With the New Year comes new concerns for building owners and managers trying to reduce the environmental impact of their buildings and the operations necessary to maintain them.

Last month, just in time for the Copenhagen climate summit, which was attended by President Barack Obama and leaders from 192 industrialized nations, the EPA released findings that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people, paving the way for finalization of the EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty vehicles.

Though the EPA says the findings do not impose any requirements on industry or other entities, we think it would be naïve to think there can’t be any impact on building owners and managers in the future.

After all, the environmental impact of the building design, construction and operations industry is enormous. Buildings annually consume more than 30 percent of the total energy and more than 60 percent of the electricity used in the United States. In 2006, the commercial building sector produced more than 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide – one of six gases being targeted by the EPA, an increase of more than 30 percent over 1990 levels.

So to fend off future EPA actions, building owners and the people who maintain them are turning to green building practices that can substantially reduce or eliminate negative environmental. Whether you believe in man-made global warming or not, or if you can put faith in the science behind the theory, there’s good reason, such as reduced costs, to improve energy efficiencies and productivity through green cleaning and maintenance practices.

And as the USGBC prepares to revise the LEED-EBOM (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance) standard, its third version, the cleaning industry has a chance to have its voice heard.

The Ashkin Group, a green cleaning consultancy, and the Green Cleaning Network, LLC have been selected to work with the USGBC on the revision. “Based on our experience working on the LEED-EB Core Committee, we have been asked to gather comments directly from the [cleaning] industry about LEED and its impact on Green Cleaning,” said Ashkin.

Although the new standards will not be released for two years, the preparatory planning work, including feedback and comments from the industry, is needed by January 30th, said Ashkin. “This is a big undertaking and [a] very important process. The feedback is valuable because it helps us recognize where changes may be necessary.”

Ashkin expects “hundreds of comments,” and says the revisions made will impact our industry for years to come. I want our industry to [continue to] play a leading role in not only promoting Green and sustainable issues, but setting some of the rules for creating healthy, high performing buildings.”

To make a comment and have your voice be heard, go to www.ashkinleedeb.com. President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson have publicly stated that they support a legislative solution to the problem of climate change and Congress’ efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation. However, it says climate change is threatening public health and welfare, and it is critical that EPA fulfill its obligation to respond to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined that greenhouse gases fit within the Clean Air Act definition of air pollutants.

Perhaps it’s also time for the cleaning industry to be heard regarding these efforts. It might make for a good New Year’s resolution, one that can actually be kept.