"The Business of Green Cleaning" – a new publication about Green Cleaning for facility professionals by Stephen Ashkin and David Holly – was recently unveiled by the IFMA Foundation at the International Facility Management Association’s World Workplace 2008 Conference & Expo, held Oct. 15-17 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. The book is now available for online orders on the IFMA Foundation website.

A release from the IFMA Foundation states: “The Business of Green Cleaning” has been designed to make the adoption or transformation of a green cleaning program easy. While much of the book focuses on background information and concepts that facility managers need to successfully implement a green cleaning program, it also features an appendix with practical green cleaning tools and a collection of 25 public- and private-sector case studies from around the world.

“We live, eat and breathe green cleaning. We’re really passionate about the subject,” said Ashkin. “However, for most facility managers, cleaning is just one of the dozens of things they are responsible for. Because it’s not necessarily their top priority, we have to make it easy for them to do. So, this book isn’t just a primer, philosophy or a bunch of good ideas. It provides a lot of really practical tools facility professionals can use to help implement green cleaning practices.”

Funding for the book was provided by MilliCare carpet and textile maintenance.

"We are really excited about this book because by working with the IFMA Foundation, we have developed the materials that will be used by facility managers, who are the ultimate customers of the cleaning industry," Ashkin said. "And by making Green Cleaning easier for them, we can accelerate its demand in the marketplace."

Ashkin, president of the Ashkin Group, is a 27-year industry veteran who has authored three books on the topic and served as a contributing author to four more. He was chairman of the task force that wrote the national cleaning standard and introduced the concept of commercial green cleaning; founding member of the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program and past judge of the White House Closing the Circle Awards; and recipient of the 2006 Children’s Environmental Health Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

David Holly has been part of the cleaning industry for almost 30 years, working in virtually every facet of the business. He was the Vice President of a regional building service contractor, Director of Sales and Marketing for S.C. Johnson Professional, and Director of Marketing for Multi-Clean. He is now the President of Don't Panic Productions, Inc., a new media development company that produces cutting-edge training and marketing materials for companies in the cleaning industry. He is also the President of Green Cleaning University, LLC, a virtual campus dedicated to providing education in Green Cleaning. He is also the co-author of Green Cleaning for Dummies and Green Selling Tips.

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