A free publication offering a comprehensive, practical approach to making sustainability improvements to public- and private-sector properties based on federal-government guidelines is available from the IFMA (International Facility Management Association) Foundation.
Part of the Sustainability “How-to” Guide Series, “U.S. Government Policy Impacts and Opportunities for Facility Management” is written for facility professionals who want to stay ahead of the executive and legislative curve and implement strategic sustainability-performance plans for their facilities utilizing the best-in-class resources and benchmarking information developed by the U.S. federal government and state governments. It is said to enable public- and private-sector facility professionals to:
Understand how recent legislative and executive initiatives have focused on reducing costs and increasing energy and water efficiency in federal buildings.
Learn how to achieve greener buildings through site planning, building-material selection, water efficiency, HVAC systems, and ongoing building operations.
Improve energy-management techniques through consideration of lighting, windows, energy demand, refrigeration systems, and efficient and ENERGY STAR appliances.
Build a business case for sustainability initiatives and utilize effective measurement tools.
Take advantage of available grants, rebates, and incentives; encourage increased operational and capital investments; and identify resources supporting sustainability planning and execution.
Understand current reporting requirements affecting both federal agencies and commercial entities.
Learn from case studies offering real-world insight into effective sustainability approaches.
The guide is built primarily around U.S. acts and executive orders pertaining to the built environment, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Executive Order 13423, and Executive Order 13514.
“There's a broad range of support tools available for federal and private-sector facility professionals tasked with responding to energy-improvement and carbon-emission-reduction goals, and this guide will help them better understand and utilize these resources,” John McGee, past chair of the IFMA board of directors and a co-author of the guide, said. “Facility managers who read this guide, access the Websites mentioned, and implement the recommended practices will find they have all the tools they need to develop and implement a successful sustainability strategy.”
The other authors are Sarah Slaughter, PhD, professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, and Eric Teicholz, IFMA Fellow, president of Graphic Systems. The IFMA Foundation created the guide in partnership with the Atlanta chapter of IFMA and the IFMA Sustainability Committee.
To download “U.S. Government Policy Impacts and Opportunities for Facility Management,” go to http://bit.ly/IFMA_guide. For the other 11 publications in the “Sustainability ‘How-to’ Guide Series,” go to http://bit.ly/How-to_Series.
For more information about the IFMA Foundation, visit www.ifmafoundation.org.