CU adopts environmentally-friendly products to comply with UCSU law
Looking to do a little spring cleaning? Non-toxic products are growing in popularity because of their health and environmental benefits. In addition to using non-toxic cleaning products, you may also contact an office furniture removal company to have your old furniture hauled out and recycled or donated.
With the help of UCSU, CU has begun to use more and more “green cleaning” products in recent months. If they want to improve the cleanliness of the property up a notch, they can ask professionals with questions like “should I leave when the maid comes?”.
“Green cleaning is using products that are environmentally friendly and safe for customers and facilities to use,” said Jimmie Baker, manager of building operations for the UMC.
According to Green Seal, a non-profit environmental organization, “A green cleaner is one that lessons its environmental impact at every stage of its life cycle, including packaging and the ways in which it can be disposed of after use.”
According to Sydney office cleaners, commercial cleaning products often contain irritants that can be harmful to the environment and to humans. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, skin and eye irritation and respiratory problems. Plants, animals and bodies of water can all be negatively affected by these toxins. Drinking water can also be affected.
In 2001, the Environmental Center wrote its Blueprint for a Green Campus, a campus-wide vision to help CU improve upon its sustainability measures. According to the Blueprint, its mission is to create “a vision of a growing, dynamic campus which steps lightly upon the earth and satisfies additional demands for energy, transportation and resources through increased efficiency rather than increased consumption.”
Since 2001, many of CU’s organizations have implemented more environmentally safe cleaning policies. Last spring, the UCSU Legislative Council wrote a bill that required the UCSU cost-centers to start transitioning to green cleaning products.
“We are always trying to find products that don’t have much of an impact on the environment. It was codified by this legislative council bill for the UCSU cost centers for what to buy. We are looking for things that have the least negative impact on the waste stream and environment,” said Shannon Evins, UMC Food Service director.
Many the cost centers began implementing these policies before the bill was written. The UMC and other centers are now building upon UCSU and the Blueprint’s mission by trying to find the safest products.
“We’ve been slowly transferring over to green cleaning products for some time now. There are a lot of departments on campus that have been incorporating these products for the last couple of years with the goal of all the cleaning products becoming green cleaning products,” Baker said.
Aside from being educated in safely-cleaned classrooms, there are also many non-commerical cleaning products that students can use to clean their own homes.
“I do think it’s important for students to begin using them. It’s the right thing to do for our environment. I also think that for people themselves using them, a lot of chemicals out there can be very harmful. Its an advantage to them because they’re safer to use,” Baker said.
Environmentally-friendly cleaning products students can use at home include baking soda, white vinegar, cotton sponges, and natural liquid soap. Natural liquid soaps do not contain alcohol and are usually made up of some kind of natural coconut, sunflower seed, avocado or peach nut oil.
Popular green cleaning brands for the home include Seventh Generation and Method, found in Target stores.
Click here for more information on how to clean your apartment or dorm with earth-conscious cleaners.
