Clean AND green by Jorge Chapa, Executive Director Green Star Green Building Council of Australia
Tenants are beginning to understand that a sustainable building is not just good for the environment. It’s good for people too.
G
ood indoor environment quality has been found to boost productivity in the workplace, reduce absenteeism and eliminate many of the sources of ‘sick building syndrome’. In Australia, buildings with Green Star ratings prioritise fresh air, natural light and materials low in volatile organic compounds – and have been found to boost productivity by as much as 15 per cent. However, a building’s indoor environment quality – regardless of its rating – will suffer if it is being cleaned with products that affect the health of people and the health of the environment through the chemicals or contaminants within them. The new Green Star – Performance rating tool, which is helping builders and owners to improve how their buildings perform, encourages green cleaning services. Building owners and managers gain points towards their Green Star rating when they develop green cleaning policies that outline the cleaning and
monitoring procedures, materials and tasks undertaken and within the building owner’s control. These policies can be implemented across an entire portfolio of buildings, so long as it can be demonstrated that the same policies are in operation at an individual building level. The green cleaning policy must address: • Strategies to ensure high standards of surface hygiene and crosscontamination prevention, including hand-hygiene education for both occupants and cleaners • Procurement guidelines and standards that cover all cleaning products and equipment, and that minimise health risks and meet best practice environmental performance aims
products, and where they are used, requirements for cleaning products and methods that employ environmental best practice • Adherence to National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines while cleaning buildings containing ‘vulnerable populations’ (such as the elderly, infirmed or infants), and prevention of residual and airborne pollutants. We are also throwing down the gauntlet to building managers with an ‘Innovation Challenge’ that rewards additional Green Star points when cleaning supervisors or managers are required to obtain ‘Certificates of Attainment’ in the accredited units of competency that relate to safe work and environmentally sustainable work practices.
• Maximisation of indoor air quality, through the removal of particulates using high-quality air filters (HEPA filtration or equivalent) in vacuum cleaner equipment
As tenants look to capture the true benefits of better indoor environment quality, including improved productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower staff turnover, we expect to see a shift to green cleaning practices.
• Set requirements for the minimisation of cleaning
The Green Star – Performance rating tool is available online: www.gbca.org.au/performance
23