Green Selling Tip: The Confusing World of LEED-EB

As I think you know, earlier this year LEED-EB went through a major revision that resulted in some important changes affecting our industry. Of these changes perhaps the most significant is the inclusion of a “prerequisite” for Green Cleaning. Think about it --- going forward ALL buildings going for LEED-EB certification will need to put in place a policy on Green Cleaning with specific requirements for purchasing chemicals, paper, liners and equipment, along with standard operating procedures, appropriate training and staffing levels. All things that you can help them with.

CALLS FOR ACTION

Applications for 2008 Green Cleaning Awards for Schools & Universities now posted.
The award is sponsored by American School & University, The Green Cleaning Network and the Healthy Schools Campaign. To access the application, visit the
American School & University website at www.asumag.com/green_cleaning_award.

The Award's application itself has been improved from last year to make it easier. Only a single written summary is required. In addition, the application has been significantly streamlined by eliminating the need to write descriptions of all the products used in the program. This year’s application provides an easy to use outline of products including chemicals, equipment, supplies, janitorial paper, plastic liners that only requires the blanks to be filled in.

The deadline for submitting applications is September 12, 2008.

New Industry Research Report Available to ISSA Members

We thought this might be of interest for many, and that you may want to get a copy of this interesting report. ISSA's announcement explaining the report reads: "A joint effort between the ISSA and APPA, the higher education facility managers association, has produced a new research report regarding the impact of cleaning on student productivity. This report, Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, is free only to ISSA members for download in the ISSA.com Member Lounge."

Ashkin Group News

THE ASHKIN GROUP SELECTED BY IFMA TO AUTHOR BOOK, "THE BUSINESS OF GREEN CLEANING"
Steve Ashkin and David Holly of The Ashkin Group - authors of Green Cleaning for Dummies - have been selected from a pool of proposals by The IFMA Foundation to develop a guide and related materials focused on the process and benefits of "The Business of Green Cleaning."

According to IFMA, the guide will serve as a "comprehensive white paper on green cleaning for use by any person responsible for the operations and maintenance of the built environment, including the facilities manager, service provider, in-house staff, and manufacturer or distributor of supplies and equipment."

INDIANA GOVERNOR MITCH DANIELS TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER ON GREEN BUILDING
The Ashkin Group worked on a local level with Indiana's Governor Daniels to help get this done. We hope all of you realize that if we can get this done in Indiana, it can happen anywhere. We are very pleased that Indiana joins the growing number of states, cities, universities and public organizations committing to Green Buildings and LEED. We encourage all of you to continue working at the local level to help create these changes!

ASHKIN A PART OF KEYSTONE DISCUSSION ON GREEN MARKETING
The Keystone Center is holding its initial meeting in hopes to achieve "greater clarity, understanding and consistency with respect to the burgeoning practice of green marketing claims." The project is titled "Improving the Rules of the Road: A KEYSTONE WORKING GROUP ON GREEN MARKETING - Safeguarding Cosumer Confidence."

Steve Ashkin will attend this meeting June 25 - June 27 to help guide this effort to minimize consumer confusion and enhance legitimacy and the credibility of these "green product" claims.

Green News Roundup: This Month's Top Headlines

Corporate Green Corporate Green Teams: Sustainable Business from the Bottom Up. With sky high gas prices and a growing sense of belief that global warming may be a real and imminent threat, many individuals are starting to ask themselves, "What can I do about this now?" Read More Here

Consumer Green Consumers Understand Greenwash, So Why Can't The Communications Industry?. As company marketing and advertising departments are waking up to the huge commercial opportunities within the emerging 'green' market, it is no surprise that consumers have started to articulate that they feel 'greenwashed.' Today, communications is about big ideas, creativity and implicitly being generous with the truth. Read More Here

Green and Your Health Antibacterial Wipes Can Spread Bacteria Around. A new study looked into the ability of antimicrobial-surface wipes to remove, kill and prevent the spread of such infections as MRSA. They found that current protocols utilized by hospital staff have the potential to spread pathogens after only the first use of a wipe, particularly due to the ineffectiveness of wipes to actually kill bacteria. ... Read More Here

Green Retail More EU Grocers Introducing Carbon Labels. More European supermarket chains are moving towards carbon labels, following the lead of Tesco, which introduced a carbon label trial earlier this year. Read More Here

Green Business Organic Beer Buying Guide. Organic beer is getting to be big business. In the past few years, the large national brewers Anheuser-Busch, Miller and New Belgium have all introduced organic products, joining a growing number of microbreweries offering organic beer. The next time you stock up on eco-friendly ales, here are a few things to look for. Read More Here

The Ashkin Group Calendar of Events

Click below for The Ashkin Group's schedule of upcoming events and presentations.