“Being green and clean is not just an aspiration but an action.”- Christine Pelosi.

While building green is a crucial first step in creating a greener, cleaner and smarter environment, some of these facilities fail to maintain efficient green functioning practices. Resulting in a building that is green, i.e. built with green and organic materials, but facility management that is not.

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is well known for its work and commitment to helping industries build and maintain a green status. Many companies and facilities have achieved a GBCSA Green Star rating by building according to the Green Star rating requirements.

In response to this, Green Worx Cleaning Solutions has partnered with the GBCSA to ensure that these facilities are not just built green, but that they are run and maintained in an eco-friendly way as well.

John J Coetzee, CEO of Green Worx Cleaning Solutions states; “We have a responsibility to ourselves and to our environment to utilise the most effective and healthiest strategies for a safe and green environment. In partnering with the GBCSA, we hope to motivate and encourage those who are already invested in building a green community to manage and maintain this practice. We also hope to motivate those who have not made such an investment to start taking steps towards a greener future.”

According to its website, the Green Building Council “works with (their) membership community to champion a collective cause – to accelerate the development and adoption of best green building practices so that all buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way.”

The partnership between GBCSA and Green Worx encourages maintained sustainability practices by awarding businesses that use Green Worx’s bio-enzymatic and chemical free products with an accreditation certificate. This accreditation certificate contributes towards the business’ Green Building Council points.

Businesses that appoint Green Worx to manage their green cleaning procurement automatically qualify for the same accreditation. The result? Businesses that have cleaning management practices that are compliant to international standards.

As an award winning, ISO 14001, SABS1828, Green Tag and GBCSA Green Star certified company, Green Worx is fully committed to helping organisation develop a true green facilities management policy. Through its partnership with the GBCSA companies, including those certified directly through GBCSA, that have already built green buildings can continue to observe green practices. “Ongoing points will be awarded to businesses that can prove that they are operating and functioning as a green business, and are using green products,” confirms Coetzee.

“Sustainability practices are paramount. Many companies are giving themselves a pat on the back for building green but are then not able to function in a way that is optimal for the environment. A healthy environment means healthier employees, and increased productivity; it’s a win win,” concludes Coetzee.

For more information, contact perfectword@trinitas.co.za.