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Sustainable PracticesA Positive Impact on the Community and Environment
Northwest Center shares your commitment to maintaining a healthy environment and reducing your carbon footprint. We take a holistic approach to sustainability and have analyzed every step of our cleaning and maintenance processes to ensure environmental safety, energy efficiency, and maximum performance. |
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Clean Equipment
Our sustainability focus includes using high-efficiency equipment designed with indoor air quality in mind, such as our backpack vacuums with HEPA filter attachments. We use microfiber cloths and mops, which remove dust and dirt from surfaces more efficiently than standard tools and use less cleaning and maintenance products. Our laundry system, where we service government laundry contracts, uses advanced technology to save a remarkable amount of water each year. A conventional industrial washer uses about 2.6 gallons of water per pound of material. A sustainable system lets us launder the same amount of material with just .6 gallons of water. That adds up to a savings of approximately 22 million gallons of water per year. The entire 50,000 sq. ft. facility is equipped for energy savings, including led lighting systems. Clean Systems Our green cleaning approach is built into our process. We organize the workflow in our buildings to work from the top down, turning off lights as we go to reduce power consumption. Our floor care programs are designed so floors don’t have to be stripped and refinished as often, which eliminates excess water use and the amount of chemicals that are released into the environment. Our building processes utilize sustainable and/or recycled resources. We also work with our customers to develop recycling programs and partner with waste companies to set up recycling of cans, bottles, composting materials, paper and cardboard. As an added benefit, each year our Big Blue Truck operation, in partnership with Value Village, collects 17 million pounds of clothing and household goods across Washington state for recycling—materials that would otherwise be bound for a landfill. |
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Northwest Center businesses exclusively use Green Seal-Approved commercial cleaners and environmentally friendly chemicals. These products deliver exceptional quality and help ensure a healthy workplace that is free from harmful toxins, residues, and odors. For example, our Building Services team uses low-VOC finishes and biodegradable industrial cleaners.
“Green Seal is among the world’s most trusted ecolabels for cleaning, sanitary and facilities care products and services. Certified commercial cleaning services and school cleaning programs meet the highest industry standard for facilities care and provide safer, healthier environments for custodial teams and building occupants.” Read more... |
