The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is proposing several changes to its LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations + Maintenance Rating System Version 5 (LEED-EB: O+M V5).
The proposed changes, if implemented, could set our industry back significantly and disregard all the hard work, time, resources, and progress our industry has made in improving cleaning effectiveness, reducing cleaning’s impact on the environment, and protecting human health.
Fortunately, Version 5 is now open for public comment, allowing industry members to express their views and thoughts about Version 5 directly to the USGBC. Your comments will help ensure that the USGBC better recognizes the critical role of cleaning in safeguarding occupant health and in supporting over one hundred million frontline workers in the cleaning industry around the world.
“The critical issue with Version 5 is that it undervalues cleaning,” says Steve Ashkin, father of green cleaning and the leading advocate for sustainability in the cleaning industry. “This is a disservice to our industry, our customers, and the communities we serve.”
Ashkin goes on to say that while he applauds many of the new initiatives proposed in Version 5, “when it comes to our industry and professional cleaning, we need to work together to improve LEED-EB: O+M V5, address the issues just mentioned along with other shortcomings.”
Among these shortcomings are the following:
- Version 5 eliminates the green cleaning prerequisite, which goes back over a decade and has become an established standard in our industry.
- It eliminates requirements on management systems and the number of points earned for green cleaning.
- It does not adequately address social equity issues in our industry.
LEED v5 for Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), and Operations and Maintenance (O+M) rating systems are all open for public comment through May 20. The current drafts and comment forms are available on the USGBC website.
