Healthy Schools Campaign

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... DfE!

By Lindsay Muscato, HSC Writer/Communications Specialist

 The whole premise of countless superhero movies and comic books rests on the idea that somewhere, unbeknownst to us, someone is making the world a safer place. Maybe this is overstating things (I get excited about green cleaning!), but that's exactly what the Design for the Environment (DfE) program, run by the EPA, is doing for green cleaning products. I spoke on the phone with Clive Davies, chief of the DfE program, to learn more about the science behind DfE's label.

In a nutshell, what does DfE do for consumers, industries and the environment?

DfE does two basic things. First, we allow the use of our logo. That provides an incentive for manufacturers to work with us to improve the environmental and human health profile, see if a chemical might cause cancer or be a skin sensitizer. Allowing the use of our logo on products is kind of an incentive. The other thing that we do is work with industries that use chemicals which are problematic in some way. If there are chemicals that are showing up in people’s blood or the environment, we pull together a multi-stakeholder group and find a mutually acceptable path forward. Usually what we do is compare a bunch of chemicals that are possible alternatives and then we help people choose or make the information available, which helps them avoid the potential for unintended consequences. We make sure people aren’t going to run into trouble down the line.

When and how did the DfE program begin?

About 15 years ago we started to ask, how do you help foster the adoption of green chemistry in the real world? Folks have come up with these safer chemicals, but if people don’t use them or if people don’t make them, so what?

When we started in 1997, we began working on lots of things: undercoating for airplanes, better deicers, and cleaning products. About five years ago there was a huge surge of demand for partnership with our program, in the area of cleaning products. Before that we were kind of going from area to area to find a safer way of doing something. We’ve labeled almost 1,100 safer products.

In your opinion, how does DfE compare to other major ecolabels in the marketplace? How would you describe as the level of health and environmental protection that DfE offers to the end user of recognized products?

We make sure that people use green chemistry in every ingredient in the formulation. We don’t think of the formulation as one big jug of stuff that you have to test. You think of what goes in there. And all of those things have different types of environmental health and human profiles. We want to make sure every ingredient is the safest in its class, whether it’s solvents, chelators, surfactants, etc.

We get the safest stuff in the bottle. While some other labelers make sure they don’t use the very worst stuff, we’re getting people to use the best stuff. Banned ingredients are just a starting point for us. The other folks in general have an aquatic toxicity test that they do and they look at the bottom line but could end up with a diluting effect that masks chronic toxicity.

What do you hope the DfE label represents to the consumer, when they see it on a product package?

What I believe the label conveys is credible science. We rely on partners to promote our program. We think that the best use of that money is to make sure that the science is right. My feeling is that as it's used more and more, people will begin to recognize DfE-labeled products as representing credible science standing behind people and the environment.

NonProfit Times Spotlights HSC's Corporate Partnerships

We were excited to see HSC featured in the most recent edition of the The NonProfit Times!

The article describes HSC's commitment to building coalitions with for-profit companies in order to advance advocacy goals, and spotlights HSC's work engaging corporate partners in successful advocacy for Illinois' Green Clean Schools Act in 2007. As HSC deputy director Mark Bishop explains in the article:

"If I can bring my corporate partners down there [to the state Capitol] and make sure their voices are heard, where we have this intersection of interest, it became a really powerful message to have corporations, health advocates, environmental advocates, education advocates all walking arm in arm.”

In particular, the article praised HSC's strategy of enlisting corporate support for legislative efforts; at a time when fewer dollars exist for traditional types of corporate sponsorship, these collaborations offer other ways for corporations to help non-profits.

As Mark Bishop explains in the story:

“It becomes really important to keep open dialogue and not demonize your opposition because your opposition today is going to be your supporter tomorrow. . . . And we have to realize that the issues that we work on are extraordinarily complex and realize that there are a lot of paths toward success.”

Thanks to The NonProfit Times for highlighting this work!

Apply Now: The 2009 Green Cleaning Awards Celebrate School Success

 

On your marks, get set, go! The 2009 Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities is now accepting applications. The award is presented by HSC in collaboration with American School & University magazine and the Green Cleaning Network.  Winners will be profiled in a special supplement of the magazine, which is a nationwide publication that highlights successful schools around the country. 

Criteria for the award are based on the Five Simple Steps to Green Cleaning outlined in HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

In the past, schools have shown off winning strategies that included: vanquishing traditional vacuums in favor of backpack models; using team cleaning for greater efficiency; noticeably improving indoor air quality for students, faculty and staff; and saving both time and money in the process. All schools with green cleaning programs are encouraged to apply for this prestigious award and celebrate their success in going green. Don't miss out! Applications must be received by September 11, 2009.

More details and an application.

A Custodian Keeps His School Cooking

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

I've written before about the convergence of our primary issues of wellness and environmental health: research showing environmental contributors to obesity; facility and construction issues driving both environmental health and wellness benefits; or local food supporting both environmental and nutritional goals.

But this story I didn't predict:

The head custodian's normal day at Nathan Hale Middle School will sometimes involve mopping the floors, mowing the grass and baking a cheesecake. . . [he] dons a chef's hat once a month and conducts a culinary class for any students who want to learn more about cooking or baking.

"Even though I'm the head custodian, I love cooking," said Shuler, noting he worked at Norwalk's former Lighthouse Restaurant and attended culinary school years ago. "You can't judge a book by its cover."

And as I said before, custodial staff are more than the people pushing brooms; they are an integral part of keeping our kids healthy and, in this case, helping them learn to cook. Great job.

(Next up, the ultimate in convergence – we’ll hear about a school custodian leading his school's green team in cooking healthy snacks on a green diesel bus!)

High-Fives, Maryland: Green Cleaning in Schools Now Required

Welcome, Maryland, to the ranks of states requiring green cleaning in schools!

Governor Martin O'Malley signed the law in May, making Maryland the third U.S. state to enact such a requirement. The bill, sponsored by Delegates Nic Kipke and Peter Murphy, states that cleaning chemicals purchased for all Maryland public schools must be "green" certified starting in October, 2009.

Delegate Kipke said cost was one of the motivators, reinforcing the benefits for schools around the country that may be hesitant to make the switch during lean economic times.

Kipke said: "Our research concluded that these environmentally friendly cleaning products now cost less than many conventional products. The price advantage combined with health and environmental benefits makes this a smart policy for Maryland schools." 

Learn more about the Maryland law or read the full text of the bill [pdf].

Legislators in three other states—Connecticut, Nevada and Hawaii—also passed green clean schools legislation this year. You can learn more in HSC's press release, and we'll keep you posted as these bills are signed into law.

Congratulations to all the advocates who are making progress on green clean schools laws across the country.

Green Cleaning Catches On, One Customer at a Time

By Lindsay Muscato, HSC Writer/Communication Specialist

In Northwest Indiana, one small company is helping to teach consumers that green products are just as effective as conventional cleaning products.

Joe and Tammy Nelmar own Great Lakes Supply & Chemical Inc. The News-Dispatch of Michigan City, Indiana, writes:

Joe talked about a cleaning contractor in South Bend who had been using a traditional floor degreaser. The man suffered from arthritis symptoms that went away when he started using a green product.

Joe understands why people might hesitate to switch to green products, especially because of lingering misconceptions that green products are less effective than traditional ones. Today, that's just not true, Joe explains. He says, "If you're supposed to clean a building and you have something that doesn't work, you're going to catch hell... We're helping them to adapt to replacing the old with the new."

The Nelmars help consumers demystify the wide variety of cleaning products out there, and remind people that these aren't your dad's green cleaning chemicals.

"Early attempts to make green chemicals failed miserably because they didn't work," [Joe]  said. "They could make them safe, but they were more expensive and not effective."

But now, things have changed and the Nelmars want to tell the world about green cleaning.

"We have a green product that can substitute for almost any product we sell," Tammy said.

Interested in learning more about green cleaning? Check out HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools and order your free copy on line at www.greencleanschools.org.

New Partnership Highlights Green Clean Distributors State by State

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

I just returned from the Triple S annual conference -- it was a great event. Not only was I proud to launch our new partnership (Triple S recently signed on as a lead sponsor of our Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools), but I was thrilled to meet so many business leaders eager to promote healthy, sustainable, green cleaning.

Triple S is a nationwide network of sanitary supply distributors. It is made up primarily of local, family owned businesses. These are businesses that support a local economy, with owners who recognize the importance of supporting health and environmental issues within their communities. I'm thrilled by the feedback that I received after meeting many of the individual business owners. And I’m thrilled to now have a network of supportive cleaning professionals who can help us promote green cleaning policy and support schools’ efforts to protect student and staff health by going green.

We recently sent the most recent version of our Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools to the printer. The biggest change is in our Distributor Center, where you can now look up green cleaning distributors in your state, distributors who sell and service products that are in alignment with HSC's recommendations for green cleaning in schools. Check out the latest version of the guide!

EPA to Recommend Green Claims for Disinfectants and Sanitizers

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

One of the biggest challenges in a green cleaning program is how to properly disinfect and sanitize. The EPA requires registration for all sanitizers/disinfectants with their office of pesticides and does not allow the use of environmentally preferable claims. This has lead to confusion on how to identify preferable options.

This is all changing.

According to The Ashkin Group :

Officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have stated they will recommend the adoption of a policy that allows suppliers to make valid claims of “environmental preferability” in relation to the marketing of disinfectants and sanitizers...

Specifically, EPA officials are expected to recommend that the Agency allow suppliers to make factual claims of environmental preferability in conjunction with disinfectants and sanitizers, according to Marty Monell of EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP).

In addition, Monell stated that she will also recommend that a policy be established that would allow the use of “ecolabels” in conjunction with the marketing of hard surface antimicrobial products. In this regard, it is expected that the latter policy would be conducted in cooperation with the EPA Design for the Environment Formulator Program (DfE).

This is exciting news because this means that green cleaning adoption will become easier. In the past, concerns about proper disinfection have always been a concern. This will alleviate this as an issue, reduce marketplace confusion, and help promote greater adoption of environmentally preferable options. According to The Ashkin Group, the process is not yet complete but more information will be available by the end of the month.

Missouri Releases Green Clean Guidelines for Schools

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

We were excited to learn that in January, the state of Missouri joined states around the nation in encouraging green cleaning in schools by releasing specific green cleaning guidelines for schools. 
 
HSC is proud to have played a role in creating the Missouri legislation that called for the state to create guidelines. And we'd like to thank one of our sponsors, Magic Touch Cleaning, who initiated the efforts to promote green cleaning legislation in Missouri.

As I review the Missouri guidelines, I see that Missouri leaders based their work closely on the efforts that HSC and our allies made to develop guidelines for the state of Illinois when a law was passed requiring green cleaning in all Illinois schools.
 
The Missouri and Illinois guidelines are very similar, with the bulk of the recommendations including existing third-party programs such as Green Seal, EcoLogo and Design for the Environment. Changes that the Missouri task force did make are reflected in the way they treat powered cleaning equipment -- these changes were made to reflect a marketplace where more energy- and water-efficient equipment is being introduced.
 
And of course, the biggest difference is that the Missouri guidelines are recommendations rather than requirements.
 
Congratulations, Missouri. We hope that the Show Me state can show the other 46 states out there how green cleaning can be done.
 
If you want to learn more about green cleaning, check out HSC's Green Clean Schools web site, where you can also find our free guide, The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

EPA to Explore Possibility of Third-Party Certification for Disinfectants

By Rochelle Davis, Founding Executive Director

I am not one to get overly excited about technical and bureaucratic developments, but I was pleased to see that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that they will conduct an “internal pilot” in conjunction with the agency’s Design for the Environment formulator program (DfE) to explore a policy change that would allow claims of environmental preferability in regard to disinfectants and sanitizers used on nonporous hard surfaces. 

According to a press release from The Ashkin Group, LLC:

The purpose of the internal pilot program is to increase the understanding between EPA’s DfE scientists and the pesticide registration review staff as to what a review for environmental preferability entails and how that might interface with the pesticide registration process. Note: By law, disinfectants are regulated as “pesticides.”

There has been much confusion in the marketplace in recent years over the proper way to
articulate the environmental attributes of disinfectants. This announcement is a great step toward clearing up that confusion. 

At the Healthy Schools Campaign, we are strong supporters of third party certification programs that allow purchasers to make better, more informed decisions.  As more schools move toward green cleaning and have questions about which disinfectants and sanitizers are preferable for health and the environment, this type of third-party certification in increasingly important.

I will be following the development of the pilot project closely and am hoping that a clear and understandable resolution is reached.

To learn more about third-party certifications for green cleaning, visit greencleanschools.org.