Facilities Management News

Sustainable practices in the food service environment
supported by Aramark and the IFMA Foundation

PHILADELPHIA—Two leaders in professional services—Aramark and the IFMA Foundation—released Sustainability in the Food Service Environment, a practical, real-world guide for introducing and advancing sustainable practices within food services. 

The guide is the third in the Sustainability “How-to” Guide Series by the IFMA Foundation and provides practical, real-world guidance on how to introduce and advance sustainable practices within the food service environment.

The guide, available free of charge, provides an overview of several key areas in the food service environment, including:

• Building a business case for sustainability, along with effective measurement tools.
• Procurement of sustainable foods, including local purchasing, food safety and disposable products.
• Green buildings, including site planning, water efficiency, building materials, HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) systems and ongoing operations.
• Energy management considerations, including lighting, windows, demand, refrigeration systems, efficient and Energy Star appliances.
• Waste stream management, including reusable dishes and flatware, composting and recycling.
• Case studies that offer real-world insight into effective approaches.

“The Sustainability ‘How-to’ Guide Series has been extremely well received so far,” said Eric Teicholz, executive editor of the guides. “Our constituency has indicated a strong interest in learning more about sustainability in the food service industry, and this new ARAMARK guide definitely meets that need.”
 
To obtain a copy of the Sustainability in the Food Service Environment guide, please visit www.ifmafoundation.org or Aramark’s Web site. The guide is downloadable free of charge.

[ page top ]

Lighting Solutions offers sustainable illumination concepts 

Houston—The IFMA Foundation—a leader in education and research for professionals in the built environment—has released Lighting Solutions, a practical, real-world guide for introducing and advancing sustainable practices that revolve around proper illumination in commercial buildings. 

The guide is the fourth in the Sustainability “How-to” Guide Series released the IFMA Foundation and it provides practical, real-world guidance on how to implement and maintain sustainable practices and energy efficiency through lighting solutions.

The guide, available free of charge, gives an overview of several keys to lighting initiatives, including:

• Building a business case for sustainability through energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality;
• Procurement of lighting components and systems, including lamp type, ballast selection and controls;
• Group re-lamping and the benefits of a wash and re-lamp program;
• Alternative means of illumination, including the use of natural light and daylight harvesting;
• De-lamping, maintaining light levels while decreasing energy use;
• Case studies that offer real-world insight into effective approaches.

The new guide was written by Bill Conley, CFM, CFMJ, IFMA Fellow, LEED AP, currently the managing director of the LEED®/Sustainability Development Group for Pacific Building Care, with the help of a cross section of subject matter experts in lighting and facilities management. The guide provides a practical point of reference for facilities managers across multiple industry sectors.

To obtain a free copy of the Lighting Solutions guide, visit www.ifmafoundation.org or www.PBCare.com

[ page top ]

Danfoss announces EnVisioneer of the Year Competition

BALTIMORE—Danfoss, a manufacturer of electronic and mechanical components and control systems for refrigeration and air conditioning, heating and motion controls, announces the inaugural EnVisioneer of the Year award competition.

The competition recognizes end users, building owners and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that exemplify the Danfoss EnVisioneering™ core values and have used Danfoss products to realize significant energy and environmental savings.

“EnVisioneering is a strategic, customer-focused approach designed to create engaged partnerships with our customers by combining engineering innovation, energy efficiency and environmental responsibility,” said Robert Wilkins, president of Danfoss North America. “This competition will help business leaders continue to advance energy-efficient and sustainable solutions that support improved performance and profitability, higher standards and lower operating costs in buildings and facilities.”

The EnVisioneer of the Year competition is open to U.S. end users, building owners and OEMs that have introduced a new product, opened a new facility or invested in a building or system upgrade in the past 18 months and have used Danfoss products to realize significant energy and/or environmental savings.

Participants may enter the competition by submitting an application no later than March 31, 2010. A distinguished team of judges representing different disciplines in the HVAC&R industry and chaired by Michael Ivanovich, editor-in-chief, Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine, will review all applications and select the winner.

The EnVisioneer of the Year will receive a donation in their honor to the Alliance to Save Energy, an environmental advocacy group committed to advancing energy efficiency policy and technology in the U.S. The award will be presented in Washington, D.C., May 13 following the Danfoss EnVisioneering symposium and the Alliance to Save Energy’s EE Global Forum.

For more information about The EnVisioneer of the Year competition and to submit an entry, please visit www.envisioneering.danfoss.com/competition or contact Lisa Tryson, director of branding, at LisaTryson@danfoss.com or 410-513-1142.

[ page top ]

IFMA offers online sustainability course

IFMA has a new online sustainability course entitled A Practitioner’s Guide to Greening Your Facility . Developed with the same goals as IFMA’s popular instructor-led course of the same title, the new online version is in the online course catalog , located in the Online Education portal of the IFMA Web site.
The course is divided into four online modules. Each module includes online animated audio-visual presentations, several workbook activities and a final quiz. You should plan to complete all four modules in order and allow approximately one to one and a half hours to complete each module.

Course Structure

Module 1: Metrics, Reporting and Green Claims
Module 2: Greening Your Facility Management Operations and the Physical Facility
Module 3: Sustainability Leadership
Module 4: Developing Your Action Plan

Each module is priced at US$119.95 for members and US$170 for nonmembers.

Please direct questions about this course or any other online education program to Vicky Acosta at vicky.acosta@ifma.org , or +1-713-623-4362, ext. 166 or visit www.ifma.org

[ page top ]

Free lighting courses available

ROSSLYN, Va. – The Lighting Controls Association offers free, comprehensive online education about lighting controls technology, application and commissioning.

After taking a brief introductory course, select short learning modules as needed to customize your learning experience. You can receive education credit by taking a comprehension test at the end of each module; a passing grade enables you to download a certification of completion that awards credit that can be used towards certification maintenance.

For more information, see aboutlightingcontrols.org

[ page top ]

World’s largest companies need to cut energy use

LONDON – Based on current reduction targets, the world’s largest companies are on track to reach the scientifically-recommended level of greenhouse gas cuts by 2089 – 39 years too late to avoid dangerous climate change, reveals a research report – The Carbon Chasm – released by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

It shows that the Global 100 are currently on track for an annual reduction of just 1.9% per annum which is below the 3.9% needed in order to cut emissions in developed economies by 80% in 2050. According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), developed economies must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%-95% by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

The report in full is available at www.cdproject.net

[ page top ]

DOE gives out $502 million

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $502 million in the first round of awards from an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) program that provides cash assistance to energy production companies in place of earned tax credits. The new funding creates additional upfront capital, enabling companies to create jobs and begin construction that may have been stalled until now.

These payments will support an estimated 5,000 bio-mass, solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy production facilities in all regions of the country over the life of the program.  As a result of this first round of funding, more than 2,000 Americans will have access to jobs in the renewable energy industry – both in construction and in manufacturing.

For more information, see www.doe.gov

[ page top ]

Students go green in Detroit

DETROIT – Fully 110 high school students from Detroit spent their summer landscaping, planting, and pruning hundreds of trees, building and maintaining miles of trails, constructing native timber benches, removing invasive plants, repairing drainage and erosion issues, and constructing a greenhouse. 

The students – selected from more than 2,200 applicants – were part of the Conservation Leadership Corps a summer jobs program sponsored by Johnson Controls, The Greening of Detroit, and the Student Conservation Association. Throughout the program, they received training and education in conservation and environmental stewardship, along with exposure to job readiness, leadership, and teamwork skills.

For additional information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com

[ page top ]

EPA invests in eliminating petroleum leaks

DENVER – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced distribution of $7,948,000 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assess and clean up underground storage tank petroleum leaks in the states of Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. The greatest potential hazard from a leaking underground storage tank is that the petroleum or other hazardous substances seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly one-third of all Americans.

For more information, see yosemite.epa.gov

[ page top ]