Green Cleaning Program

ESF launched its formal Green Cleaning Program in March 2020, although the College was already following many green cleaning practices prior to that time. 

This program recognizes the importance of maintaining a clean, healthy, and safe built environment while simultaneously minimizing the impact of cleaning products and processes on building occupants and custodial employees. 

The program contains sustainability criteria for general cleaning, hard surface disinfectants/sanitizers, floor finishes/removers, hand cleaners and soaps, disposable paper products, and trash bags. It also includes an approved product list and sets target performance metrics for various categories. It applies to all building areas across SUNY ESF campuses and applies to all functional spaces (offices, classrooms, etc.) as well as public restrooms, lounges and study rooms, public hallways, computer rooms, kitchenettes, stairwells, etc. 

The Office of Sustainability works closely with the Office of Sustainable Facilities and Operations and Environmental Health, Safety and Services to ensure that each of our campuses is maximizing their purchase and use of green cleaning products.

In FY23-24 and FY24-25 combined, 86% of cleaning products and 77% of other custodial products (trash/compost bags, gloves, cleaning cloths, toilet brushes, detergent, toilet paper, and paper towels) met NYS Executive Order 22 GreenNY purchasing standards. 

Program Goals

Performance Goals

The goal of this Green Cleaning Program is to minimize exposure of building occupants and operations personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological and particle contaminants capable of adversely impacting air quality, health, building finishes, systems and the environment. This Program will aim to balance these needs with cost and quality (i.e. product effectiveness of the managed systems to provide a sustainable approach to cleaning and janitorial maintenance.)

In addition, it is ESF’s goal to earn certifications and LEED credits for sustainability and green cleaning.

Green Cleaning Program Performance Goals

Goal	Metric	Performance
Purchase effective cleaning, hard floor and carpet care products that meet program sustainability criteria, per Executive Order 22 (GreenNY Specifications)	Purchases will be evaluated based on the portion of the product (measured by cost) which meet one or more of the sustainable criteria discussed later in this Program and its effectiveness, according to product claims and application.	75% of cleaning products, by cost, should meet this criteria. All products shall be effective in meeting product claims. 90% of disposable paper products and trash bags, by cost, should meet this criteria. All products shall be effective in meeting product claims. 60% of equipment, by cost, should meet this criteria. All products shall be effective in meeting product claims.
Maintain appropriate custodial standard operating procedures, strategies, and guidelines.	Quality assurance will be achieved through frequent (once or twice per week), randomly assigned spot checks in each cleaning zone in each building.	All procedures will meet the specifications outlined in this document, as well as the Division’s
Ensure appropriate staff (existing and new hire) training on an on-going basis	Training will be offered based on the results of quantitative building audits and inspections, with the intent being to provide training quarterly.	All staff members will be fully versed on proper safety requirements/procedures and the rationale for implementing this Program.
Collect feedback to ensure continuous improvement and occupant satisfaction.		100% of occupants are pleased with the cleanliness of their buildings.
Implement Program within fiscal constraints, with the goal of purchasing entirely green cleaning products and equipment, where feasible.	Costs will be evaluated based on total money spent to enact changes.	Enact Program in the most cost effective way possible.

 

Responsibilities

The Office of Sustainability, Environmental Health, Safety & Services, and the Division of Sustainable Facilities & Operations, are responsible for developing and managing the Green Cleaning Program.

Unit	Job Title
Office of Sustainability	Director of Sustainability
Environmental Health, Safety & Services	Director of Environmental Health & Safety Services
Division of Sustainable Facilities & Operations	Executive Director of Facilities

 

Personnel involved with various elements of the Green Cleaning Program shall carry out their tasks according to this program and report all relevant activities to the aforementioned parties.

Sustainability Criteria

Products & Equipment

Wherever feasible, cleaning equipment, products and materials used at any SUNY ESF facility under the cognizance of operational staff shall meet the requirements of one or more of the following:

• Executive Order 22, Leading by Example: Directing State Agencies to Adopt a Sustainability & Decarbonization Program
  • GreenNY Purchasing Specifications
• LEED v5 Rating System for Operations and Maintenance 
• ESF’s Green Purchasing & Break Free From Plastics Policy and accompanying Green Purchasing Guide

The green cleaning standards listed above (Executive Order 22, LEED v5 for O+M, and ESF’s Green Purchasing & Break Free From Plastic Policy) reference third-party certifications. The links below allow users to search for certified products in each respective database:

• Green Seal
• EPA Safer Choice Standard
• UL EcoLogo
• NYS GreenNY Compliant Guides

Members of the campus community are prohibited from bringing outside cleaning products and equipment to campus. Instead, requests should be made through the custodial unit lead on each campus.

Approved Product List

The products listed in the tables below are approved for use.  Products beyond those listed must be submitted to the job titles listed above for approval before use. Green products are continually tested by operational staff for effectiveness to improve College cleanliness and sustainability.

Performance Metric

The purchase and use of the products listed below shall be implemented to the greatest extent practicable, with a target goal of 75% of the total annual purchases of these products (as measured by cost) complying with the appropriate sustainability criteria. Operational supervisors will track all custodial supply and equipment purchases and report to the Director of Sustainability on an annual basis.

Equipment

Performance Metric

All newly acquired cleaning equipment shall comply with the sustainability criteria listed above to the greatest extent possible and operational staff will develop a phase out program for existing equipment that is not in compliance. Operational staff shall track the percentage of equipment that meets the criteria of this Program and will report this information to the Director of Sustainability annually.

In addition, operational staff will maintain an inventory of all powered cleaning equipment, including purchase date and all repair and maintenance activities. Vendor cut sheets for all equipment used on site will be made available on demand. When cleaning equipment replacement is necessary, acquisition dates and supporting documentation shall be retained to demonstrate that all newly acquired equipment complies with all appropriate sustainability specifications.

Cleaning Procedures

A full accounting of cleaning procedures and prioritization can be found in the Cleaning Specifications and Instructions for Janitors and Cleaners document. Contact the Director of Environmental Health and Safety Services to request access.

If the custodial team is short staffed, either temporarily or for an extended period, the Supervising Janitor and Facilities Operations Assistant 2 will work with building leads (Janitors) to make sure that all campus activities and priority areas have coverage. Duties and coverage will be prioritized based upon the Cleaning Specifications and Instructions for Janitors and Cleaners document. In times of extreme staffing shortages, operational leadership will discuss the feasibility and ability of non-custodial operations staff to assist.

Chemical Safety Procedures and Training

The following protocols have been established to mitigate spills, leaks and mismanagement. All practices below are communicated to custodians in a formal biannual training:

• Labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Cleaning with chemicals and chemical safety
• Mixing chemicals
• Chemical storage
• Chemical concentrations and dilution systems

Safe handling and storage of cleaning chemicals shall be evaluated by the Supervising Janitor or similar designee during spot checks, inspections, and evaluations.

Program Review

Quality Control

Assessment of the ongoing performance of the Green Cleaning Program at SUNY ESF will be conducted by a three-part process:

• Daily custodial unit supervisor/s and management assessment of custodial staff performance in buildings. This will include necessary discussions about potential room for improvement.
• A formal annual survey will be conducted to elicit feedback on cleaning and custodial service from the building occupants.
• Purchasing-related performance will be tracked to ensure compliance with Program criteria requirements, per individual product categories