As many facility managers who have been through the LEED certification process know, projects that use locally sourced materials can earn LEED points. The goal of course, is to reduce the environmental impact of construction materials — which are...

With all the debate currently going on over health care reform, it's easy to overlook a couple of developments that relate to climate change. First, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer, (D-Calif.) have introduced Clean Energy Jobs and American...

Most anyone who has been in the facility management world for a few years has probably dealt with a utility rebate program at one point or another. I've not dealt with a rebate program for commercial buildings, but I did go through one last year for...

Everyone is talking about health care. But don't let that absorb the fact that behind the scenes, both sides are still girding for a fight over climate change. The House, of course, passed the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act ...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of addressing a group of facility professionals from the Chicago IFMA chapter. While there, I spoke about the annual FacilitiesNet FM:Pulse survey, which is our look at how issues like compensation, job satisfaction and job...

Last month in Building Operating Management , I interviewed a number of Energy Service Contractors (ESCOs) for a piece detailing how the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and ESCOs were working together to reduce the carbon footprints of buildings around...

We're about halfway into our first year here at MyFacilitiestNet.com and I so this seems as good a time as any to ask to stop and take a look around. So I'd like to ask you: What do you like best about My.FacilitiesNet.com. And along those same...

If you think your job is difficult now, just remember: It can always be worse. So the facility department at the University of Washington has learned after getting dragged into a bitter dispute on campus about surging tuition fees and declining services...

Earlier this month, I visited the Lightfair International, the industry's largest trade show devoted to lighting. The big buzz this year was LEDs — light emitting diodes, also known as solid state lighting. While waiting for the show floor to...

In case you missed it, the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft outline of their alternative to the bill being considered by Democrats, known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The plan put forth...

In a major development today, the Environmental Protection Agency declared that greenhouses gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare. Specifically, the agency issued a proposed endangerment finding that declared carbon...

It's a cliché to say, but as the economy shrinks, facility managers are under the gun to show that they add value to the organization. There are many different ways to do this of course. One way is to be able to demonstrate to your managers...

As an editor, I love moderating the Webcasts we host on FacilitiesNet. Aside from having the chance to interact with some very knowledgeable industry consultants, it's also a great opportunity to take a pulse on where our readers stand on a particular...

In a down economy, facility managers need to think about saving money every way they can. And listening to an executive with a property management firm at NFMT in Baltimore, it wasn't hard to realize there are an awful lot of ways to save money. To...

As expected, the House passed the economic stimulus plan late Wednesday. Dubbed H.R. 1, The American Recovery And Investment Act of 2009, the bill contains a number of provisions that to increase spending on facilities and energy research. An analysis...

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder is reporting that Barack Obama may use a Supreme Court ruling to enact a plan to cap the emissions of carbon dioxide — a cap and trade plan. As we reported in the October issue of Building Operating Management, the...

It seems everyone is abuzz lately about the presidential transition. Who will President-elect Barack Obama pick to serve in his cabinet? Part of the reason for the interest is that the people Obama picks can serve as an early indicator as to which direction...

A change in global warming policy is coming. Regular readers of Building Operating Management know this isn't news. Our October cover story pointed out that both John McCain and Barack Obama had committed to solving global warming by enacting a plan...

As far as thermal storage systems go, this project near Sapporo, Japan may just take the cake. According to this article , the project is hoping to slash cooling costs for the airport by 30 percent by harvesting snow, storing it year-round with heat-insulating...

When good companies go green, they sometimes miss the mark. The latest evidence was in the Wall Street Journal . I opened a recent copy and noticed a full-page color add for a helicopter manufacturer. The exploded view ad touted improved features on the...

How Energy Efficient Does a Building Have to be Before it's Considered Green? That's one of the questions that came up during an interview on high-performance buildings in this month's issue of Building Operating Management . The truth is...

Every now and then I'm reminded that for all the noise made in the last few years on sustainability, the green building movement is barely into adolescence. Yes, the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program has found some healthy market acceptance...

When it comes to reliability in the data center, power isn't the problem. As one consultant told me at the 7x24 Exchange Spring Conference , power isn't the issue anymore. Data center operators really just need to point where the power needs to...

As I write this, it's 1:30 p.m. Do you know how secure your building is? If the recent poll posted on FacilitiesNet is any indication, you don't. According to the poll, only 38 percent of the buildings managed by respondents have had a security...

When I was younger, family members would often give me a call for advice when it was time to buy a new computer. The conversation was the same. There were so many different brands and so many different prices it was difficult for them to sort through...