Sustainability – Is Green Cleaning Sexy? Designing, building and “powering” with the environment in mind isn’t enough.
By Gary L. Walker
“Green” is everywhere. You can’t turn on the TV, listen to the radio, look at the Internet or read a newspaper without seeing something about the environment. Today, there is a focus on “green,” and the big three?building, design and energy. I was told that there was no place for green cleaning in the media because it just wasn’t sexy like the big three. Those topics tend to dominate the media attention because of the dollars spent by the public relations machines of major corporations, which create and direct campaigns in an effort to feel good about a minor part of their overall operation. Right now the spotlight is shining brightly on green. It is cutting edge. Even Hollywood is making it sexy. But sometimes it takes the efforts of a small band of the very few, the pioneers, to make major changes. They make enough noise that they become like a pebble in a pond?a small splash that creates many ripples. I want to see all of us be more concerned about sustainability, i.e., the characteristic of a process that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. I sincerely hope that the passion in this message is clearly understood, for I am a man on a mission. We need to stop slowly poisoning ourselves with the products that we use in our buildings and homes. We spend about 90 percent of our time indoors and seldom open our windows anymore, yet we don’t show any concern for what we bring into that closed environment. According to the American Lung Association, an estimated 24.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma. Much of this can be tied back to poor indoor air quality, which can be traced backed to the use of toxic chemicals. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that levels of air pollutions inside can be two to five times higher—and occasionally up to 100 times higher—than outdoor levels. So it’s not surprising that the EPA has declared indoor air quality one of the top five most urgent environmental risks to public health. Young people are particularly susceptible to indoor air pollution because their bodies are continuing to develop. Because children breathe in 50 percent more air per pound than adults, they inhale and absorb a greater volume of contaminants. What many people fail to recognize is that you can design “green,” build “green” and provide “clean” energy to a building, but the minute you take your “50-year” building and start cleaning it with a process that is not environmentally sound, it becomes a 50-second building. Your sustainability—the “sexy” part of green—is gone and you will have to work very hard to get it back. This is why I am working tirelessly to reach those who make the decisions?those who can effect change. Holistic “greenness” has to come from the top, and it has to be a culture shift in a business. Those who make the buildings rise from the drafting tables, out of the earth, bring power to light and heat them, and those who control how they are cared for are the community planners, thinkers and doers that make things happen. That is why I want all of you to understand that there is one last piece of the puzzle?green cleaning. Green cleaning should not be a trend; it should be the norm. We should expect this to be the standard practice in all the buildings we occupy, and demand that our health and the health of our associates be of greater concern to those who provide services to us. Understand that moving to green cleaning is not just changing the chemicals used in your facilities. There is so much more to the process. The chemicals are just a small part of what needs to be looked at. Using a highly qualified green cleaning professional to help you move your building towards this process will be the best way to approach your commitment to make the permanent change to green. Over the next 12 months, I will be writing a series of articles about several different topics, including the green cleaning process, air quality and green vs. natural. Check back in April for “Green Cleaning – Are You Toxic?” Together we can make a difference. Together we can effect change.
Gary Walker, the King of Green Cleaning, is owner of Magic Touch Cleaning. You can reach him at (816) 554-3366 or
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