Sustaining Sustainability: What Happens After Building Handover Presented by: Caecilia Gotama P.E., A.P., Principal Gotama Building Engineers

“Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” - Gro Harlem Brundtland, World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

LEED TM or “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” LEED TM is a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It provides a set of standards relative to environmentally sustainable construction.

Four Levels of Certification:

The level of certification addresses six major areas: Sustainable Site Water Efficiency Energy and Atmosphere Materials and Resources Indoor Environmental Quality Innovation and Design Process

Why build a sustainable building? Why get a LEED TM rating? Some municipalities and states have a financial inducement Resource conservation, waste reduction, environmental protection Improved staff retention and productivity due to healthier working environment Reduced risk and liability from occupants due to poor indoor air quality Marketplace recognition for sustainability performance and corporate responsibility Reduced operation and maintenance costs

According to research firm FMI’s 2008 Construction Overview, an annual publication since 1977, “Construction industry stakeholders have embraced the green movement and sustainable design for its energy savings, worker productivity increases and positive public perception.”

“Sustainability is a journey, not a destination.” – George Lohnes The first step is certification; what follows is an ongoing process to continue the sustainability efforts and to move them forward. A building’s occupants, its managers, its landlords, all need to develop strategies to attain their sustainability goals.

Owens Corning WHG At Owens Corning WHG, which opened in 1996, energy costs have been reduced every year but one (except when a new Data Center was installed). Energy costs went from $1M a year down to around $600K a year for a 400,000 sq. ft. facility. Says Dehne, “This kind of result could only have been achieved with a continuous effort to find and implement energy use improvements. During the year after certification, our engineers found other improvements that resulted in another $100K reduction in energy use.”

Have a good plan and follow through on it. To date, there are no universal systems in place to document or monitor the ongoing sustainability of a LEED TM building project. It is necessary for such systems to be put in place during building handover by the design team in direct communication with the building occupants. This assures that the building concept is communicated accurately and that activities necessary to continued sustainability can be executed, with necessary modifications, over the life of a sustainable building.

Creating a Sustainability Handbook Document proper replacement materials from light bulbs to paint, office paper to toilet paper, plants to furniture Document all maintenance procedures Develop a master calendar to link sustainability efforts to routine business activities Encourage accountability Develop feedback systems to harvest comments and ideas organization-wide

Educate and Train Management and Staff Provide owner/landlord, occupant and maintenance personnel with appropriate information about sustainability and create awareness enthusiasm around it Management should employ ongoing in-person workshops, newsletters, s, signage, and information kiosks to reinforce its importance

Educate and Inform the Public, Customers and Peers Initiate public and customer education about sustainability – both in the project and in their lives Increase company and project goodwill

Embed sustainability into day-to-day activities of employees Encourage personnel to explore sustainability in their lives outside of work. Provide information promoting sustainable travel: i.e. carpooling, bicycling, walking or use of public transportation. Promote reduction of travel when possible (video or telephone conferencing) Ask for suggestions from occupants and public for improving sustainability

Keep Sustainability Efforts Alive Set goals, identify opportunities and monitor achievements to improve sustainability Assure that new or replacement equipment and furnishings as well as any re-fitting are done in accordance with the original design intent Have quarterly reviews of energy use, water use and waste production/reduction Document levels, implement agreed-upon improvement strategies, and discuss other possible improvements to increase sustainability

Keep Sustainable Efforts Alive Review any changes that have occurred (staff changes, after hours use, etc) Review the impact of cleaning on energy use; encourage daytime cleaning and use of environmentally-sound cleaning products Have yearly reviews of energy, water, gas usage and waste generation/disposal Compare amounts with previous years Strategic planning for the upcoming period

Other Ideas Consider releasing an Annual Corporate Environmental Report (i.e. Owens Corning’s yearly Sustainability Report) Consider staging special events to promote sustainability: building tours, Earth Day and Energy Day events, community outreach, media involvement Use the original design team as a resource to maintain an ongoing sustainable process.

For more information: United States Green Building Council University of Oregon Sustainability Leadership Program International Facility Management Association Sustainable Energy Education & Communication (SEEC) Program

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