GreenClips

Issue No. 288 | May 10, 2006

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MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS 'LEED' FACILITY GREEN EFFORTS

A facility's LEED-EB projects rely heavily on the organization's maintenance and operations departments to locate areas for upgrade, to review plans and to specify products. JohnsonDiversey, which specializes in delivering cleaning and hygiene products and systems, provides a good example of how maintenance and operations can guide facilities to LEED certification. The involvement of the maintenance subcontractor, as well as the cleaning service provider and other maintenance and operations personnel, has been critical to the success of JohnsonDiversey's LEED-EB program. JohnsonDiversey established a core team early on that worked together to develop LEED programs, policies and procedures. The team included key contacts from facilities management, operations and maintenance management, the cleaning service provider, procurement departments and construction management. Many of the credits JohnsonDiversey earned for LEED-EB certification can be traced back to maintenance and operations. To ensure smooth recertification (required once every five years), JohnsonDiversey is emphasizing maintenance of current programs.
Facility Management Journal, May/Jun 06, p 70, by Stu Carron.

www.johnsondiversey.com

SAVING THE WORLD, ONE CARPET AT A TIME

Paulette Cole, president and chief executive of ABC Carpet and Home, a trendsetting Manhattan department store that had nearly $80 million in sales last year, has set a goal for the store to be 100 percent responsible design. She admits that she may never reach that level, but said that 20 percent of ABC's stock now fulfills the goal. That's 3 percentage points more than last year, and it includes ambitious offerings such as made-to-order solar energy systems and furniture with all-organic upholstery. The store's packing materials have been replaced with biodegradable alternatives, and all inks used in packaging and stationery are soy-based. A trailer from "An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary on Al Gore and his campaign about global warming, is shown on continuous loop on the second floor amid furniture made from sustainable materials. According to a study of shoppers' behavior at ABC from June to November 2005, customers willingly paid up to 20 percent more for products bearing labels that cited a positive social impact — in particular, the use of fair labor practices in their manufacture. Ms. Cole may be raising the consciousness of ABC, but her concerns are not purely altruistic. "Beauty is the major criterion for me," she said. "This isn't charity; this is commerce. If there's a product I fall in love with that doesn't have a socially redeeming value attached to it, I might not be able to resist it." And when that happens, she has a practical, unapologetic solution: "It just won't get a 'Good Wood' label."

The New York Times, 25 May 06, by Mitchell Owens. www.abchome.com

BRIDGING THE INFORMATION GAP BETWEEN BUILDING OPERATORS AND DESIGNERS

In the United Kingdom, a Carbon Trust-funded project, Building Bridges between Facilities Management and Design, offers interesting feedback from facilities managers. In December 2005, an online questionnaire was sent to facilities management members of BSRIA's Energy and Sustainability Network. (BSRIA is a consulting, testing and research organization that works with construction and building services companies and their clients.) The questionnaire drew more than 100 responses. Of particular interest, 39 percent of respondents weren't aware of the energy saving benefits of variable-speed drives, including some respondents who had them in their buildings. Fifty five percent of respondents reported incidents of occupants opening windows in air-conditioned buildings, and 57 percent reported that their heating and cooling plants ran simultaneously. In addition, 85 percent of facilities managers said that lights stay on in empty rooms. BSRIA's project is founded on the premise that many problems can be alleviated if building designers were more in tune to the needs of building operators. And, buildings might achieve their intended energy efficiencies if operators better understood the original intent of the designers.
Building Services Journal, May 06, p 56, by David Bleicher

www.bsria.co.uk/press/?press=305

JONATHAN ROSE STARTS SMART GROWTH INVESTMENT FUND

Jonathan Rose Companies, LLC, has announced the formation of the Rose Smart Growth Investment Fund 1, LP, the first national real estate investment fund that acquires buildings exclusively in Smart Growth locations and improves them to enhance the quality of life for tenants and the livability of the communities. The company announced its first acquisition, the historic Joseph Vance and Sterling buildings in downtown Seattle in April 2006. "We aim to create one of the greenest and healthiest buildings in the Seattle marketplace," says Jonathan Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies. "This effort will not only improve the quality of life for our tenants, we hope it will also continue to advance understanding of how to meld older sites with the necessities of this century—reduced energy use and the appreciation for environmental protection."
Environmental Building News, May 06, p 4.

www.rose-network.com/whoweare/practice.html

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Founded in 1950, VBN Architects is an architecture, planning, and interior design firm committed to incorporating sustainable strategies into its design work. In projects such as the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies at De Anza College, the Millbrae BART Station, and the Cesar E. Chavez Education Center, VBN has shown its dedication to environmental stewardship. www.vbnarch.com.

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About the Publisher
Sustainable design consultant Chris Hammer publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps her clients with environmentally responsible approaches to urban planning and development, and to building design, construction, and operation. Email or call for more information: chrishammer@greenclips.com; 415.928.7941. GreenClips is edited by Susan Vogt, a Portland, Oregon freelance writer with 25 years of experience in energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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