Green cleaning plays a key role in the process, since it removes the contaminants that can affect people's health. Cleaning to keep the floors shiny is important and everybody does need and expect toilet paper in the restroom, but keeping workers healthy, free of allergy and flu-like symptoms is essential for good performance.

Clearly, there is money on the table. Consider what a conservative 0.5% productivity increase really means. On the one hand, while the 0.5% productivity gain represents nearly 3 minutes per 8-hour work day, that same conservative 0.5% productivity gain can represent big savings throughout an entire organization.

Based on figures from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) the estimated cost of salaries and benefits per square foot for a Class A office building is nearly $300. Thus, an increase in productivity of just 0.5% translates into $1.50 per square foot.

Perhaps our green cleaning not only saved a few minutes each day as stated above, but reduced the bacteria, viruses and other causes of illness, ultimately reducing absenteeism, which often is figured when determining state funding. In this scenario we might be able to justify using the more aggressive 7.0% productivity improvement, representing a savings of 34 minutes per day.

In this scenario, the improved productivity gains would amount to $21 per square foot. What strategy can those sitting around the board table offer that can contribute in such a major way?

In Syracuse, NY, Public School District, Barry Moore of Opus Consulting reported an attendance increase of 11.71% after implementing an green cleaning strategy. Rather ten saving a few cents by reducing cleaning costs, the additional attendance resulting from green cleaning resulted in more attendance-based funding to the school in the amount of $2.5 million.

The building services industry needs to take its seat in the boardroom to make its value understood. When electrical upgrades and retrofits are made because they can reduce energy consumption by 25 cents per square foot, it's time to let the decision makers know they can improve performance through green cleaning with a much lower upfront investment.

When school boards are looking for more innovative ways to meet standardized test requirements, we have a solution that has proven not only to have a dramatic impact on standardized tests, but on kids health as well. After all, kids can't learn if they're not in school, and there is a very real financial and emotional burden placed on parents and the organizations that employ them when they have to miss or be late for work when trying to make arrangements to care for a sick child.

Our seat at the table is a timely one. The cleaning industry has an enormous contribution to make to the discussion, especially as we, green cleaners have the facts and figures, and proven dollar savings to back us up.