Storm Runoff | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Facility Management the Unsung Heroes of Sustainability

By Jesse Stallone on April 12, 2011 Comments Off on Facility Management the Unsung Heroes of Sustainability air emissions, Architectural Design, business sustainability, carbon footprint, corporate social responsibility, Electronic Recyclers International, energy efficiency, Facilities Management, FacilitiesNet, facility emergency management, green building, HVAC, indoor air quality, International Facility Management Association, Jesse Stallone, Joel Makeower, local materials, storm runoff, Strategies For The Green Economy, sustainability, sustainability initiatives, threat assessment, wastewater management, water quality, water use restrictions

This post highlights how facilities management is an important, if often unsung part of so many businesses… any businesses with facilities, in fact. Sustainable facilities management is an area that can have a profound and near term impact on overall business sustainability. Very large potential energy savings and hence carbon footprint reduction could be realized in facilities management areas such as HVAC or lighting for example; the embodied energy of facilities — their materials and recurring requirements; how runoff is handled and so forth all are areas in which sustainable facilities management can really impact the triple bottom line in a positive way.

Green Parking Lots: Part I – The Many Problems with Paving

By Chris de Morsella on May 18, 2009 2 Comments asphalt, Berkely, California, concrete, curbside parking, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, green architecture, green building, green design, green economy, green parking lot, heat island, impermeable paving, Lawrence Livermore Berkeley National Laboratory, Livermore lab, Nonpoint Source Pollution, Olympia, Olympia's Public Works Department, parking lot, polluted runoff, storm runoff, urban flooding, Washington, water pollution

Take even a passing glance at an aerial picture of any urbanized area and it is amazing how much of it is paved over to provide for the various highways, arterials, feeder roads, alleys, drive ways, parking lots and roadside parking spaces that our car clogged cities require. Look more closely and one quickly discovers that a significant portion of this paved over space devoted to the car and getting around is comprised of parking lots as well as the ubiquitous curbside parking strips so common in almost all urban settings. This two part series looks at the problems that parking lots, curbside parking strips and other non road paved areas exacerbate; it then goes on to illustrates various ways in which we can make these facilities greener and how doing so can improve the urban environment; lessen its impact on waterways and beautify the urban spaces all at the same time. Promoting the adoption of green parking lots and roadside parking strips is win-win scenario.

The Green (or Sustainable) Building: Part IV – Water and Energy Efficiency

By Chris de Morsella on May 7, 2009 Comments Off on The Green (or Sustainable) Building: Part IV – Water and Energy Efficiency advanced lighting control, air conditioning, artificial lighting, asphalt, bio-retention, brick, cobbles, concrete, dual loop system, dual plumbing, earth tubes, earth-sourced systems, energy efficiency, energy efficient lighting system, environmental impact, geothermal heat pumps, grass pavers, gravel, green building, green roof, grey water, heat exchange, hermally efficiency, light well, low-flow shower heads, micro-irrigation, natural light, natural stone, Off-peak Air Conditioning, OPAC, parking lots, passive solar, peak load demand, permeable paving, pervious concrete, point-of-use hot water system, porous asphalt, rain garden, re-circulating ot water system, recycled water, renewable energy, renovation energy saving opportunity, retrofitting building, skylights, solar energy, storm runoff, sustainable building, swale, turf blocks, ultra low-flush toilets, water conserving fixtures, Water Efficiency, water harvesting system, water quality, wind energy, wood mulch

This, the fourth article in our series on green (sustainable) buildings focuses on the twin subjects of energy efficiency and water efficiency two fundamental areas of importance for green buildings. These are important not only because they reduce usage of and promote reuse of these precious resources, but because in so doing to minimize the building environmental impact. A well designed green building, can not only reduce its own environmental impact, but can improve a surrounding environment.