules are coming to other states.

The Green School Act is yet another illustration of the power of the Green movement on business. New York and Illinois have already passed the Green School Act, and other states are sure to follow. In the state of New York, letters are going out telling all building owners that they have a limited time to get ready for new Green mandates in the city. We find that cities and states are anxious to pass rules and mandates requiring businesses to conform to Green standards.

You already know that Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13101 that required all government agencies and building to install Green products and services. George W Bush signed another executive order strengthening Green requirements in government facilities. Already, cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, Dallas, and Fort Lauderdale are promoting their cities as “Green Cities” asking all companies and corporations to “Go Green.” You can easily see why knowledgeable people are predicting that the Green market will take over all businesses in the next two years.

Beware of Green pretenders, however. Many janitorial services are using token efforts to participate in this new, Green economy. They are adding a few Green products to their janitor cart and they will pick up some HEPA vacuums as the older models wear out. The fact is that you cannot buy Green in a bottle. It is a practice as much as it is the product being used. When all janitorial services have adding in a few Green products, we will reach something called “Green Equalization” where all look alike but none are fully qualified.

Does a janitorial service need to go though training and certification from an outside source, or can they simple step into this arena as simply as reworking their website and advertising? As in any profession, there must be a standard in training and review that supports the claims of a professional service. Hey, even car mechanics are trained and certified. Shouldn’t we expect that a firm in charge of the health and sanitation of the building do more than hand the work crew new products?

Green Seal certifies products, but Green Clean Institute certifies janitorial services. If your company is “Going Green,” you will want to look into the GCI Green Building program. You should also require that your janitorial/cleaning service become Green Clean certified as well. Frankly, there is no substitute for the quality, training, support, and certification of Green Clean Institute. As the largest certification organization for janitorial services, Green Clean Institute is the best resource for Green Business.

Remember that Green is not a substitute word for environmentalism. It directly refers to the health quality of a facility and the health impact on the people who inhabit that building. If your company is planning to “Go Green,” the key issues are not energy or water conservation, building materials, or access to public transportation. The whole project is to improve the indoor air quality and the continued good health of all the people in that facility.

Like it or not, this is a world in serious transition from the standard practices of the past to the new and intelligent practices of a better today. People worldwide have chosen not to defer the duties of clean and healthy world to their children. Things change, and this is a change that is good for all of us. It leaves only a question of whether people will wait for the government to force them to Go Green, or whether they will step up to the challenge voluntarily.

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