During International Housekeepers Week, it’s the perfect time to recognize and celebrate the dedication of cleaning professionals who work tirelessly to keep our living spaces spotless and healthy. From September 8-14, 2024, we join together in honoring the unsung heroes who make it their mission to create clean, welcoming sanctuaries for all of us to enjoy.

Celebrating International Housekeepers Week

International Housekeepers Week is an annual celebration that dates back to 1981. It was established by the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) to recognize the hard work and dedication of cleaning professionals across various industries. This week-long celebration is a time to honor those who often work behind the scenes, ensuring that our homes, hotels, hospitals, and other spaces remain clean, safe, and welcoming.

At Maidkart, we take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our team members who make a difference every day. But beyond the internal celebrations, we also encourage our clients and the broader community to take a moment to recognize the cleaning professionals in their lives. A simple “thank you” can go a long way in making someone feel appreciated for their hard work.

The Expertise and Dedication of Maidkart’s Cleaning Professionals

At Maidkart, our cleaning professionals are more than just service providers: they are skilled experts who take immense pride in their work. Each team member is trained to pay attention to detail, ensuring that every corner of every home is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This dedication to excellence is what sets Maidkart apart, and it’s why our clients trust us to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness in their homes.

Our cleaning professionals understand that a clean home is more than just about appearance; it’s about creating a safe and healthy environment for families to thrive. Whether it’s tackling tough stains, eliminating allergens, or ensuring every surface sparkles, our team approaches each task with care and professionalism. This level of commitment reassures our clients that they are investing in top-tier service, delivered by individuals who genuinely care about the well-being of the households they maintain.

Maidkart’s Commitment to Employee Well-Being and Professional Development

We believe that a happy and fulfilled workforce is key to delivering exceptional service. That’s why we are committed to supporting the well-being and professional growth of our Maidkart team members in a variety of ways.

• Focusing on Well-being: Our goal is to ensure that every team member feels valued and supported, both on and off the job. Team members get competitive pay and a family-friendly schedule (no nights or weekends), plus earn paid time off quickly. 

• Providing Opportunities for Growth: We provide ongoing training programs that help our team members refine their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest cleaning techniques and technologies. 

• Inviting New Talent: For those who are passionate about creating clean, healthy environments, Maidkart offers a welcoming and supportive workplace. We value hard work, dedication, and a commitment to excellence, and we invest in our team members to help them achieve their professional goals. 

If you’re looking for a company that truly cares about its employees, Maidkart is the place to be!

A Heartfelt “Thank You” to Our Cleaning Professionals

As we celebrate International Housekeepers Week, we want to take this moment to express our deepest gratitude to the cleaning professionals at Maidkart. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence do not go unnoticed. You are the backbone of our company, and it’s your efforts that make Maidkart the trusted name in home cleaning that it is today.

To our clients and readers, we invite you to join us in recognizing and appreciating the cleaning professionals in your life. Whether it’s a word of thanks, a note of appreciation, or simply acknowledging the importance of their work, let’s make sure that those who keep our spaces clean and healthy feel valued this week — and every week.

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The survey also uncovered that we are not taking enough advantage of this simple trick to achieve more calmness, focus, and mindfulness. Although the average person cleans their home once a week, they declutter or spring clean only three times a year. If just decluttering one’s home helps improve inner peace, it should be done more often.

On this front, residents of Idaho and Maine are doing better than others. They spend the most time per session cleaning their homes – around 59 minutes. People of New York, on the other hand, usually have the quickest cleaning sessions – only 45 minutes on average.

As per the frequency of cleaning, Oklahomans clean their home the most often, averaging 4.3 times monthly, compared to Hawaiians, who clean 3.4 times a month.

No matter the cleaning habits, almost all Americans value a clean home; 9% of us would even trade a family member in exchange for having their homes regularly cleaned by a professional!

We know that cleaning tasks can be hard, especially when you’re trying to balance family, work, personal health goals, maintaining a social life, and more. 44% believe they’d have more time for the things they love doing if they didn’t spend as much time cleaning.

On top of that, household chores, like cleaning, are not particularly enjoyable. Especially cleaning the bathroom — with 36% of Americans saying it’s their least favorite room to clean. Despite difficulties, it’s also important to find joy in the task, just like around 52% of the survey respondents who turn on the tunes while cleaning.

It’s also important to get all the help you can to keep your house clean and clutter-free. As Raychel Leong-Sullins, president of Maidkart, said in a recent interview, “it can be difficult to find time to keep the house orderly unless we have some help. It can be very stressful trying to ‘do it all,’ and that stress can take a toll on how we interact with others.”

Then, there are additional challenges in ensuring the use of safe and eco-friendly cleaning equipment and practices. Sixty-three percent of respondents say it’s important to use natural cleaning supplies. However, maintaining good cleaning habits is not always possible, as 68% also say they’re likely to use the same cleaning materials, like mops and cloths, across different rooms, which poses the risk of contamination. That’s why at Maidkart, we always use color-coded cloths to avoid cross-contamination among various surfaces. The safety and health of your home and family is extremely important to us.

In light of these enlightening survey findings about our cleaning habits, we can see that Americans are doing everything in their power to live a clean and healthy life, but the challenges are also very demanding. So, it’s important to remember that we are together in this fight against dust, grime, and clutter, and Maidkart is always by your side!

Contact your local Maidkart and look forward to your clean house in no time!

Survey methodology: This random double-opt-in survey of 100 Americans from each of the 50 states was commissioned by Maidkart between Feb. 12 and Feb. 21, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

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Cleaning up around the house is an inevitable part of life. New research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Maidkart and in partnership with 72Point Inc., found a large portion of Americans spend countless hours in their homes cleaning each year. Some may find cleaning relaxing or even fun, but for many people, cleaning can quickly become a burden and a chore. The research findings from this study reinforced how so many Americans know the importance of having a clean home but struggle to find the time and energy to get it done on their own.

The average American spends nearly 300 hours a year cleaning their home, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 adults explored their cleaning habits and found that the average person spends over five hours a week cleaning their home.
In fact, cleaning is one of the activities that takes a good chunk of their week (39%), along with watching TV (52%) and working (32%).

And if your sink or hamper is full to the brim, you’re probably not alone: half of Americans admit to falling behind in cleaning their home at least sometimes (52%).

Conducted by OnePoll in partnership with Maidkart, the survey found that while some find cleaning to be fun, a third of respondents admit to disliking it (32%). Forty-five percent of those surveyed find the burden of cleaning lies solely on them in their household. Not only are they doing it alone, but one in four have even showed up late to an event or left early because they needed to prioritize cleaning their home.

Similarly, 26% have missed out on events like going out for drinks with friends (39%), spending time with family (35%) and attending their child’s sports game or recital (22%) because they needed to clean instead.

With the holidays right around the corner, Americans are not getting a break. More than half of those surveyed anticipate having guests at their homes during the holiday season (55%), leading most of these respondents to clean more frequently during this time of year (78%).

On average, people would start cleaning three days before they have guests over for the holidays while one in seven would start cleaning at least a week in advance.

It’s no surprise, then, why a third of those surveyed admitted that they dislike hosting others for events at their home (36%). Nearly three in five feel tired by the end of prepping for visitors (58%) and most of these respondents said this tiredness makes it difficult to have a good time and make memories with their guests (59%).

Instead of occupying their time with cleaners and cloths during the holiday season, Americans want to spend time relaxing (53%), watching movies (45%) and spending time with their loved ones (40%).

“Life’s best moments are often found in the company of our loved ones,” said T.J. Liles, vice president of marketing at Maidkart. “We believe this to our core. Cleaning your home isn’t a reason to forego the chance to create lasting memories with the people who matter most. Hire a professional house cleaning service that utilizes electrolyzed water and spend your precious time focusing on moments that truly matter.”

Is all of the prep worth it? More than half of those surveyed have received comments on the cleanliness of their home when hosting others (57%).

While most remarks have been positive (88%), one in nine admit that they’ve gotten at least some negative comments.

And they’re not the only ones — 44% said loved ones have also shared that their guests commented about the cleanliness of their home.
Knowing how it feels to be the one in charge, 39% of respondents claim that they show up early to an event they’re not hosting to help the host clean. Surprisingly, a quarter of Americans expect guests to show up early to do the same (26%). If it were up to them, however, cleaning is the top task they’d eliminate when preparing to have others in their home (26%).

Half of respondents would be interested in having help with cleaning from a professional if it would help free up their time. “Professional cleaning helps to free up time for people to have fun building memories with friends and family rather than focusing on the dreaded task of cleaning up before and after events,” said Raychel Leong-Sullins, president of Maidkart. “We all deserve to enjoy the holiday season completely.”

Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Maidkart between October 3 and October 12, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

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As a top performing Maidkart location and the 2022 Franchisee of the Year, Maidkart of Las Vegas owner, Brandon Cross, has made it his mission to be the most trusted and reliable cleaning service company servicing the Las Vegas Valley. Since opening in 2006, Brandon and his team have grown from a small business into a large-scale operation that continues to bring the same quality and trusted cleanings they began with. We spoke with Brandon about his location’s success and what makes Maidkart the cleaning service that you can trust.

Question: How long has Maidkart of Las Vegas been in business:

Answer: We just celebrated 17 years in Las Vegas last month and we’ve been servicing the Henderson Valley area since 2020.

Question: What are some of the top reasons why people hire a cleaning service?

Answer: Time is money. Do people want to clean their house for three hours on Saturday or do they want to spend three hours with their family? Even more than time, it’s a form a therapy in a way. Many of us know what it’s like to work for twelve hours and come home to a dirty house, screaming kids, and dogs. If you come home to a house that’s dirty too, it’s even worse. But if you come home and the house is clean, you can focus on your family.

Question: What makes a Maidkart cleaning non-toxic and safe, as opposed to using cleaning products you may find at the store?

Answer: We are able to create all of our cleaning products on-site using an electrolyzed water generator. Our PUREcleaning system uses e-water which is a zero-residue product, so we leave nothing behind on your surfaces. There’s no dangerous residue on the floors for pets. If a customer asks, “Why doesn’t my house smell clean?” the truth is that your house shouldn’t smell clean. If your house smells clean, it’s because you have perfumes and chemicals in the air that you breathe. Using electrolyzed water, you may smell a slight hint of chlorine because of the hypochlorous acid, but there are no harmful chemicals or dyes used in our cleanings.

Question: What can someone expect from your team on their first cleaning with Maidkart?

Answer: They can expect to have a positive experience with us that hopefully makes them want to do business with us in the future. We show up in wrapped cars, uniforms, and our teams are friendly with our customers. They greet the customers and they say hi to the pets.

Over 90% of our communication is done by text, but we communicate however is necessary for the customer. We communicate with customers the day before, they’re going to know a two-hour window of our arrival, and if they need us to, we’ll text on the way to their house. We’ll also text during the clean if there are any questions. We can also text after we’re done if the customer needs us to so they can come lock the house.

Question: Your location has grown significantly in the last few years and you were 2022 Franchisee of the Year, how have you successfully maintained the same quality service through your growth and success?

Answer: We have a system that will work with 2 teams the same way it will work with 15 teams. We don’t overwhelm our teams with work, and we make sure each team’s travel efficiency is top-notch from house to house. Electrolyzed water has also helped streamline our system. We used to have so many cleaning products that it complicated everything. E-water makes it easier and more efficient. If we grew another 40%, I don’t see our quality changing.

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Artificial intelligence is an amazing thing. We prefer to ask Siri questions instead of others, Alexa knows our favorite songs and now we have introduced AI into our homes in the form of “Smart Thermostats.” Many of these different smart home devices can learn and respond to temperature preferences with the idea that using a smart thermostat will save money and energy. A more recognizable thermostat, the Nest claims to have saved over 22 billion kilowatt hours of energy since 2011 and some energy companies have given smart thermostats to their customers because of the ability to save more energy than traditional, manual thermostats.

How it works

Smart thermostats are connected via wireless internet in order for users and customers to monitor their energy and temperature and make adjustments through an app. These devices record the patterns and preferences of your home within a few days and program themselves to repeat the settings. Smart thermostats will also recognize when the house is empty and will adjust the temperature to an energy saving level and will record when the house becomes occupied again to return the temperature to normal.

Is the smart thermostat right for you?

• If you are already considering a smart thermostats, check what system is compatible with the device. Most smart thermostats work with either Google or Amazon.
• They can save customers about 10-12% on energy bills each year. Some argue that a traditional, manual thermostat is a better choice if you’re staying in a home less than 2 years.
• Smart thermostats also have the ability to notify customers of needed maintenance or repairs. Notifications are customizable for each issue. This can potentially save on expensive repair bills should the system fail or have a weather related emergency.
• If you’re considering installing a Smart Home System, make sure the brand will work with your current system and needs.

To read more about saving energy, check out these blogs:

https://www.maidkart.com/blog/save-money-by-using-less-energy/

https://www.maidkart.com/blog/green-your-home-by-using-less-energy/

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Leslie says, “The joke was on me that I was no longer the younger woman, but the older one, who was being called to share my life experiences with others.”  She now divides her time between coaching individuals and speaking around the country. Her goal is to let people know that there are alternatives to toxic cleaners, most of which are already in your pantry. Her goal is to re-program people to go to the pantry first, instead of under the kitchen sink, when looking for a cleaner. And that is why we’ve asked her to come on board – to share her green cleaning tips so you can keep your home cleaner and safer until Maidkart comes to clean!

Leslie is known as a Green Cleaning Coach…

Leslie is an author, spokesperson and is a teacher of green home-keeping. She has been on the Dr. Oz Show, as well as a contributor for Real Simple, the Today Show and Woman’s Day Magazine. She is a frequent home-keeping expert on Martha Stewart Living Radio and author of the book: The Joy of Green Cleaning – a handbook for DIY cleaners, including a collection of 101 homemade recipes that have been tested and proven to work as well as “store-bought” cleaners. The cornerstone recipe in her book is ‘Great Grandma’s Laundry Soap’ which is derived from her great-grandmothers laundry soap recipe. After testing the laundry soap, Leslie knew this and other old-fashioned recipes needed to be compiled into a convenient resource. Her mantra has now become: “We can change the world – one spray bottle at a time.”

Speaking of change – read her first blog for Maidkart – if a cleaning technique could change your life, this would be it: Bucket-less Mopping.

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Jim and Susie Fordice, and their daughter Laura Stark, are role models of perseverance, ingenuity and giving back.

The Fordices, Maidkart’s Northwest Houston franchisees, were among six Texas based small businesses honored at the 29th annual Lone Star College Small Business of the Year awards banquet November 19, 2015. A total of six small businesses were selected for the award — one representing each of Lone Star College’s six campuses – based on their contributions to their community.

Director of the LSCS Small Business Development Center Sal Mira explained, “Lone Star College serves 1,400 square miles, and within so large of a footprint are literally tens of thousands of small businesses, each looking to grow and prosper. Our finalists have not only grown, but have been recognized for excellence in the community. [They] have taken [their] dreams, put [their] own capital at risk, stayed awake many nights, helped to create jobs and even found time to give back to the community.”

Since Jim, Susie and Laura opened their residential and small commercial cleaning franchise in 1999 they have partnered with Habitat for Humanity to offer cleaning services for new homes; with Cleaning for a Reason to offer free monthly cleanings to cancer patients; and with Helping a Hero and Welcome Home Heroes, lending their services to military personnel. They are also involved with animal rescue groups and foster pets awaiting adoption.

“I am so honored for the nomination and to be a part of the finalist group that we’re in,” Jim said. “I have to give total credit to two people—my wife, who has stood behind me for the 16 years we’ve been doing this, and my daughter, Laura, who has brought us to the point where we are serving the community in addition to growing our business.”

Community members were able to nominate businesses to the LSCS Small Business Development Center, which narrowed down the field to three finalists for each campus. Roughly 350 people attended the awards ceremony to show support for the businesses nominated.

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New infographic explains how using independent contractors puts consumers at risk.

Just one day after the US Department of Labor published updates to federal classifications clarifying its definitions of employees versus independent contractors, one key player in the new “gig economy” bows out. HomeJoy, a click-to-consume app-driven company that pairs house cleaning providers with consumers in need, conceded its bid to revolutionize the home services industry in a press release issued July 17^th, saying the outfit will shutter operations effective July 31. The quick exit is seen by cleaning industry insiders as a harbinger of more backlash against companies that outsource home services to contract laborers. These companies sub-contract their work, usually to individuals, in an effort to control expenses and maximize shareholder earnings. The problem is, this model thrives at the expense of the worker and the consumer. A new infographic sponsored by national housecleaning service Maidkart illustrates the 5 biggest pitfalls a consumer faces when hiring a house cleaning company that sends independent contractors to do the work.

When Injury Occurs

HomeJoy and other companies using contract labor are able to avoid many large expenses required of companies with true employees on the payroll, most notably worker’s comp insurance. It is assumed that the contractor maintains his or her own policies however in reality many contract workers forego such a major expense, instead gambling against the odds of injury on the job. “In the unfortunate event that injury does occur, contract cleaning workers may seek (and get) medical reimbursement from the owners of the home they were cleaning when the injury took place,” warns Bart Puett, president of Maidkart.

Tax Liability

Homeowners may also be liable for Social Security, Medicare and unemployment taxes and penalties for the contract workers who do not make accurate and timely payments to the IRS each quarter themselves. Since the contract worker is not employed by the housecleaning company that dispatched them, the IRS may deem that the homeowner is the employer of that cleaner and therefore responsible for these taxes. The risk of finding a surprise tax bill in the mailbox is slim for most consumers who have cleaning help but the fees and penalties can be costly, not to mention the professional and social stigma that accompanies real or perceived tax evasion.

Don’t Get Taken to the Cleaners

Ernie Hartong, CEO of the Association for Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI), advises homeowners seeking help with house cleaning to do their homework. “Homeowners should do their due diligence before hiring a house cleaner or professional cleaning service. To avoid the pitfalls that can occur when someone is working in your home, ask to see a copy of the company’s business license and insurance policy before hiring,” cautions Hartong. “A professional company should gladly provide these to any consumer who asks.”

Maidkart is the only house cleaning service that is Green Clean Certified® with more than 400 franchise service areas in the United States and Canada. A leader in house cleaning since 1985, Maidkart is the green cleaning industry leader and has a longstanding legacy of providing quality customer service and consistent and thorough cleaning using the most advanced techniques and equipment. The company has also implemented a consumer advocacy program in response to reports from the Environmental Protection Agency linking chemicals in traditional cleaning products to a wide range of health risks. All Maidkart cleaning professionals are employees of the company not independent contractors. Maidkart is  member of ARCSI.

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Ingredients in fragrances can cause a wide variety of health problems, ranging from mild headaches to more serious  neurological, reproductive and behavioral disorders. Perhaps the greatest irony is that these harmful chemical ingredients don’t do anything to improve the efficacy of the product – they only introduce unnecessary risk!

The good news is, consumers have SOME of the information they need to make safe and healthy decisions for their families and for our environment. And that a major consumer packaged goods company is trying to get us the information we need in order to make informed choices.  I applaud SC Johnson for leading this new and exciting disclosure movement that we, as consumers, have been waiting so long for, but in my opinion, this is just the first piece of the puzzle.

The bad news is, SC Johnson has gone about as far as it can go down the path toward full disclosure.  Fragrance manufacturers are not disclosing all the chemical ingredients to SC Johnson because under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, household cleaners are the only household products for which manufacturers are NOT required to list all ingredients. Fragrances are considered trade secrets and this regulation protects such proprietary information. It doesn’t matter that the fragrance ingredients only make up less than 2% of a product’s entire formulation. Without full disclosure, consumers can unknowingly submit themselves and their families to unhealthy exposures to these chemicals.

Changes still need to be made! SC Johnson has gone as far as they could with disclosing chemical ingredients, but now the fragrance manufacturers have to do their part and allow ALL ingredients to be disclosed. Why? Because until there is FULL disclosure on product-specific ingredients, consumers still cannot make informed decisions about products for their families.

SC Johnson supposedly has strict parameters in place for their fragrance suppliers. They also claim they assess their fragrances for personal health and environmental risks before putting them into their products. However, in my opinion, if SC Johnson wants to truly lead the industry in disclosure, they need to stand their ground with their manufacturers on disclosing product-specific fragrances.

Also needed is new legislation. We as consumers must also let our voices be heard so that laws previously designed to protect manufacturers at the risk of the public can finally get re-written to protect the people that government is constitutionally charged to protect.

Even though SC Johnson has made great strides leading the ingredient disclosure movement, we still have no way of knowing what fragranced chemicals we are actually bringing into our homes. And without this information, our health is still on the line.

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Let’s face it. Going green is in. Not only are more Americans changing to eco-friendly ways at home and work, but schools are getting in on protecting our planet. In fact, many of America’s colleges are not only inspiring students to learn about caring for our environment, they are taking initiatives in changing the colleges themselves to be more eco-friendly.

Most colleges and universities, big and small, are going way beyond recycling and have begun installing solar panels and green roofs, while others have started organic farms and planting organic gardens. Whatever they choose to do the goal is the same – to take care of our environment by creating sustainable practices on the college campus as a whole.

According to the latest research from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, about 1,000 colleges and universities around the country are working hard at making their facilities, practices, and curriculums environmentally conscious and sustainable.

A recent poll by The Princeton Review showed that around 69 percent of students consider a school’s sustainability commitment when making their decision about where to attend college. This number has increased by five percent since 2008. Even though financial aid and academics still rank higher, The Princeton Review reported that prospective students are more likely to consider sustainability than ever before.

One of the ways schools are going green is by constructing LEED certified buildings. LEED certification is a recognized standard for buildings that meet certain sustainable criteria, like minimizing water and electricity consumption.

The University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, became a national leader in green construction after building Swindells Hall, the schools science building which was made bricks, metals and recycled glass. The building has sustainably harvested wood, state of the art lighting and windows, low toxicity paint, and a high efficient heating and cooling system. At the time it was being built, Swindells Hall was the first science building in the country designed that way. The University of Portland wanted to prove they were committed towards living the right way to protect the environment.

The Swindells Hall building includes 300,000 pounds of wide-flanged steel, made from 100 percent recyclable scrap metal. The brick is made of 10 percent recycled material. The carpeting uses odorless adhesives rather than toxic solvents. The bulletin board fabric is made from recycled soda bottles and the wood cabinets faces are 100 percent sustainably grown maple. Electronic sensors help control lighting and an indirect evaporative cooling system pulls outside air to reduce air conditioning demands.

Since then, the University’s plan is to become carbon-neutral by 2040. They have been installing energy saving solar panels on older buildings and replacing older fixtures and windows with more efficient ones.

The staff and faculty at the University also extend their education efforts out in the community by hosting sustainability meetings, conferences, and speakers on the environment, with a goal of teaching their students and the community to become world changers.

All of the new buildings at Santa Clara University located in Santa Clara, California, have earned “LEED Gold” ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council. The buildings also come equipped with light sensors and water-saving systems such as waterless urinals and low shower fixtures. When it comes to landscaping, the University only uses recycled water.

Santa Clara University also offers more than 200 courses related to environmental issues, ranging from literature to engineering to psychology.
Another college whose core is comprised of environmental sustainability is Warren Wilson College located in Swannanoa, North Carolina. The College is a leader in green building and design. The school just about supports itself, getting their lumber and food from the University’s own gardens and managed forests. In fact, their chainsaws even use soy oil!

The vehicles at Warren Wilson College run on biodiesel. They also use solar-charged carts and hybrids. The College streetlamps are solar-powered and low light pollution.

Warren Wilson’s EcoDorm, built in 2003, was the first college building to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s (LEED) highest rating, the Platinum certification, for existing buildings.

The students at Warren Wilson are experts at recycling and composting. They also have access to a “free store,” where used items find new life.
The University of New Hampshire in Durham, North Hampshire is the first major University to power their heating, cooling, and electricity with renewable resources by creating a landfill gas-to-energy project. The University’s EcoLine uses landfill gas as its primary fuel source, which powers up to 85 percent of the campuses electricity and heat.

Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, has a 1,000 acre campus consisting of 800 acres of woods, forest and saltwater beach. Their beautiful plants and gardens surround a 13 acre organic farm with compost facility included that the school uses to teach courses like organic agriculture. The organic produce that is grown there is also served around the campus eateries. Twice a week, the organic food is also sold at the College’s on campus farm stand, but a majority of the food grown is donated to local food banks.

Evergreen State College buys 100 percent clean power, and uses electric vehicles around campus. Their Seminar II building, equipped with a green roof and other efficiency features, is Gold LEED certified. The College also offers students an abundance of hands-on opportunities to get down and dirty with organic farming, ecology, conservation and a lot more.

Emory University, located downtown in Atlanta, Georgia, has a monitor in each dorm lobby that shows how much water and electricity is being used in the building. The toilets around campus are also almost all dual-flush. The University also takes pride in their weekly sustainable food fairs, where local growers sell their products. In fact, Emory has its own garden right in the middle of campus. The University’s shuttles also run on oil collected from the kitchens of the dining locations around campus.

The College of the Atlantic located in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine, lives and breathes sustainability. The small school is home to only a few hundred students, all focused on one field, human ecology, which focuses on the relationship between humans and our planet.

The College of the Atlantic was the first college to go carbon neutral. The campus is strongly committed to historic prevention, land conservation, green building, and toxin elimination. Organic food, locally sourced, of course, is on the menu morning, noon, and night. This college takes pride in being one of the leaders in teaching students to become future leaders in advocacy, ecology, and conservation.

Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, is located in a gorgeous mountain environment where outdoor activities are just boundless. The University natural attracts staff, students, and faculty that already have an appreciation for our beautiful, natural environment. Appalachian’s green practices has a history of opening their student’s eyes to the importance of sustainability.

Even though most students agree with implementing sustainability practices, some students wonder whether or not LEED certification and alternative fuel costs affect tuition and other College fees. Most Colleges and Universities have already developed ways to fund their green initiatives. Most of them rely on donations. Others might charge a small fee per student. At Appalachian State, there is a five dollar fee per student per semester for renewable energy installations. Many Colleges and Universities that have implemented measures like energy efficient retrofits have been funded by the cost of the savings of the retrofit.

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