“Green Cleaning for Dummies” Features HSC Publication

April 18, 2007 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign

by Tara Kennon, HSC Writer & Publications Coordinator

In another sign that green is indeed going mainstream, the bright yellow book Green Cleaning for Dummies made its debut this month at the annual ISSA conference for leaders in the cleaning and maintenance industry.

Green Cleaning for Dummies is co-authored by our friend Steve Ashkin, who also wrote The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, a free resource developed and distributed by Healthy Schools Campaign. (Don’t have the Guide? Order your copy here.) Steve’s new book includes a prominent focus on green cleaning in schools and features HSC’s Quick & Easy Guide as a resource.

Steve is described in the book as the “Father of Green Cleaning,” and we couldn’t agree more. He has more than 25 years experience in the cleaning industry and has spent the past 17 years advocating for environmentally preferable cleaning. For a sampling of his expertise, check out his Ask Steve column on our Green Clean Schools website, where he responds to questions about green cleaning programs, products and policies.

In addition to providing practical tips, Green Cleaning for Dummies discusses the connection between green cleaning and learning, which is something we here at HSC talk about all the time:

It’s relatively easy to demonstrate the link between class size and student learning. The link between a clean, healthy facility and learning hasn’t been demonstrated to the public as effectively. However, studies have identified a connection between how a school is maintained and students’ ability to learn. Society needs to understand this connection and assign it a proper value. … The positive impact improvements in cleaning practices can have on learning is dramatic.

To learn more about green cleaning in schools, visit GreenCleanSchools.org.