Green Cleaning is defined as cleaning to protect health without harming the environment. Green cleaning is a widely accepted movement that uses procedures and products to make cleaning for the health of building occupants, janitors, and the environment a primary concern.
Some widely used cleaning products have serious adverse effects on the health of building occupants and janitors. Both long term and short term health effects are linked commonly to poor air quality as a result of clean product fumes. The average person spends about 90% of their day indoors, where air pollution from diverse sources such as cleaners, upholstery, and carpeting can be up to 100 times greater than outdoor air.
As a result, the State of Connecticut and the University are committeed to improving air quality and reducing hazard related to cleaning products, by using "green" cleaning products. These products are characterized by such qualitiues as biodegradability, low toxicity, low volatile organic compound (VOC) content, reduced packaging, and low life cycle energy use.
Additional References and Links
http://www.greenseal.org/
EPA's EPP Web site
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
The Woolsafe Organization
GEN – Global Ecolabeling Network
UTK – Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies
ISO – International Organization for Standardization € ASTM - American Society for Testing and Materials € ANSI - American National Standards Institute
Center for a New American Dream/Procurement Strategies
USGBC
Federal Trade Commission Environmental Marketing Guidelines
Consumer's Union eco-label site
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