Green Seal Partnership Program Takes Facilities Maintenance to A New Level

The trend toward environmentally sustainable products and services has seen tremendous progress since Green Seal, the major eco-labelling organization in the United States, was established in 1989. The scientific, life-cycle evaluation approach and the methodology behind the organization’s Institutional Greening Program has been a major force behind the move by many organizations toward environmentally preferable cleaning and maintenance practices and procedures.

The introduction of Green Seal’s GS-42 Environmental Standard for Cleaning Services in 2006 ushered in a new era of understanding; laying out the requirements necessary for cleaning service providers (CSPs) to become Green Seal certified; CSPs attaining GS-42 certification are the vanguard of their profession, and demonstrate a greater understanding of the concept of “green” facilities maintenance operations.

To help maintain the momentum, Green Seal has developed the Green Facilities Partnership, a program designed to recognize and provide assistance to organizations working to implement environmentally preferable operations and maintenance practices. Recognition is based on how well an organization implements a plan based on its particular opportunities and challenges; it is not a standard-based certification program.

The Partnership has three tiers of recognition – Green Facilities Partner, Green Facilities Leader and Green Facilities Champion – that a facility can achieve. Developed to complement established green building certification programs – in particular the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED ratings system – the Partnership’s highest recognition is reserved for organizations making all reasonable efforts to achieve LEED certification for its operations and maintenance program.

In a nutshell, the Partnership works as follows: applicants provide Green Seal with current, categorized O&M data (HVAC; energy systems; janitorial services; landscaping, etc.) as well as administrative policies and procedures. The applicant then designs a Green Facilities Action Plan, including benchmarks and deadlines, to be approved by Green Seal (the Action Plan will also allow the applicant to achieve higher levels of Partnership recognition beyond the “Green Facilities Partner” level on a time-frame that makes sense for the organization).

Once the Action Plan is accepted, the applicant is officially recognized by Green Seal as a Green Facilities Partner and is touted as such in various promotional materials issued by Green Seal, including a joint press release; a formal letter and certificate from Green Seal; promotion on Green Seal’s web site, in its newsletter and in its booth at trade shows and expositions; and through use of the Green Facilities Partner logo.

The Partner will be responsible for submitting quarterly progress reports to Green Seal, which in turn will formally review the Partner’s progress on an annual basis. It’s at this time that the Action Plan will be reviewed and updated or revised if necessary.

O&M decisions by facilities managers are crucial to achieving recognition. If progress is satisfactory, the Partner continues in the program. If implementation progress is not deemed satisfactory, Green Seal, at the Partner’s request, can provide in-depth technical assistance, up to and including the development or implementation of the Action Plan.