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Central Ohio facility managers were urged to “quit being so nice” and to take an active role in helping their companies or organizations adopt a “green attitude” with respect to the buildings for which they are responsible.
Dr. Kath Williams of Kath Williams + Associates and a faculty member at Montana State Universitck past vice chair of the U.S. Green Building Council and LEED faculty member, issued this challenge May 6 to members and guests of the Central Ohio IFMA Chapter at the Fawcett Center at The Ohio State University.
Williams addressed the group on Being a Green Change Agent—What’s Working, What’s Not in the Existing Facilities World.
Being a “green agent,” for anyone who might not know, means making renovations to existing buildings and work areas, and constructing new facilities in such a way that they have a positive impact on the environment and the people who occupy them. Considerable change is underway in workplaces throughout this and other countries because of the U.S. Green Building Council’s efforts to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places in which to live and work.
The council is composed of architects, interior designers, engineers, contractors, building owners, building product manufacturers, and those representing utilities, regulating agencies, and academic institutions. Council membership has nearly doubled to 4,149 firms in the last two years.
The organization developed what is known as LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a consensus-based, market-driven building rating system designed to accelerate the development and implementation of green building practices for both new construction and renovation.
Williams said establishing and achieving goals in environmental improvements have to be a team effort, and “the people who run the place have to be on the team” because “maintenance and facility people can create a sense of urgency.” Once the team is created, the next steps are to decide where the organization and its employees are socially and where Ohio is socially with regard to green buildings.
“If I were (a facility manager) trying to change management, I would do a report on pollution and what we are doing (as a company or organization) to the environment,” Williams said. “Next, choose the tools (such as LEED) to help you define and get to green. Take steps from where you are by starting with no-cost hanging fruit (changes and improvements), build a demonstration project, document your successes and failures, and share your knowledge and experiences with others.”
She said facility managers are often too nice and tend to accept things as they are while “they need to stand up and fight for maintenance.”
Williams cautioned that change and progress takes time and “you can’t make everyone dark shades of green overnight...it’s like trying to be perfect, it’s an ongoing process, it’s not a goal we will get to, it’s sustainability.” However, she said, “ No individual, organization, company, institution, or government that has started down the green path has ever gone back to its old ways.”
Williams also told chapter members and guests the change process encompasses vision, empowerment of people to make decisions, creation of short-term goals or victories through change, rewarding those who affect change, determination, and sustaining the change.
In other chapter action, past president Fred Timm announced the slate of officers for the coming year. The candidates, all unopposed, are: Eileen Smith, president; Dorothy Leachman, vice president; Jennifer Jarrett, treasurer; and Stephanie Segall-Butcher, secretary. The election will be conducted in June and installation of officers will be in July.
Also, Donna Byrom announced that the first of a series of round table discussions will be held from 5:30-7:30 June 29 at the Grandview Café. Byrom said these discussions, “FMs First,” are the result of extensive discussions by the chapter’s board on how best to meet the needs of the membership. They will focus on the issues that facility managers face.
“To this end, we will be starting this New Professional Development Series. It will be an opportunity to sit down with your peers, discuss your own facility issues and get valuable, realistic feedback on what is and isn’t working. The potential topics are endless, but some of them will include, technology, outsourcing/service contract/providers, ergonomics, and doing more with less.
“Three to four of these round tables will be intermingled with our typical tours, social events and educational programs. These round tables will be primarily for facility managers. There is always so much to learn in this profession, and facility managers should come out and enjoy associating with their peers.”