We all have a stake in the world’s environmental future.
The fields of green building and ecological design have much to offer
to those who are seeking to improve the ecological impact of schools and
school grounds. Well established disciplines are particularly useful to
existing schools considering renovations to make them more energy, water,
and resource efficient as well as healthier places to work and play. Besides
the obvious environmental advantages, today’s builders and owners
recognize the “triple bottom line” of environmentally friendly,
energy-saving buildings.
There is a new sense of what it means to be environmentally friendly on
our nation’s campuses. Higher education is showing a commitment
to sustainability, a commitment that current and future students, faculty,
and administrators are sure to appreciate. Our nation’s institutions
of higher education spend a significant portion of their annual operating
budgets on utility services, diverting funds from valuable programs and
community-building activities. The Alliance to Save Energy’s Green
Campus Program is leading the way towards campus sustainability by bridging
the divide between students and institutional energy costs.
Colleges are not alone. Electric utility companies are beginning to face
the realities of depleting natural resources and are looking for more
efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives for their energy sources.
The Province of Ontario has embarked on an ambitious smart meter project
that is expected to make time-of-use electricity pricing available to
all of their electricity customers by 2010. However, we do not need to
wait for new technology or designs. The technology and designs available
today can achieve dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings.
You read a lot about green buildings in Green At Work because they are
profitable, healthy places to live and work. Buildings in the United States
are huge consumers of energy. Research and studies show that green buildings
can return millions of dollars each year to the bottom line. As every
day passes, one comes to realize that going green is smart business and
is easy if you have the right tools at your disposal.
In this issue, Green At Work features a new addition to our editorial
calendar. The Green Build Top 25 focuses on some of America’s greenest
corporations. Huge savings exist in owning and operating high performance
green buildings. The International Facility Management Association (IFMA),
in collaboration with the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments
(ALLIANCE) agrees. They offer diverse educational opportunities to members
and nonmembers striving to learn about sustainable building practices.
IFMA is committed to raising awareness in sustainability, high performance
buildings, energy efficiency and the triple bottom line by providing education,
resources, tools and products for facility managers. The IFMA Green Zone
provides the tools and resources necessary to gain the knowledge needed
to manage and operate high performance green buildings. It provides many
cutting-edge solutions to keep you up-to-date on sustainability issues,
including green building topics and software to help you green your facility.
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