The First Facility Management Blog

A new comprehensive guide for sustainable development in the federal government has earned an award from the Federal Planning Division of the American Planning Association. Titled “The New Sustainable Frontier – Principles of Sustainable Development,” the guide was published in September 2009 by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Jonathan Herz, of the GSA’s Office of Governmentwide Policy, authored the publication with the assistance of Anica Landreneau of architectural firm HOK and Matthias Ruth of the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland.

The guide is being recognized as part of the GSA Sustainable Development Education Initiative, which was selected as the winner in the “Outstanding Sustainable Planning, Design and Development Initiative” category.

The authors of the 40-page guidebook—which includes a foreword by Ray C. Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface, Inc.—declared that: “Today’s world is decidedly not sustainable and neither are the Government’s operations. But both of them can be.” To that end, it provides specific principles for “How to live sustainably as a species on a finite Earth into the indefinite future.”

“The economy is a social structure within the greater ecosystem,” explain the authors. “The ecosystem is not subservient to the economy. Without a high quality of matter and energy to transform into goods and services, the economy is on a shaky foundation. We need to connect the laws of thermodynamics back to our economic and ecological decision-making.”

“Incremental change will not be sufficient,” the authors declare. “Existing policies, programs and rating systems must be examined in a closed-loop context; their limitations understood and their applicability reconsidered.”

To request a copy of this PDF, send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words, “Sustainable Frontier” in the subject line of your e-mail.

All Traffic Solutions recently announced the winners of its Traffic Safety Grant award—Eustace Independent School District in Eustace, TX and Lee County School District in Fort Myers, FL. The grant awards a radar speed display to the school(s) that best identifies traffic safety issues on or near their campus and clearly articulates how data captured by a radar speed display could significantly improve the safety of its community. All K-12 schools in the U.S. were eligible to apply.

“The grant submissions were outstanding,” said Scott Johnson, vice president of All Traffic Solutions, located in State College, PA. “We had schools submit You Tube videos, Google earth satellite images of their campus, and many chilling stories of near fatalities involving speeding cars in a school zone.”

Because of the high quality of the applications, All Traffic Solutions chose two winners this year, instead of the customary one.

Johnson continues, “A common factor across the applications was the shortage of police traffic resources within a community. Without enforcement, school zone speed requirements go unchecked. While a radar speed display does not replace a traffic safety officer, having a display dedicated to a school district will deliver critical data to the police department on the times of day when speeding occurs the most and the volume of traffic that disregards the posted speed limit. With this information, a police force can efficiently deploy resources at the right time thereby making the school zone safer.”

In addition to improving the safety of the students through speed reduction, the signs will play an important role in the education programs of local police departments. Award winner Lee County School District struggles with an influx of seasonal residents for about six months of the year. As the “snowbirds” begin to arrive, the police launch communication campaigns reminding drivers that school is in session. Lee County hopes to see an increase in school zone safety when the new radar speed display is deployed and plans to share the data from the signs with the local police department, the mayor’s office and city council.

Public ceremonies of the grant awards are being scheduled for the spring. All Traffic Solutions plans to continue and expand its grant program in 2010.

This past December, Armstrong World Industries named the National Security Agency (NSA) in Ft. Meade, MD as its 2009 Ceiling Recycler of the Year. Over the past 14 months, the government agency has recycled more than 400,000 square feet of discarded ceiling tiles. The award was presented to NSA at a ceremony at the National Cryptologic Museum, the NSA’s principal gateway to the public.

Steve Lopez, NSA deputy associate director for installations and logistics (left) accepts the award from Paul Corr, Armstrong regional vice president, commercial ceiling sales-east.

This Armstrong award recognizes companies and organizations that make significant environmental contributions through their recycling initiatives. Other recipients recognized for their recycling achievements have included General Motors, Nike, Pfizer, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

NSA began recycling its old ceiling tiles in September 2008 as part of the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program. The program, established in 1999, is the nation’s first and longest running program of its kind. It enables facility managers to ship ceilings from renovation projects to an Armstrong ceiling plant as an alternative to landfill disposal.

Earlier EPA Recognition

The NSA was also recognized for recycling actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in September 2009 wit the annual EPA, Region 3 [mid-Atlantic region), Environmental Achievement Awards program. Through the partnership of the Occupational Health Environmental and Safety Services (OHESS) organization, the Installations and Logistics organization (I&L), and the general workforce, more 11 million pounds (5,815 tons) of materials were diverted from landfills and recycled by the NSA Fort George G. Meade campus during the 2008 calendar year.

There are four broad classes of sources for the recycled material from NSA: Facilities-Related materials, Automated Data Processing Equipment (ADPE), Universal Wastes, and Employee-Derived Materials. The facilities-related recycled materials category contained the largest amount of recyclables at 3,278 tons. Most of these recyclables were derived from rehabilitation and construction projects. In addition to its ceiling tile recycling efforts with Armstrong World Industries, the NSA campus also recycled construction metal, paving millings, raised flooring cardboard, concrete and pavers, and cable reels and pallets.

HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), a Norwalk, CT-based private owner/operator of hotel real estate, has received the Corporate Energy Management award from the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). This award from AEE is presented to companies and individuals who make important strides in energy conservation, sustainability efforts, and/or products.

HEI acquires, develops, owns, and operates full-service hotels and resorts throughout the U.S. under such brand names as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Embassy Suites, and Hilton. Upon receiving the award in December 2009, the company joined Toyota, General Motors, U.S. Postal Service and McDonald’s as past winners of the AEE award.

“Since launching our energy management programs in 2005, HEI has invested more than $6.5 million in energy related capital improvements to its portfolio of full service, upper scale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the U.S.,” said Gary Mendell, HEI’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Those initial capital upgrades already are resulting in more than $2 million in annual energy savings, and we continue to explore and implement additional programs. In 2009, we launched the ‘Energy Looking Glass (ELG)’, a proprietary energy monitoring dashboard, which maximizes our energy use across the portfolio. HEI firmly believes that not only is sustainability important for the welfare of the planet, but also can yield meaningful cost savings for companies who invest wisely.”

The company has set additional benchmarks for further energy and waste reduction for 2010. HEI plans to reduce energy consumption companywide by 5% in the coming year by continuing its 2009 programs targeting operational awareness and conservation. While 2009 focused largely on the efforts of its general managers and chief engineers, new programs will be added to include executive chefs, executive housekeepers, and banquet managers. Additionally, the company is in the planning stages to renovate an existing hotel to achieve LEED-EB certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Bob Holesko, HEI VP of Facilities (right) with Robert F Kennedy, Jr, keynote speaker for the AEE event

Facilities Department Actions

“To achieve true success in sustainability, however, we knew we would have to get our associates engaged and motivated to help,” added Bob Holesko, VP of facilities. “At the beginning of 2009, we began a competition amongst our hotels, divided by brand. Prizes ranging from gift cards to flat screen televisions were awarded to hotel associates for reductions in energy usage, assisting the $1 million in energy savings from our ELG program. Through October, we have observed a reduction in consumption of approximately 8% to 2008, irrespective of additional monetary savings experienced through decreases in energy rates.”

In an effort to further empower associates to get involved, HEI launched a social responsibility program in September 2009. Entitled “We CARE,” the program focuses on four parts: Communities, Associates, Relationships and Environment. The company will embark on “E(nvironment)” programs this year, focusing on trash & recycling programs to determine what can be done to reduce waste and improve recycling.

“While a number of companies give lip service to sustainability efforts, HEI has implemented meaningful programs to reduce the carbon footprints of its hotel portfolio,” said Richard G. Lubinski, regional chapter president of the AEE and president of Think Energy Management LLC. “Other hospitality companies can learn from their success - HEI has proven that ‘going green’ can result in meaningful gains to the bottom line.”

Global Spectrum, the management company responsible for daily operations at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati since 2006, was recognized on November 17, 2009 with the Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District’s Public Recycling Award. “We are honored to have received this award,” said the center’s General Manager, Ric Booth. “We feel that being good environmental stewards by reducing the amount of waste produced by events in the building is simply the right thing to do.”

Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, OH

The program began in 2008 when Global Spectrum began recycling cardboard. Cardboard is one of the largest waste materials produced at the Duke Energy Convention Center because conventions, trade shows, and other groups ship large quantities of materials to the Center for their events. A cardboard bailer was installed in order to reduce this waste and 163,800 pounds of the material have been recycled as a result.

The Center’s recycling program was expanded in 2008 with a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. This grant helped purchase 20 recycling bins that were placed throughout the building. Since then, 81,760 pounds of paper plastic and aluminum have been recycled. Global Spectrum staff at the Duke Energy Convention Center have also recycled more than 1,000 wooden pallets, and all outdated computer equipment is recycled through the Cincinnati Computer Cooperative.

In addition to recycling, the Center has undertaken efforts to reduce its energy use. Incandescent lightbulbs have been replaced with more efficient compact fluorescent and cold cathode bulbs. This change has resulted in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 154,000 pounds (77 tons) annually.

During the November 17 event, Booth also noted that several other environmental projects are planned, such as installing solar panels on the roof that will further reduce energy use and green the building.

Click here to read TFM’s coverage of Duke Energy Center’s renovation and expansion completed in 2006.

The Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC-US) has honored CityCenter in Las Vegas, Nev., as the best commercial project of 2009 in the fifth annual Designing & Building with FSC Awards. The awards recognize entities that are committed to using sustainably harvested wood and creating a marketplace that promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management. CityCenter’s dedication to the use of FSC-certified wood products is unprecedented in scale and resulted in a significant market transformation.

“We are honored to be recognized as this year’s top commercial project,” said Cindy Ortega, senior vice president of MGM MIRAGE’s Energy and Environmental Services. “Sustainability has been at the forefront of every design and construction decision for CityCenter, and due to our high demand for responsibly harvested FSC-certified wood, numerous local companies have transformed their business practices, thereby opening channels for future sustainable projects.”

Due to its size and buying power, construction of the 18-million-square-foot CityCenter development expanded the local and domestic FSC wood supply markets, which will serve to open channels to future projects interested in purchasing FSC-certified wood. Ten local wood suppliers received their FSC chain of custody certification to supply wood to CityCenter.

Additionally, the development supported numerous FSC-certified companies, including: 17 wood mills, 19 manufacturers and fabricators, 50 vendors, and eight sub-contractors.

“As far as a project that has driven the national demand for FSC chain of custody suppliers and products, CityCenter is it—and it deserves to be recognized for that,” said Terry Campbell of Forest Products Solutions, in Portland, Ore., and a Designing & Building with FSC Awards jurist.

The FSC is an international nonprofit organization established to promote responsible management, distribution and use of timber throughout the world. The FSC-US is recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system as the world’s only credible organization to certify responsible forestry.

CityCenter is a joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World.

On September 21, 2009, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced the winners of its annual Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards.

Four of these awards are presented annually to institutions that have made the greatest overall commitment to sustainability as demonstrated in their education and research, campus operations, and administration and finance. In 2009, the four winners, and their respective categories, are:

• Butte College, Oroville, CA (Community colleges and other two-year institutions)
• Furman University, Greenville, SC (Four-year and graduate institutions under 5,000 student FTE)
• University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (Four-year and graduate institutions 5,000 - 15,000 student FTE)
• New York University, New York, NY (Four-year and graduate institutions over 15,000 student FTE)

Submissions were judged on the following criteria:

• Overall impact of an institution’s efforts, relative to the institution’s size and wealth
• Breadth of sustainability initiatives, especially the integration of social aspects of sustainability
• Extent of student involvement in sustainability activities
• Level of support from campus administration
• Extent to which institution serves as a model for others

The awards were formally presented at the Greening of the Campus VIII Conference, September 20-23 in Indianapolis, IN. To read about what each winning institution is doing in the realm of sustainability, visit the AASHE Web site.

About AASHE
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is an association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada that are working to create a sustainable future. Its mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. AASHE does this by providing resources, professional development, and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research.

Carpet manufacturer Beaulieu Commercial was recently honored with a 2009 Green Power Leadership Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards ceremony in Atlanta, GA. The EPA co-sponsors the Green Power Leadership Awards with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions, a national non-profit organization. The award, which Beaulieu Commercial received on September 14, 2009, recognizes exceptional dedication to environmental protection through green power commitment. Beaulieu Commercial purchases kilowatt hours of green power annually to meet 100% of the organization’s purchased electricity use nationwide.

“People don’t always realize that in the U.S., the largest source of carbon heavy greenhouse gasses comes not from automobiles, but from coal fired electric power plants,” said Beaulieu Commercial President James Lesslie. “Supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and crucial in reducing our climate risk.”

A recent introduction in the company's BOLYU carpet line is Yada Yada (seen here).

In addition to energy conservation and waste management best practices in running its manufacturing operations, Beaulieu Commercial was the first carpet manufacturer to include post-consumer recycled content in 100% of its products.

In addition, its Nexterra® tile backing is an industry leader with 85% post-consumer recycled content. The Nexterra® carpet tile products recently earned the platinum level of NSF 140-2007 certification, the only ANSI certified sustainable carpet assessment standard in the industry. NSF International, a not-for-profit organization setting standards in development and product certification, certified all Nexterra® tile products under the BOLYU Contract, Cambridge Commercial and PURE CONTRACT product lines manufactured at Beaulieu Commercial’s Adairsville and Chatsworth facilities in Georgia.

Beaulieu Commercial’s green power purchase of 9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power represents over 12 million pounds of emissions that won’t be going into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of taking more than 1,300 cars off the roads or the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 1,000 average American homes each year.

The Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e logo

Beaulieu Commercial’s green energy leadership entitles the company to display the Green-E Certified Renewable Energy logo (seen at right) on all of its products and corporate communications. “Beaulieu Commercial continues its commitment to being a leader in corporate environmental stewardship,” Lesslie said. “We’re honored by the EPA’s recognition of our efforts.”

Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of the new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

Cleanwise LLC, a division of Network Services Company, has been recognized by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for contributing to its winning a 2009 Closing the Circle Award. The White House presented this award in June 2009 to the Postal Service for leadership in environmental stewardship.

Through its Green Purchasing Program, the USPS incorporates the evaluation of environmentally preferable products into purchasing decisions—along with price, quality and delivery standards. Cleanwise, which provides the USPS with janitorial supplies and services, was one of the first companies involved in the Green Purchasing Program and chaired its modeling team. Additional initiatives undertaken by Cleanwise to help the USPS included increasing the number of green items on the USPS contract by 400% and development of quarterly sustainability reports that measure waste reduction, source reduction, water savings, and other key metrics.

“We are proud of our participation in the Green Purchasing Program and our continuing successful working relationship with the Postal Service,” says Bob Mitchum, CEO and President of Network Services Company, the parent company of Cleanwise. “We look forward to continuing to leverage and grow our technology, expertise, and procurement partnerships to the benefit of the USPS.”

A few weeks earlier, the Postal Service honored Cleanwise with its Supplier Diversity Award and its Supplier Performance Award for 2008. In 2007 and 2006, the USPS also awarded Cleanwise its Supplier Performance Award, making Cleanwise the first supplier to win this award three years in a row.

This most recent Closing the Circle Award, signed by President Obama, is the 40th White House Closing the Circle Awards that the Postal Service has won since the program’s inception in 1995. Across the organization, USPS is integrating environmental business practices into daily operations. In FY 2008, USPS spent more than $88 million in the acquisition of environmentally preferable products, including remanufactured automobile parts, retreaded tires, recycled content paper products, custodial products, and Cradle to Cradle-certified shipping boxes and envelopes. (Cradle to Cradle is an environmental certification by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, awarded to Priority Mail and Express Mail packaging and envelopes produced by Bell that have met 39 criteria for human and environmental health characteristics, including recyclability and manufacturing attributes.)

Network Services Company is a member owned organization of more than 75 member-distributors with combined global annual revenue of $15 billion.

EasyDim(TM) from Robertson Worldwide is a three-step dimming ballast that operates two F32T8 lamps using existing wiring and standard wall switches. The multi-volt, program start, energy efficient, electronic ballast delivers the combined benefits of three levels of dimming while providing maximum lamp and performance.

The Easy Dim Ballast provides users three levels of dimming.

Easy Dim supports sustainable lighting designs as measured by the LEED green building rating system and complies with state and local building codes.

Robertson Worldwide was recently presented with the Best of Category Award for this product during the LFI Innovations Awards Program at the Lightfair International Trade Show and Convention in New York City. Sandy Bryant, CEO/President and Robert Pelino, VP of Marketing & Technical Sales at Robertson were present at the event and accepted the Innovation Award for Best of Category: Ballast, Transformers.