Leed Certified Pest Management
Twenty First Century Pest Control is not the same as the old days
. I recently attended the 76th Annual NPMA National Pest Management Association Pest World Convention, where we had the largest attendance at a pest control convention to date. The Pest Control industry really understands the importance of coming together as an industry and supporting one another. We were told that attendance was up nearly 20% while most other industry associations are having tough times at their annual conventions. Our industry understands the need to network with our peers, work together to come up with strategies to push through the economy, and look forward into new products and materials made available to the pest control industry.Today everyone is talking about being Green including the pest control industry. This movement has already started to morph, into even more technical areas in the green pest control arena than previously thought it would. Originally, Green products were developed by a few vendors, and some companies adopted the use of these products into their services and called it Green because the products themselves were Eco Friendly.
However, at this years convention, there was a lot more introduced on this subject, for example, NPMA has Quality Pro Certification this is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Pest control, and they now have a Quality Pro Green certification, that has put together scopes of service, more IPM related programs, staff training, etc This program brings uniformity to our industry because there are a number of green programs out there, but each is different and not all are recognized as a certified programs with set compliance standards.
While this is all great stuff, we learned that every industry is working more toward becoming Green and until recently the definition was different everywhere you looked. Today, through programs such as LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, many industries are coming together to promote Green by working together under a more defined structure. Whether its cleaning products, air conditioning, landscaping, type of flooring materials, plant care, pest control, etc, Green is about an environment that is comfortable, safe, bug and pest free, energy efficient and environmentally sound.
Pest control companies are paramount to green programs because we are already accustom to Integrated Pest Management where we focus on Inspection, sanitation recommendations, necessary exclusion (sealing up holes and cracks where not only pests can enter, but also dust and heating and air conditioning can exit), cultural issues, biological controls and of course a judicious utilization of pesticides where necessary. Throughout our evolution from pest control to LEED Certified Pest Management programs, communication is ever increasing in importance, and our service personnel must be masters of reporting, measuring, monitoring and communicating to all the necessary parties involved, including service partners for additional building operations.
Professionalism is key to the evolution of the Pest Control industry, IPM Integrated Pest Management is the central core of green pest management and communication is the glue to a superior LEED Certified Pest Management Program.
A vendor who wants to operate at a level high enough to provide LEED Certified Pest Management must be able to work at a level that will work within the standards set by the LEED program that reduces the risk and reliance on pesticides, while still providing the ultimate goal of building owners and managers, that is; You were hired to take care" of the problems.
This can be a tough bill to fill, but by being sensitive to the customers goals and understanding your requirements can be fun and certainly is a challenge that Invader Pest Management has stepped up to the plate and accepted.
by: Fred Willey