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Greening Our Schools |
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Children in grades K-12 spend much of their young
lives indoors in our public and private schools. Budget cuts have often
left schools with a reduced cleaning staff responsible for larger areas.
In some cases, this can leave the indoor environment within our schools
less than desirable. Green Cleaning works to improve the indoor environment by looking at cleaning in a different way that serves to enhance productivity and be pro-active instead of reactive in the cleaning process. The goal of an effective green cleaning program is to produce a "Higher Standard of Clean Everyday!" Green Cleaning is meant to be cost neutral, with the higher frequency of cleaning offset by cost savings. Highlights |
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Fact File: Twenty percent of the U.S. population, nearly 55 million people, spend a
portion of their days in our public and private schools. In the
mid-1990’s, studies showed that 1 in 5 of our nation’s 110,000 schools
reported unsatisfactory indoor air quality, and 1 in 4 schools reported
ventilation (which impacts indoor air quality) as unsatisfactory.
Students are at great risk because of the hours spent in school
facilities and because children’s smaller bodies are more susceptible to
pollutants.
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Green Light Question: How can sickness and other health issues be addressed by school administration and cleaning staff? Green Light Answer: Preventing the spread of sickness amongst students starts with hand washing. Promote hand washing after using the restroom, and always before eating or drinking. Use of hand sanitizers that do not require water can also be useful. The new foaming hand sanitizers are easy to use and do not require water. Frequent cleaning is also key with focus on “high touch surfaces” such as desk tops, door handles, restroom fixtures, water fountains, etc. In workout areas, provide products to wipe equipment after each use. EPA Healthy Schools Environment Resources: http://cfpub.epa.gov/schools/top_sub.cfm?t_id=301&s_id=321 Description: The most comprehensive web resource developed by the U.S. EPA for everything related to making our schools
The Health Schools Campaign The Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools has been made possible through the generous support of Multi-Clean and other companies, who are industry leaders in the manufacture and distribution of green cleaning products and services. http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/ http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/campaign/green_clean_schools/ Description: This website and non-profit group advocates the need for green cleaning in our schools. Prevention of MRSA infections among students and athletes http://www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/ Description: This web resource offers extensive information on drug resistant staph infections in school environments. MRSA Education and Prevention Posters for students and athletes: Free 8 x 11 printable posters. Education and Prevention in the Classroom: ClassRoomMRSAposter.pdf Education and Prevention in the locker room: LockerRoomMRSAposter.pdf Education and Prevention in the restroom: RestroomMRSAposter.pdf |
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