The Evolution of Green Cleaning: A Revolutionary Environmental Journey

Many young professionals in the cleaning industry recognize the importance of Green Cleaning products and methods. However, some may not be aware of the significant milestones in Green Cleaning. Below are highlights of our industry's Green Cleaning journey.

1962: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring published *

1970: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed; First Earth Day event

1970s: Introduction of environmentally friendly cleaning products for home use

1972: First energy crisis, leading to indoor air quality problems

1978: CFCs banned in aerosol cans

1988: The TerraChoice program started, certifying Green cleaning products

1989: Green Seal formed

1990: Pollution Prevention Act signed by President Bush

1992: First product certifications by Green Seal

1993-1998: President Clinton signs Executive Orders on environmental protection and requiring the use of Green Cleaning solutions

1995: First cleaning product certifications by The Environmental Choice Program

1999: Santa Monica becomes the first green city in the U.S.

2000: Steve Ashkin becomes the industry's first advocate for Green Cleaning, later identified as The Father of Green Cleaning

Early to mid-2000s: Formation of organizations promoting Green Cleaning; states and cities develop Green Cleaning requirements for public buildings

2002. Green purchasing groups established to help standardize Green purchasing.

2002. The U.S. Green Building Council formed; created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

2002. Facilities could earn credits toward LEED certification by using Green Cleaning solutions and methods.

2003. Canada established the Canada Green Building Council, adopting many of the Green cleaning policies of the LEED program.

Mid-2000s. Developers and building owners reported that being LEED-certified and using Green cleaning solutions and methods helped attract higher quality and longer-staying tenants while reducing costs and improving efficiencies.

2005. New York State becomes the first state to mandate the use of Green Cleaning solutions in K-12 public schools.

2005. Washington State enacts Green building legislation and requirements, becoming the first state to do so.

Mid-2000s. Although the term was coined in 1980, Greenwashing became a significant concern in the 2000s. The term refers to the incorrect labeling of a product as environmentally preferable when it is not.

Mid-2000s. ISSA, BSCAI, The Ashkin Group, and IEHA collaborated to promote the use of Green Cleaning solutions because they have a reduced impact on the environment.

2006. Steve Ashkin establishes the Green Cleaning Network to explain and promote Green Cleaning to the professional cleaning industry.

2006. The New York legislature mandates the use of Green Cleaning products in all public and private schools.

2009. LEED requires the use of Green Cleaning products to earn LEED certification.

2010. ISSA creats the Cleaning Industry Management Standard-Green Buildings (CIMS-GB), which certifies that cleaning professionals have been trained to use green cleaning products and methods properly.

2023. Steve Ashkin recognized by ISSA as one of the most influential members of the professional cleaning industry over the past century, primarily for his work promoting Green Cleaning.

2024. The US Green Building Council introduced LEED v5. Unlike previous versions, LEED v5 initially reduced the available points for using environmentally preferable cleaning solutions and eliminated the Green Cleaning requirement.

In response, a coalition led by ISSA, BSCAI, The Ashkin Group, SEIU, and other organizations addressed this issue. As a result, LEED reinstated the points for environmentally preferable cleaning solutions and increased its emphasis on sustainability, fair treatment of employees, improving efficiencies, and reducing waste.