Scott Powers
Sentinel Staff Writer
Orlando Sentinel
April 14, 2007
If Walt Disney World is concerned enough about toxic cleaning products to avoid using them in some places, the company should ban them throughout, an environmentalist group challenged on Friday.
The Virginia-based Center for Health, Environment & Justice called for Disney World to switch to nontoxic, biodegradable cleaning products in all its hotels, restaurants and parks.
The group, which was founded by activist Lois Gibbs of Love Canal fame, lauded Disney for avoiding toxic cleaners in some properties, including several hotels and Disney's Animal Kingdom, and said the company can and should do so throughout. Stacey Gonzalez urged Disney to pledge to a timetable to accelerate its move toward using "green" cleaning products.
"They already are using green cleaners in Animal Kingdom so they know it is important," said Stacey Gonzalez, chairman of the center's Child Proofing and Communities Campaign. "Disney is the leader in the tourism industry. We know they can make this transition, and we know they can be a leader in this industry."
Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Polak questioned the validity of the group's Animal Kingdom comparison, saying there were no special policies regarding cleaning products used there. She said Disney uses safe, carefully reviewed cleaning products throughout all its properties.
"We believe all our products are safe for our guests and for our employees," Polak said.
She noted Disney is pursuing a number of strong environmental initiatives, including one to have its hotels declared "green lodging" in the Florida Green Lodging Certification Program. Six of them have been certified so far, she said, adding, "It's a process."
Gonzalez said some of Disney's certified green hotels earned the label in part because of a commitment to using only green cleaning products there.
Yet in other hotels and parks, she said, Disney still uses some cleaners, such as a particular laundry detergent, a glass cleaner and a floor cleaner, made with ingredients linked to a wide variety of human health problems. There are effective, "green" alternatives for all of them, she said.