UGA is green behind the scenes

A custodian cleans a table at Tate 2 with a microfiber towel and green cleaning products used by UGA's Services Department.

By Natalie Leff

Over the past three years, UGA has transitioned its buildings from using 325 different cleaning products to using only three, helping the environment, employees and budgets.

The Green Cleaning Program first converted north campus, starting with Old College.
“Our carbon footprint was taken into consideration,” said Hope Thomas, safety coordinator at the Physical Plant. “We wanted products that were green certified already and would help the program already in place.”

The three products are from the Ohio-based Spartan Chemical Company, Inc., that has issued a line of products called Green Solutions.

Two of the three Green Solutions products used at UGA are green seal certified: the All Purpose Cleaner, used for mirrors and even carpet stains, and the Glass Cleaner that is used for windows.
The green seal assures that the product is environmentally responsible through creating less toxic pollutants, preventing ozone depletion and conserving resources.

Green Solutions’ third product used at UGA is the Neutral Disinfectant Cleaner. This cleaner eliminates virus-causing bacteria, and is most commonly used for counters.

“Although it is not a green sealed certified product because of its chemicals, it is created with the same production standpoints as the others,” Thomas said.

Reginald McDougal, a custodian at the Miller Learning Center, likes dealing with fewer products and is glad that the products UGA is now using contain fewer toxins.

The primary benefits of using green cleaning products include improving overall air quality and reducing absenteeism among workers, according to the Physical Plant Division.

When products do not mix right, the combination can be harmful to the air quality, Thomas said.
“Our employees had to deal with eight to nine hours a day of breathing harmful chemicals in,” Kim Thomas, the assistant director of the Services Department at the Physical Plant Division, said. “One lady had respiratory issues and said she’d quit if she had to go back to the old way.”

“More people are able to come to work because they aren’t dealing with as many injuries. They are experiencing less exposure to bad chemicals,” Hope Thomas said.

Kim Thomas said as many as 4,100 work hours have been gained from 2007 to 2009 among the custodial staff.

To educate employees on the new practices involved with the Green Cleaning Program, The Services Department set up the Building Services Academy.

“Anytime you go through a change there’s going to be some hesitation from those involved. The academy sets out to expose them to how to use the products properly,” Kim Thomas said.
The two-week training session includes classroom training, written tests and hands-on experience, Kim Thomas said.

The 14th class has graduated from the Academy, leaving eight more to cover the rest of all 500 employees.

Other than the three products, the campus has switched over to vacuums with HEPA filters that pick up more dirt and dust than regular vacuums. Also, there has been a transition over to microfiber towels to reduce the paper towel waste.

With fewer products used, more efficient vacuums and reducing one-time usage items, the university is cutting costs by 20 percent for each building.

Through the Service Department’s efforts, UGA has become the first school to have a green program certified through the Cleaning Industry Management Standard.

To get this certification, UGA went through a vigorous on-site assessment from The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association. “They walked through buildings even checking the closets, “Kim Thomas said. “They interviewed employees and needed documents to back up the program. Basically, it was a whole business operations review.”

Edited by Jourdana Passaro