Iowa State’s students and faculty are not the only people pushing sustainable actions. The school’s custodians have also been pursuing the green initiative

“When you are looking at an impact on the environment, we have a lot of control over that,” said Jonathan Haggard, manager of ISU Custodial Services. Haggard has always been interested in trying to provide effective yet environmentally safe cleaning methods through his work.

Custodians are taking steps at making a difference through the Green Cleaning Program, which is composed of sustainable products, procedures and goals. One example is the use of Echo Mops in buildings around campus, which are made solely from recycled pop bottles.

Rolland Reckseen, a part of the ISU custodial staff since 1982, has been a part of Green Cleaning Program since 2000. He explains that it takes eleven 16 ounce bottles to make a single 24 inch dust mop, and eight 16 ounce pop bottles for one wet mop. The staff use about 622 mop heads a year, which keeps up to 4,976 pop bottles from going to the landfill per year. In addition to keeping waste out of the landfill, the Echo Mops can also be sent back to the company to be melted down and remade into new mops.

Another example of how the Green Cleaning Program keeps Iowa State green is by requiring that only cleaning equipment certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, products such as recycled paper towels, toilet paper and chlorine free solutions are used when cleaning LEED efficient buildings such as Hach Hall and King Pavilion.

Merry Rankin, director of sustainability at Iowa State, said, “We have a very proactive custodial staff, and they are such an important facet of leading the way through their motivated and engaged commitment.”