GCA First Place K-12/School District: Blue Valley School District, Overland Park, Kansas

Program Information

Total number of students: 21,800

Total square footage maintained: 43,233,300

Total number of custodians: 189

Total annual cleaning budget: $7,240,436

Green cleaning team members: Dave Hill, Exec. Dir. of Facilities and Operations; Dave Peterson, Dir. of Operations and Maintenance; Paul Sharp, Coord. of Custodial Services; Matthew Brooks, Scott Vandegrift, Dale Clark, Jim Hodson, and Jim Thompson (Custodial Supervisors); Vicky Dunbar, Admin. Asst.; Grainger, Purozone, Clayton Paper, Royal Paper, and Hillyard

Started in 2005, Blue Valley School District’s green cleaning program began with the goal of maximizing air quality by eliminating cleaners that left chemical residues and contributed to dust. The district moved to Green Seal Certified cleaning products, and since then has added other GSC products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap.

A strategy combining frequent trash collection outside the school and extensive matting at entrances helps minimize soil entering the building. An “Integrated Pest Management” program deters pests while minimizing the use of pesticides.

Whenever possible, the use of water in lieu of chemicals is emphasized, be it through microfiber cloths/mops for spot cleaning, reverse osmosis deionized water for cleaning all exterior windows, or the use of aqueous ozone through a Lotus Pro system in selected buildings. Frequent hand washing is encouraged for students and staff.

Green cleaning performance is evaluated through weekly quality inspections, regular feedback from building staff including principals, semi-annual administrative interviews and annual customer satisfaction surveys conducted district wide.