California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL) was announced the winner of the Greenbuild Legacy Project Award at the recently held Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.

Each year, the Greenbuild event supports a Greenbuild Legacy Project, an effort to give back to the local community in gratitude for hosting some 10,000 attendees from across the country and around the world.

CIPL is a faith-based organization that supports 50,000 church congregations in California in the use of green energy sources. As this year’s award recipients, CIPL received US$7,500 to be used for the purchase and installation of a battery to support solar power at Faith Baptist Church in Oakland, California.

“Central East Oakland is a community that resides on the margins, and the development of a resilience hub at Faith Baptist Church, with independent battery storage for clean energy from the sun, will help diminish environmental segregation in the neighborhood,” said Curtis Robinson, senior pastor at Faith Baptist Church. “The funding that is needed to challenge climate justice is a very large and important task, and this award will help Faith Baptist Church raise consciousness for other local churches in the fight for educational, environmental, and economic advocacy in communities that face these challenges.”

While it might be a human knee-jerk reaction to dwell on the negative things that happen to us, Thanksgiving presents the perfect time to instead reflect on the positive things—in life and in business.

You might be quick to assume that 2022 was a tough year for the cleaning industry. But despite all that might have gone wrong, a lot has also gone right. Let’s take a moment to look back on 2022 and see some of the many reasons to be thankful.

COVID-19 Changed Cleaning for the Better

The COVID-19 pandemic was particularly eye-opening for cleaning industry workers, who had to adopt new strategies to help defeat a deadly virus. A great example of such resourcefulness and cooperation is O’Connor Hospital in Santa Clara County, California, where two departments—Environmental Services (EVS) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)—teamed up to create a safer environment for patients as well as staff.

The pandemic also fostered a deeper consideration and definition of what “clean” means. Cleaning industry consumers are becoming more educated and aware of the cleanliness of their surroundings and the impact on health. ISSA continues to help consumers better understand the importance of clean through the Rethink What Clean Means campaign—something the cleaning industry can use to its own advantage.

Working Remotely Works

Despite some of the initial challenges, surveys have revealed that employees like working at home and that being able to provide that benefit is helping retain them during a tightened labor environment.

Perhaps to the surprise of some in management, working at home is also proving to be more productive. Research and management consultancy company Great Place To Work^® conducted a two-year study of more than 800,000 Fortune 500 employees and found most had either stable or increased productivity levels when working from home. Another survey found that, while decreased job engagement is being reported, it has nothing to do with working from a remote location.

Technology Is Making Cleaning Better

Numerous technological advances in the cleaning industry are making cleaning jobs faster, easier, and safer.

A great example is the use of drones to clean high places extremely precarious for workers. Lafayette, Louisiana’s Cajundome—a sports arena with a dome that’s 165 feet up in the air—now uses drones to clean its surface. The result is safer not only for workers, but for the facility’s surfaces and the environment as well, as the technique utilizes biodegradable chemicals and a softer rinse to get the job done.  

Growth Continues Within the Cleaning Sector

While other industries have been reporting slowdowns, cleaning sector businesses continue to do well and even have reported growth in 2022. In the third quarter of 2022, for example, growth was reported for the home cleaning services sector. Forecasted growth for health care facilities is also anticipated to be significant.

Great Opportunities Via ISSA Show North America

If you were able to attend ISSA Show North America 2022, you know what a blessing it was. As always, the event provided amazing opportunities for cleaning professionals to learn, improve themselves and their businesses, and network with industry experts. Show attendees heard from top-notch keynote speakers, attended education and certification sessions, and explored the latest industry trends.

If you were unable to attend, there’s always next year! ISSA Show North America 2023 will be taking place November 13–16, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, a GBAC STAR™ accredited facility. Click to learn more and register today.