Expert Insight: Carolyn Bloede, Sustainability Manager, County of Alameda, CA

Ashkin Group:  What made you decide to go Green?

Bloede:  I had actually been researching the topic for a few years on my own.  The Green Cleaning movement has really exploded in the last year, so there was a lot of information available.  We were primarily looking for a way to reduce our environmental impact.  Implementing a Green Cleaning program seemed like a good opportunity to achieve that goal.  Another consideration was preserving the health of our janitors and employees, and the residents in our correctional facilities.

Ashkin Group:  Can you describe the changes you made? 

Bloede:  We own 6 million square feet of space and lease out another 2 million, in all 160 county buildings.  We have implemented Green Cleaning programs in all of our owned facilities and will begin looking at leased facilities.  We have implemented recycling programs in all of our buildings and introduced recycled paper products, such as paper towels and toilet tissues.

Ashkin Group:  What was the process for getting approval to switch to Green Cleaning?

Bloede:  After determining that it was technically feasible to transition to Green Cleaning, I approached the head of Janitorial to talk about the benefits of transitioning to Green Cleaning and to get her buy-in to move forward. We worked closely with the Buyer to look at the feasibility, researched Green Cleaning standards and the products currently on the market, and then we contacted several entities that had undergone the transition to see how it went. We wrote the technical specifications in the RFQ, received bids and tested products, and then awarded contracts for lowest bid of products that we knew worked.  This was our first comprehensive competitive bid for janitorial cleaners which took a team effort. We did not expect to, nor have we paid, a premium for choosing Green products.

Ashkin Group:  What were some of the obstacles in changing to a Green Cleaning program?

Bloede:  One of the main obstacles was the limited number of Green products available through our distributor.  It was very disappointing.  It is a good practice to have different distributors with different product lines, so that you aren’t just dependent on one to fulfill your needs.

Ashkin Group:   What benefits have you seen from switching over to Green practices?

Bloede:  We just started the program this past February and March so we haven’t been able to measure all the benefits yet.  However, one thing I did notice is a reduction in the number of products the cleaning crews have to use.  At one time, a crew would have as many as ten cleaning products, and it is now down to only one or two, which saves us time and money.

Ashkin Group:  What advice would you give to another county or building considering going Green?

Bloede:  Definitely choose distributors who have a wide selection of Green products. A team approach is also very important.  I am a very big believer in the concept of the “Green Team,” as is advocated by the Ashkin Group.  Building maintenance people and staff have to be onboard along with the building occupants.  Starting a program like this, isn’t like flipping on a light switch.  It’s a much larger proposition than that.  It impacts everything -- all of your cleaning protocols and methodologies change.  It forces you to evaluate all of your processes, even things that you hadn’t thought would be impacted by the change.  It has definitely been an educational experience for all our departments. 

Ashkin Group:  Will you be expanding on your Green practices in the future?

Bloede:  Now that we have cleaners in place, we are working on getting high-efficiency vacuums and microfiber cloths rolled out. I have some monies that we will use to get a jump start on these. We will mostly replace vacuums through attrition but are planning on using high-efficiency filter bags in the interim. As more funding is available we plan on phasing in other aspects of Green Cleaning and management.  As more and more products become available, we will evaluate them and gradually introduce them into our program

For more information on Alameda County's new green Juvenile Justice Center, visit http://www.acgov.org/gsa/ACJJC_Green_Building_Fact_Sheet.pdf