The intent of this credit is to avoid exposure of building occupants to potentially hazardous chemicals that adversely impact air quality. Our question is in regards to the part of the credit that requires us to "provide drains plumbed for appropriate disposal of liquid waste in spaces where water and chemical concentrate mixing occurs." Our project is a federally funded K-12 school for the Navajo nation. The school has adopted a green housekeeping program for the new building in accordance with the Eastern Navajo Agency\'s (ENA) Green Housekeeping Program. This program focuses on the utilization of standardized environmentally friendly institutional cleaning chemicals and enhanced custodial training using the Green Seal approved ENVIRCARE chemical line, which consists of products that are non-hazardous and have a low environmental impact. The ENA Green Housekeeping standard meets several federal mandates including Executive Order 13101 on Greening the Government through Waste Prevention, Recycling and Federal Acquisition and Section 23.703 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation which requires federal agencies to consider environmental factors when purchasing products and services. Do we still need to provide a separate drain system if the school will not be allowing toxic chemicals in the building? If the green housekeeping program in itself is insufficient to meet this credit, can we provide one sink in the building with a portable waste disposal tank? The portable tank will be a stand-alone system consisting of a sink, faucet with a self-contained pump-actuated water supply and a detachable receiving/storage tank. The tank can be easily removed from the drain, and its contents disposed of in a separate government-supplied drum. The school currently captures, stores and disposes of waste according to a government mandate, and has the operating procedures incorporated into their day to day operation. If you do allow the green housekeeping standards to apply to this credit, what additional submittals will you require?
The green housekeeping program is commendable but not directly applicable to credit achievement. However, because of this program, there does not appear to be chemical use in this building that would require a separate drainage system, and thus such a system will not be required. Include a summary of housekeeping specifications in your LEED documentation.