[Green Pest Management] Green: Where is the Industry Going?

Green. The term conjures up different visions for everyone. Car companies advertise “green” to convey low emissions and better efficiency to reduce a vehicle’s carbon footprint. Detergent manufacturers offer the term as another way to say the products are free from harsh chemical cleaners. And carpet manufacturers have gone “green” as a way to express there’s less off-gassing of volatile organic compounds such as solvents. But what does “green” mean to pest management companies?

In our industry, there is no current standard as to what “green” really means. Some companies label “green services” as using “natural” products, but we all know that some natural products can be hazardous to plants, materials and even people. Just because it is natural doesn’t mean that it is “green.”

PEST MANAGEMENT AS A COMPONENT. There are several green programs in place not specifically for the pest management industry, but commonly pest management is part of a more comprehensive green program. Just as in a hospital, pest management is addressed as a part of a significant cornerstone program but not necessarily as a free-standing program.

LEED GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS. Probably the most widely recognized program with a long-standing history is the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The council’s goal is to provide “independent, third-party verification that a structure meets the highest green building and performance measures.” The USGBC is a non-profit composed of local leaders, code officials, builders, engineers and business owners — including pest management firms. USGBC has 72 local chapters, and expects that membership will exceed 14,500 in 2008. This is a very organized and impressive group. As part of the LEED program, buildings are rated based upon formal standards adopted by USGBC. LEED examines design and construction of new buildings and operations of existing buildings. Currently, the group focuses on commercial structures but residential standards are in pilot testing at this time.

The LEED system has some mandatory requirements such as waste disposal, but pest management practices are not part of the mandatory provisions. A maximum of one point can be awarded by utilizing standards for green pest management; however, a building can receive any certification level without addressing green pest management practices. The green pest management standards focus heavily on IPM, and compliance by pest management companies would be a reasonable task if the building managers desire to gain the point from pest management practices. Points are awarded for green efforts and when points are tallied, the building can become “certified,” “silver,” “gold” or “platinum.” Total points do not exceed 85, and “platinum” requires 64 to 85 points. For more information, go to www.usgbc.org.

ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS. The National Association of Home Builders has followed suit. For several years, the NAHB has had Green Building Guidelines. These address similar areas as LEED but have been just guidelines up to this point. In 2007, the NAHB began drafting Green Building Standards with green pest management included as an option primarily for termite prevention.

The NAHB Standards will use a point system similar to LEED, with green termite prevention being optional but still allowing the builder to gain points. One odd requirement is that the proposed standards incorporate termite prevention methods that are untested and in some cases, unavailable. For example, the standards encourage the use of termite-proof gravel and a continuous physical barrier. Even the physical barriers available today would not comply.

The National Pest Management Association commented during the public comment period that some provisions that are suggested for “green” under the proposal would not comply with the International Residential Code (IRC). Currently, the NAHB is reviewing comments and is preparing another draft prior to consideration by the NAHB board of directors. For further information go to www.nahb.org.

ECOWISE CERTIFIED. EcoWise is one of two external programs that focus directly on pest management. EcoWise certifies individuals who agree to abide by the EcoWise pest management standards and are subject to field audits. The pest management firm then becomes certified based upon having the trained individual.

EcoWise Certified addresses only general pest control at this time. The approach that EcoWise uses incorporates Integrated Pest Management but clarifies the “least toxic” requirement so that the ultimate consideration is not just the toxicity of the product, but the use patterns and exposure as well. The program considers, among other items, customer communication, technician training, inspections, evaluation and using products only as necessary.

Currently, there are six pest management firms listed on the EcoWise Web site as certified IPM Providers. All companies are listed as having California addresses. The Web address is www.ecowisecertified.org.

THE IPM INSTITUTE. Another group that’s offering a green program specifically for pest management is the IPM Institute of North America, which originally established its market by certifying schools and pest management firms with its IPM Star Program.

The group now offers a Green Shield Certified Program where individual companies can volunteer to meet criteria as set by the institute. The program promotes the institute’s version of Integrated Pest Management and offers in-depth audits of pest management practices including scrutinizing all products and equipment used for pest management.

There are two categories of companies. If a company only offers all services in compliance with the Green Shield Certified program, the company is listed online as complying with the standards for all pest management work. There are currently two pest management companies nationwide that are in this category. A second category lists companies that will comply with the Green Shield Certified program if requested. There are currently eight pest management companies nationwide listed in this category.

The Green Shield Certified program will also certify facilities in compliance with the program, so a particular facility can be certified based upon the pest management practices permitted in that facility, similar to the Institute’s IPM Star program for schools. More information can be found at www.greenshieldcertified.org.

INDUSTRY EFFORTS. The National Pest Management Association is also addressing the green issue for pest management firms. Ceded within the QualityPro program of NPMA, a company will be able to attain the credential of QualityPro Green Services. Companies that are not QualityPro may also set up green programs in their company, but they would not be able to declare that they are QualityPro Green Services.

The program emphasizes customer participation since the needs of the customer will vary greatly and not all companies can implement green identically. The industry-tested IPM philosophy is a cornerstone of the program, but will go much further to include proper contracts so that customers know their responsibilities and what services the company will provide and assist with product selection by stepping through a logical process to allow the company to make the best decisions.

NPMA is releasing the program this year and it will be a major topic of discussion at PestWorld in October. In June, the standard was approved by the QualityPro board of directors.

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS. Green is here to stay and many attributes of green are based upon IPM, a concept very familiar to the industry. Companies are in a position to decide whether “green” should be part of their business plan, and if so, the industry’s long history of IPM will guide us into the new world of green.

As the industry’s position on green evolves, it will present great opportunity. Companies should be in a position to comply with customer requests, whether from LEED, NAHB or any other group.

The author is vice president of technical services for the National Pest Management Association.