GCA Honorable Mention (New Program) K-12/School Districts: Clarke County School District, Athens, Georgia
Program Information
Total number of students: 13,054
Total square footage maintained: 2,417,000
Total number of custodians: 118
Total annual cleaning budget: $275,000
Green cleaning team members: Kimberly Thomas, Exec. Dir.; Andrew Johnson, Kenneth Butler, Vincent Mathis, Willie Gatlin (Maintenance Repair); Tammie Scruggs (Admin. Asst.); Cornelius Edwards (Warehouse Mgr.); Veronica Jackson (Contract Specialist); Stephen Dorsch (Safety & Energy Coord.); Athens Janitor Supply, Thornton Brothers, Grainger
The Clarke County School District (CCSD) Plant Services Department began its green cleaning initiative in the fall of 2011. Two administrative buildings and one elementary school piloted the program, which included transitioning custodial staff to using color-coded microfiber cloths, adding HEPA-filtered backpack vacuums, reducing the number of daily cleaning products from 45 to two, and deploying green rated products throughout the department.
Today 21 CCSD facilities participate in the green cleaning program. Expanded elements of the program include dilution control stations for two daily cleaners and an approved food grade sanitizer; expanded color-coded microfiber for different zones within the school; charging containers for color-coded microfiber mops (one-use and then straight to laundry to prevent cross contamination); separate charge containers for cafeteria cleaning with task sheets for individual use per table; and daily water top scrub on tile floors to reduce dust accumulation and chemical usage.
A Green Seal certified product purchasing policy and integrated pest management procedures are in place district-wide, and any facility renovation or construction must use environmentally friendly waste management practices.