Philip Alvarado

Credit: Gosia Sklodowska/Jon Chapman

Philip Alvarado knows a lot about green cleaning. Before joining Facilities Maintenance Operations (FMO) six months ago as a custodial supervisor, he managed custodial services at the JFK Federal Building. When the government began "pushing hard on green," he trained staff there to utilize green cleaning supplies and paper products. He notes that when energy efficient hand dryers were installed in the bathrooms, he witnessed a significant waste and cost reduction.

Philip's primary role in improving sustainability at Harvard is to continuously train and educate both the custodial staff and building occupants about the recycling program in place at Harvard. In addition to bringing recycled paper products to The Peabody Museum, he is also working to expand the use of Green Seal Certified cleaning products in all of the nine buildings he manages. While most of the certified chemicals are equivalent in performance to those previously used, some are not quite as effective. It is clear to Philip that there are still areas in need of improvement. "The industry needs to do more to make more green products available and to improve what is already available." Optimistic about the future, he sees this industry "going completely green" in the next few years.