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One of the main killers of productivity faced by today's workers is the Sick Building Syndrome.
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency defines the term "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) as situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.
 
With 30% of U.S. workers suffering from health problems caused by Sick Building Syndrome, companies are vastly underusing their human assets and underestimating the benefits of switching to green cleaning. With the same effectiveness as traditional cleaning, and little or no cost increase, the return on investment for switching to green cleaning is immense.

Bacteria such as Leginella pneumophila can easily multiply in an office and lead to workers suffering from pneumonia or even Pontiac fever. Pontiac fever is marked by fever, chills, headaches and body aches. These bacteria can grow in the office air ventilation system without your knowledge.
 
Victims of Sick Office Syndrome suffer from a broad range of symptoms such as chronic fatigue, nausea, vision problems and memory loss. Their immune and detoxification systems start to malfunction causing them to suffer from more illnesses and long term effects due to prolonged exposure to harmful bacteria.
 
Sick Building Syndrome can be detrimental towards a company's profitability because workers will not be performing at their optimal level and may spend many days away on sick leave. In this competitive world of ours, more businesses are realizing that a clean workplace is a strategic business tool. It is very important to protect their most valuable assets--their employees.
 
How to prevent your workers from suffering from this unproductive syndrome? The answer is very simple, switch to green cleaning your office. What are the advantages of green cleaning?
 
Green cleaning can:
- Improve indoor air quality
- Provide healthier facilities for workers
- Increase  worker productivity and reduce the number of days that they have to call in sick.
- Improve morale and keep workers thinking positively
- Minimize the possibility of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals
- Reduce water and air pollution with biodegradable, nontoxic products
- Improve the overall environment with best practices in cleaning and janitorial practices
- Lower operational costs by reducing mold, mildew and accumulation of dust, etc.
 
It is becoming easier to engage the services of a green certified janitorial cleaning company. By using the right equipment and environmentally friendly cleaning products, business and facility managers can be assured that their work environment is cleaner and greener.

The Clean Green Institute certifies companies and individual technicians in green cleaning strategies that include not only the cleaning solutions that prevent toxicity, but strategies and techniques to improve indoor air quality, reduce wasted water, and reduce problems such as mold and mildew from accumulating due to inadequate cleaning, sunshine and ventilation.
(The CHPS Product Database is currently in beta phase.)

The population of the database with sustainable products will be an ongoing effort, so check back  to search for products that will help you identify and select sustainable and healthy products for your next high-performance construction project.

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools expects the database to be sufficiently populated for public release shortly and will be promoted with the help of the project's partners:
  • Collaborative for High Performance Schools,
  • US Environmental Protection Agency
  • California Integrated Waste Management Board.
CHPS is expanding the existing and popular CHPS low-emitting materials table to the format of a searchable database to include other products with sustainable and healthy attributes.

https://www.chpsregistry.com/live/

Mayors support green schools

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The Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools, a coalition of mayors seeking to strategically harness the leadership and creativity of mayors across the country has been formed to promote the benefits of green schools in their communities.

Developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Alliance will work to accelerate implementation of programs supporting the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) resolution calling for green schools for all children within a generation.

“As mayors, we know all too well that schools are the heart of our communities, as they represent the promise we make to our children and future generations, a promise of learning and of opportunity,” said Mayor Diaz, President of the US Conference of Mayors. “With this alliance, we are coming together and reconfirming our promise to the health and learning of our children, and ensuring that future generations are mindful of the importance of protecting our environment.”

"I’ve seen the enormous impact mayors have when they unite around a common goal," said Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle, who launched the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in 2005, which advances the goals of the Kyoto Protocol and now boasts nearly 900 mayor signatories. "This new coalition of mayors will shine the light on the countless opportunities to make our schools greener, our students and teachers healthier and our communities stronger."
 
“As first responders to the needs of their communities, mayors are the vanguard of sustainable development in our country,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of USGBC, “and USGBC wants to do all we can to support them, especially in this critically important initiative. “We have Green School Advocacy Committees in 80 local USGBC chapters throughout the country, and we are putting them at the mayors’ disposal to advance opportunities, programs and initiatives that champion green school causes and help them publicly celebrate their successes.”

Together with Mayor Diaz and Mayor Nickels, Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Francisco, Cal; Mayor Will Wynn, Austin, Texas; Mayor Sheila Dixon, Baltimore, Md., Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines, Iowa; and Mayor George Heartwell, Grand Rapids, Mich.; have put forth a call to mayors around the country to join this important effort to support green schools for all children.

“This new Alliance dovetails perfectly with Baltimore’s new Sustainability agenda,” said Mayor Sheila Dixon. “It also will provide more ways to support our ongoing efforts to promote the health and well-being of our students as we improve the energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of our school facilities.”

Mayors across the country are leading efforts to deliver the benefits of green schools to their communities. For example, EcoMedia is working with mayors in Miami and San Francisco to leverage innovative public‐private partnerships that create new opportunities for green school projects.

Other Alliance initiatives will work to:
  • Develop and create public‐private partnerships with a local business to allow schools to plant a green roof, install a solar garden or start a recycling program.
  • Help school districts green their existing facilities through the Clinton Climate Initiative’s K‐12 Retrofit Program.
  • Encourage state legislatures to create policies and incentives for green school improvements.
  • Engage in a national dialogue about green schools, green jobs and green infrastructure.


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