Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.19
Liaison Lissette Hernandez
Submission Date May 13, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Florida International University
OP-13: Cleaning Products Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.56 / 1.00 Alexandra Dutton
Program Manager
Office of University Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an institution-wide stated preference to purchase third party certified cleaning and janitorial products?:
Yes

A copy of the green cleaning product purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines:
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The green cleaning product purchasing policy, directive, or guidelines:
Paper Goods: All paper supplies (toilet tissue, paper roll towel, junior jumbo toilet tissue, and toilet seat covers) in all rest rooms on all campuses are green products. These products are not only made from 100% recycled material but had a minimal impact on the environment during manufacturing, and the manufacturing procedures used to produce these recycled materials are environmentally friendly oriented processes as well. Trash Bags: All trash liners used by our unit are either biodegradable or contain recycled content. Cleaning Chemicals: Most cleaning chemicals to clean our campus facilities bought by the Custodial Services Department are either Green SealTM certified products or carry the EPA “Design for the Environment” certification. We have partnered with 3M to provide a “Cleaned Green” program to all the buildings we service. Great effort has been spend to reduce the amount of harsh and harmful ingredients in the cleaning chemicals we use. All cleaning chemicals used by the Custodial Services Department are correctly blended by the use of chemical blend centers. This eliminates immediate contact with the chemicals and ensures proper dilution of the products and prevents over dilution as so often happens when people manually “eyeball” dilution ratios. This is extremely important as even “Green” products can be harmful if not properly used and properly diluted to the correct ratio for its intended use.

A brief description of steps the institution has taken to ensure that the purchasing policy, directives, or guidelines are followed:
The majority of FIU's cleaning and janitorial products are purchased through our Facilities Management Department Custodial Services & Integrated Waste Management. This ensures that the correct items are being purchased. It is also an institution-wide stated preference so that smaller custodial units on campus know to purchase these green cleaning products as well.

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on cleaning and janitorial products)?:
Yes

Expenditures on Green Seal and/or UL Environment (EcoLogo) certified cleaning and janitorial products:
292,117.60 US/Canadian $

Total expenditures on cleaning and janitorial products:
715,951 US/Canadian $

Has the institution's main cleaning or housekeeping department(s) and/or contractor(s) adopted a Green Seal or ISSA certified low-impact, ecological (“green”) cleaning program?:
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A brief description of the institution’s low-impact, ecological cleaning program:
Paper Goods: All paper supplies (toilet tissue, paper roll towel, junior jumbo toilet tissue, and toilet seat covers) in all rest rooms on all campuses are green products. These products are not only made from 100% recycled material but had a minimal impact on the environment during manufacturing, and the manufacturing procedures used to produce these recycled materials are environmentally friendly oriented processes as well. Trash Bags: All trash liners used by our unit are either biodegradable or contain recycled content. Cleaning Chemicals: Most cleaning chemicals to clean our campus facilities bought by the Custodial Services Department are either Green SealTM certified products or carry the EPA “Design for the Environment” certification. We have partnered with 3M to provide a “Cleaned Green” program to all the buildings we service. Great effort has been spend to reduce the amount of harsh and harmful ingredients in the cleaning chemicals we use. All cleaning chemicals used by the Custodial Services Department are correctly blended by the use of chemical blend centers. This eliminates immediate contact with the chemicals and ensures proper dilution of the products and prevents over dilution as so often happens when people manually “eyeball” dilution ratios. This is extremely important as even “Green” products can be harmful if not properly used and properly diluted to the correct ratio for its intended use.

A copy of the sections of the cleaning contract(s) that reference certified green products:
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The sections of the cleaning contract(s) that reference certified green products:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s green cleaning initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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