Step 5:
Share the Responsibility

Cleanliness, health and safety are not the sole responsibility of the custodians. Everyone who uses the building, including the students, teachers, administrators, the union and outside contractors must play a role in maintaining a healthy environment. Schools’ experiences implementing green cleaning programs throughout the United States show that promoting stewardship and increasing institutional commitment are critical to both short- and long-term success.

Promoting Stewardship

The idea of shared responsibility for building cleanliness is a foreign concept in most schools. Custodians tend to take the brunt of criticism for environmental problems. It is important to communicate with administrators, staff, teachers, students, visitors and vendors about green cleaning and educate them about their role in maintaining environmental improvements and preventing future problems. The goal is to promote environmental stewardship across the school community, so that each stakeholder takes personal responsibility for the environment by recycling paper and plastic, conserving water, maintaining uncluttered classrooms and workspaces and handling food and potential contaminants properly. See the Resources and Tools section of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools for advice on promoting shared responsibility and stewardship.

Increasing Institutional Commitment

Developing widespread and formal institutional commitment to Green Cleaning is another way to ensure the long-term success of your Green Cleaning Program. Creating a Green Team, developing and implementing a green cleaning implementation plan, adopting a Green Cleaning policy and evaluating results are important steps for developing a long-term commitment to Green Cleaning in your school. For more information and step-by-step guidance, see the Long-term Success section of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools. Also check out the Resources and Tools for helpful information.

Back to Step 4