Rice University
EN-7: Employee Educators Program

Rice uses a program called Cleanology to teach custodians the science of cleaning and the “whys” of cleaning as opposed to the “hows.” The program enables custodians to achieve the levels of basic, certified, and then registered Cleanologists. As a registered Cleanologist, custodians are asked to advise other employees as the need arises. Rice custodians who achieve the registered rating in Cleanology become the instructors, and oversee the teaching of their custodial peers.

Any and all members of the custodial team have the ability to become a registered Cleanologist, and thus the ability to serve as a peer mentor for new custodial employees. All custodial employees must participate in Cleanology and achieve the basic and certified levels as part of their employment.

Rice custodians undergo a formal training program known as Cleanology. Cleanology is defined as the study of cleaning and behavior in relation to custodial maintenance. The Facilities, Engineering & Planning department at Rice has compiled a formal document outlining the Cleanology procedures, training techniques and requirements. The stated mission of the Cleanology program is to provide faculty, staff, students and visitors with a healthy, clean and safe environment. Furthermore, the program seeks to promote green cleaning and a “green and clean” lifestyle through the use of environmentally friendly products, promote sustainability and life cycle for a healthier and safer environment, and combat pollution and global climate change. Specifically, the Cleanology program includes formal classroom training from both internal and external experts in the field, onsite seminars, and on-the-job training. Throughout the program’s 16 training modules, custodial teams learn everything from chemical safety and green cleaning to the Cleanology procedure and conflict management. The Custodial staff has the ability to achieve the levels of basic, certified, and registered Cleanologist. Basic Cleanology is an eight-hour course taught over eight weeks. All custodial employees must attend and pass this course during their new-hire period. A 10-month course is required for both the certified and registered levels. After receiving a registered status, participants are selected to attend the “Top Gun School” to learn the latest teaching methods and become instructors. It is the overarching goal of the program to provide Cleanologists and managers with high technical proficiency and knowledge of the systems on campus. Training sessions are offered periodically throughout the year so as to ensure that all current and replacement employees have the opportunity to attend. The primary instruction in the custodial program is peer-to-peer: Rice custodians training other Rice custodians.

Eusebio Franco, the director of Custodial Services and the Grounds Department for Rice’s Facilities and Engineering Planning group, created the Cleanology program. He supports the program, and ensures its success by meeting annually with each member of his staff, all 126 of them.

The Rice Eco-Ambassador Program (REAP) was announced in an email message sent to all faculty and staff at Rice. The program is hosted by the sustainability office. REAP volunteers serve functions similar to EcoReps for their departments and/or buildings. In particular, they assist with summer energy curtailment events, and helping to ensure energy savings during holidays. In one of the meetings, the REAP members were trained by the campus energy manager on how to reduce electricity load during summertime electrical peaks. They were then "dispatched" on several locations as part of the university's peak load management program to reduce electricity load, and where applicable, to get their colleagues to do the same. In another meeting, the head of the campus post office trained the group how to recycle packaging materials and unwanted office supplies, and also helped one of the participants to establish a drop-off location for these materials in her building that would then be collected by the campus post office personnel.

Employees volunteer to participate.

The meetings of REAP members often feature guests, such as the energy manager or the farmers market director. The energy manager helped provide training for identifying energy saving opportunities in the workplace. The meetings are led by the sustainability director and often feature a particular theme (e.g. energy management, energy curtailment, free-cycling, local food, etc.).

The meetings are run by the sustainability director and coordinated by an administrative assistant in the Facilities Engineering and Planning department.

https://sustainability.rice.edu/staff-engagement/