> APPA News

myAPPA

Membership        

Knowledge

Professional Development

Regions/Chapters

About Us

What's New?

News

APPA News

FREE Webinar: APPA's Custodial Standards and LEED-EB Certification

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 -
11:00 a.m. Eastern Time - REGISTER NOW!
Sponsored by :

Every educational institution is unique; no two campuses are the same in construction or environment.  Maintenance standards and staffing levels for individual facilities can be significantly affected by such factors as:

• traffic density
  
• frequency of use
  
• age
  
• material used in construction
  
• level of vandalism
  
• climatic conditions
  
• location of custodial space
  
• organization and training of staff
  
• the material and equipment available for maintenance

To help facilities managers assess and plan for more efficient and effective use of their custodial resources, APPA developed its Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities. Now in its second edition, the Guidelines continue to provide guidance to facility professionals in the area of custodial maintenance and staffing. The Guidelines cover "the five levels of clean" and include information on such specialized facilities areas as dormitories, health care facilities, and more.

Recently the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) revised its LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard to make green cleaning a prerequisite. Now all buildings seeking LEED-EB certification must have a green cleaning policy. As an incentive, educational institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines to illustrate buildings that have superior cleaning programs. 

This webinar will cover lessons learned, using the Custodial Guidelines, and earning LEED-EB status. REGISTER NOW

Improve Your Custodial Operations with the Touch of a Button

Long the standard for APPA members seeking excellence in their cleaning operations, APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, second edition is now the recognized resource for cleanliness in education. In fact, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) now offers LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) credits for those institutions conducting an audit of their facilities using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines.

And now it's easier than ever to implement APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines using CleanOpsStaff software, a Web-downloadable application allowing you to run calculations on your cleanliness data without pushing a pencil!

CleanOpsStaff:

• Provides a computer-assisted audit/assessment tool to determine what level of cleanliness you are actually achieving
• Helps you justify the budget resources (FTEs and cost) you need to meet cleanliness levels for both new and existing buildings
• Helps you balance FTE assignments to individual buildings or zones on your campus
• Helps you reduce the cost of your operation through reports that illustrate custodial resources by building and by room or space

Buy the Custodial Staffing Guidelines and CleanOpsStaff package today and start improving your institutions' operations tomorrow! CleanOpsStaff is offered exclusively to those purchasing APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines through an agreement between APPA and Hunter Consulting and Training.
APPA members: $350 for the book/software package
Nonmember: $440 for the book/software package

Want to test-drive before you buy?
Download the demo version now and begin your test drive with your data today.  Hunter Consulting and Training is offering free one-hour on-line training sessions for those interested in CleanOpsStaff.Register for a session now. The first session is scheduled for July 30 (no purchase required to register for a free training session). Full list of features, tools and more information. PDF ofCleanOpsStaff presentation.

Webinar: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Achieving Climate Neutrality

On Wednesday, June 18 APPA presented the first in a series of free webinars on the topic of sustainability. Sponsored by Haley&Aldrich and presented by Walter Simpson, editor of APPA's publication entitled The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability, the webinar explored the organizational ingredients necessary for building a successful campus energy program, emphasizing energy conservation, green building design, green power purchasing, and renewable energy generation -- strategies central to any campus effort designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or achieve climate neutrality. Other topics covered included energy policies, green computing, energy awareness, working with ESCOs, obtaining top level support, the key role of facilities managers, and developing climate action plans. Lessons learned from the University at Buffalo's nationally recognized successful campus energy program were also shared.

For those who were not able to sit in on the webinar live, or if you wish to see it again, a recording can be viewed here. A PDF of the slides is also available for download through the recording's player console. If you already registered for the webinar, simply enter your email address to view the recording. If not, you will need to register to view the event.

Study Shows School Cleanliness Affects Learning

A recent national study of college students determined there is a correlation between the cleanliness of a school’s facilities and students’ academic achievement. Entitled Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, the study was based around the five levels of clean identified in APPA’s Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.  

The study was conducted through the Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) at APPA – the association promoting leadership in educational facilities – and co-sponsored ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association. The researchers on the project were Jeffery L. Campbell, Ph.D., chair of the Facilities Management Program at Brigham Young University and Alan S. Bigger, APPA’s president and director of facilities at Earlham College.

Of the 1481 students polled, 88 percent reported that the lack of cleanliness becomes a distraction at APPA Level 3 (Casual Inattention) and Level 4 (Moderate Dinginess). Eighty-four percent reported that they desire APPA Level 1 (Orderly Spotlessness) or Level 2 (Ordinary Tidiness) standard of cleanliness to create a good learning environment. Eighty percent of the students surveyed reported that they should be involved in keeping campus buildings clean. Seventy-eight percent reported that cleanliness has an impact on their health. Learn more about the study.  

The final report is available free to APPA members and for $30 for nonmembers through the APPA bookstore and free to ISSA members through the Member Lounge at www.ISSA.com and for $30 by request to nonmembers.

NPR Broadcast Focuses on Sustainability and Buildings...The Gifts that Keep on Taking

Terry Ruprecht, Director of Energy Conservation, Associate Provost and Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs-Facilities & Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one of the primary investigators behind APPA's publication Buildings...The Gifts that Keep on Taking, recently did an interview on NPR.

The live talk show, which focused on the relationship between deferred capital renewal and energy-inefficient systems was broadcast to all of Illinois and Indiana, as well as parts of Wisconsin and Iowa, can be heard here. (Scroll down to the June 2, 10:00 am show).

Deferred Maintenance the Topic of Chronicle Article

Read an article written by Scott Carlson for the Chronicle of Higher Education about the state of deferred maintenance in the U.S. The article features information and quotes from several APPA members and a mention of APPA's study and publication: Buildings...The Gifts That Keep on Taking.

Earn LEED Points with APPA Custodial Staffing Guidelines

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently revised its LEED-EB standard to make green cleaning a prerequisite. Now all buildings seeking LEED-EB certification must have a green cleaning policy.

As an incentive, education institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines, which will reward buildings that have superior cleaning programs. The APPA guidelines cover "the five levels of clean" and include information on such specialized facilities areas as dormitories, health care facilities, and more. Thirty-three room categories in all are covered by the APPA staffing guidelines.

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Rating System (LEED-EB) can help K-12 and higher educational institutions reduce its energy consumption, water consumption and solid-waste disposal—all of which save money. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/leed/eb.

These new officers will be inducted at the APPA 2008 conference in San Antonio, Texas in July. Thank you to all who voted.

APPA Forwards Environmental Sustainability with New Publications

APPA recently published two books on environmental sustainability and green practices. This is a hot topic, as administrators on college and university campuses earnestly seek to reduce their campuses’ carbon footprint and enhance environmental stewardship in effective and financially efficient ways.

The anthology, The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability, explores the meaning of genuine environmental sustainability—in global and local terms—while profiling excellent campus environmental programs. Editor Walter Simpson—a 25-year veteran of green campus advocacy—includes essays from top campus environment leaders and advocates, addressing various opportunities for campus greening and offering guidance and inspiration to those who promote sustainability within institutions of higher education. View the table of contents and read the introduction to The Green Campus. Read the review by Scott Carlson of the Chronicle for Higher Education.

The second edition of the Environmental Compliance Assistance Guide for Colleges and Universities, updates the key environmental rules and regulations affecting the physical surroundings of educational institutions. Published in partnership with the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Manage­ment Association (CSHEMA), this comprehensive guide includes abstracts of 32 programs derived from eight environmental statutes that have been the focus of EPA inspections on college campuses in recent years. The guide also provides elements of an effective program for environmental management and compliance; a regulatory and campus programs matrix; and legislative/regulatory program summaries for the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, CERCLA, EPCRA, FIFRA, RCRA, and more. View the table of contents and read the introduction to the Environmental Compliance Assistance Guide.

Education Associations Launch Campus Environmental Resource Center

An online environmental resource center, “CampusERC,” was launched by several higher education associations including APPA.

Accessible at www.campuserc.org, the site is designed as a multifaceted library of resources for college and university environmental officers to keep up with the latest news and information on environmental issues, study best practices in environmental management, view case studies, and better understand what institutions must do to comply with environmental regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Current news about environmental events and programs related to higher education is featured on the home page of CampusERC to keep it timely and relevant to campus environmental professionals and administrators. In addition, the site hosts a campus tour organized around nine typical areas on a campus that are subject to environmental regulations, and an updated compliance guide that assists colleges and universities in meeting the basic requirements of environmental regulations. The site also showcases model practices from colleges and universities that are often the best resource for achieving a strong environmental program.

CampusERC was developed by and in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA), the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2) and APPA. The EPA provided funding for CampusERC and many of the resources on the comprehensive site.