My name is Jim Wallace, and I am a COO for the professional cleaning industry based in Detroit. I am concerned that the proposed LEED v5 undervalues cleaning, particularly green cleaning.

The professional cleaning industry proved its importance during and since the pandemic. It keeps people healthy. LEED v5 eliminates the green cleaning prerequisite and now only offers 3 points for green cleaning. I believe LEED v5 is a setback to pre-LEED:EB 2009 levels and undervalues the importance of cleaning to protect occupant health and wellbeing.

It is suggested that the number of points for cleaning be increased to 10 to both recognize the importance of cleaning during the ongoing operations of a building and to incentivize a level of cleaning that is truly protective of occupant health. Furthermore, it is important to restore the Prerequisite on Green Cleaning to make sure that the process of cleaning is addressed properly and effectively.

Regards,

Jim Wallace