University of Notre Dame
OP-3: Building Operations and Maintenance

Environmental and Green Cleaning Policy In keeping with our vision to maintain the campus effectively, the Building Services Department affirms its commitment to the environment stewardship and sustainability. This policy reaffirms our commitment to making choices of cleaning solutions, practices, and equipment, our goals for personnel training, and custodial personnel commitment to practice environmentally conscious cleaning and sanitation procedures. The Building Services Department established this policy to reduce exposure of building occupants and custodial personnel to potentially hazardous chemical contaminants that adversely impact air quality or impede occupant’s well-being. In short we want to control the health negative components within the indoor as well as the outdoor environment. Goals and Strategies Goals are to minimize the exterior impact on the local environment and to emphasize and practice environmentally safe, low-impact cleaning chemicals and practices. The Building Services Department continually aims to improve its environmental performance by:  Educating, training, and motivating custodial staff to work in an environmentally responsible manner.  Ensure that all custodial staff is aware of their responsibilities in implementing this environmental and green cleaning policy.  Conserving energy, water, and other resources.  Complying with all relevant current legislation and industry standards.  To support and educate custodial staff on our Storm Water Quality Management Plan IDEM Rule 12.  When considering relationships with custodial suppliers seek to form partnerships with organizations that are conscious of and making efforts toward sustainable decisions regarding their own responsibility to the environment.  Implement hand sanitizer program promoting and educating waterless hand sanitizing.  When making chemical decisions to evaluate and select environmentally preferred chemicals.  Establish a core chemical program that consists of environmentally preferred products or similar “Green Seal” certified including floor care products.  Implement floor finish that is sustainable and does not require the use of environmentally hazardous chemicals to maintain and reduces/eliminates annual floor stripping and refinishing (3M Greener Solutions)  Use and evaluate paper and plastic products that use high post-consumer recycled content or are alternate more easily renewable content (alternative fibers).  Using chemical dilution systems that automatically measure and dispense products accurately (using concentrated products as a first choice – Diversey Quattro Select System).  When purchasing cleaning equipment do so with an environmentally preferred directive (if available always consider EC water equipment first).  Implement and install chemical efficient micro-fiber system for floor care and other daily maintenance tasks (CPI system).  Establish annual floor maintenance program focusing on daily and interim maintenance work preventing the need for restorative cleaning projects.  Educate and train staff on the hazards of the custodial work place and the proper techniques for storing and using custodial chemicals keeping the worker and building occupants safety in mind at all times.  Conduct weekly quality inspections to ensure proper techniques are being followed and equipment/chemicals are used in the proscribed manner.  Conduct regularly scheduled visits with vendors and distributors to ensure these initiatives are always part of the Notre Dame Building Services custodial procedure plan.

The University's energy management plan is based on investing in technologies and strategies that produce a carbon offset, to maximize the impact of its actions such investments have first focused on the low hanging fruit or projects with the best paybacks. In this manner savings can be reinvested to return even more carbon reduction and energy conservation. This strategy had resulted in the University investing over $15M in energy conservation measures since 2008. The University of Notre Dame has used a wide array of techniques and technologies to manage energy on its campus. Its earliest examples date back to them energy crisis of the 1970's, have continued over the intervening years and are part and parcel to the University's design standards looking forward. Te installation of a Central Building Automation System that has been continually expanded and upgrade the University has visibility and control of the campus HVAC systems. This tool provides for scheduling correlated to building usage along with the integration of occupancy sensing to manage both HVAC and lighting. We also utilize the Lucent BuildingOS Dashboard to monitor, benchmark and assess energy usage and performance. By utilizing BuidingOS to track performance, it gives us the ability to set goals and evaluate progress. We use it for our annual energy reduction competition among residence halls that we call Megawatt Madness. Numerous other energy conservation and management solutions have been implemented including high efficiency lighting including LED lighting and daylight harvesting. Significant investment in variable frequency drives has had significant impact in optimizing motor energy. Lab fume hood air reductions, and various control software strategies along with a campus temperature set point policy have also garnered energy reductions.