Sustainability
Sustainability is about much more than following a fad. Going green is beneficial for everyone—it protects our environment and saves money. Â鶹´«Ã½ has always been at the forefront of sustainability and the department of Custodial Services is no different.
How has WMU gone green?
- Western has a formal sustainability committee that has the goal of making “Â鶹´«Ã½ a national higher education sustainability leader.â€
- Any new construction must be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified.
- WMU is committed to 30 percent waste diversion.
- 80 percent of cleaning chemicals are Green Seal certified.
- WMU has an environmental studies program, and recently introduced a freshwater science and sustainability degree.
- 100 percent of the WMU grounds are maintained organically.
How has custodial gone green?
- We use the Kaizen No-Touch Cleaning system, which is a multipurpose system that helps eliminate unnecessary equipment and automatically proportions chemicals to reduce waste.
- Custodial vacuums are certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute’s green label.
- We use window washing machines that employ the reverse osmosis deionizing technology. The machines produce mineral free water, which cleans windows spot free without the use of cleaning agents.
- Our machines are environmentally friendly.
- We use green chemicals with less packaging and measured delivery system.
- We use the 3M Twist 'N Fill chemicals and system. The chemicals can be disposed safely to water treatment facilities.
- We have switched to EcoSoftTM towels which are made from 100 percent recycled fibers and meet EPA guidelines for post-consumer waste content.
- Our Stoko Refresh foam soap is dye and fragrance free and is Green Seal certified .
- Our foam hand sanitizer is environmentally friendly, using no fluorinated chemicals.
- Custodial's light bulb sustainability program fixes lighting issues quickly and efficiently.