This chapter discusses the imperatives brought by sustainability goals, how these impact on facilities and the required responses that are in everyone’s best interest.
Practical actions in the name of sustainability are many but have not reached the point where they are commonplace and an integral part of how facilities are designed, constructed and managed.
The following points, among many others, are covered in the chapter.
- Sustainability is often quoted, but less frequently defined in practical terms; in facility management, it includes operations that do not impact negatively on the environment and the provision of space that is affordable into the future.
- Sustainable development, environmental management and corporate social responsibility are closely aligned concepts that should be considered as the baseline for an organization’s drive for sustainable facilities.
- Environmental management systems can help to reduce detrimental impacts, generate cost savings and can been regarded therefore as a responsible way of doing business.
- Zero carbon is an achievable goal for all facilities in the future; however, they must be designed, constructed and managed in ways that minimize their contribution to carbon dioxide emissions at each stage of the facility life cycle.
- Energy efficiency is a target for legislators and so organizations must act to ensure that the energy performance of their facilities falls within acceptable limits.
- Water is a scarce resource and one that can be needlessly wasted; yet, effective arrangements for managing water resources as efficiently as possible are not difficult to design and implement, and should be in place for all facilities, wherever practicable.
- Managing waste generated in the processes and activities of operating a facility involves planning for sorting, storage and removal, all of which increases demand for space albeit modestly.
- Knowing how a facility is behaving in terms of the conditions existing within it and immediately outside it is vital to successful facility management.