The HVAC Factor: Greening Schools, One HVAC Step At A TimeSchool districts in Illinois are beginning to embrace the benefits of retrofitting and building new facilities with the most energy efficient HVAC available. By Dan BulleyOriginally published in the October 2011 issue of Today’s Facility Manager There are more than 130,000 schools throughout the U.S.; every day, 20% of the U.S. population...

Renewable Energy: Think About A Growing Part Of The FutureThis month’s guest columnist believes it’s time for facility managers to invest in renewable energy. By Mike Arny, Contributing EditorPublished in the September 2011 issue of Today’s Facility Manager With the uncertainty of prices for electricity and fossil fuels and their effect on the environment, plans for increasing renewable energy...

Ask anyone about Ronald McDonald and he or she is likely to conjure up visions of the affable character known worldwide for his whimsical red coiffure and golden attire. Yet increasingly throughout the Central Texas region, mentions of McDonald’s Chief Happiness Officer are just as likely to elicit associations with hues of green as the trademark red and gold long donned by Ron. It has been nearly...

Globally, buildings that support the delivery of healthcare services vary broadly by type-ranging from small community outpatient clinics to large acute-care hospitals-and have an equally broad range of owners-including philanthropic nonprofits, corporate entities, and governmental agencies. Healthcare is a significant service economy; while its percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) varies...

Educational Sessions Educational sessions are designed to provide attendees with just-breaking information, case studies, and research findings on a myriad of topics. Your speakers will offer information-rich presentations with opportunities for Q&A. Thoughout the program, these icons depict: P-Sessions that spotlight The Center for Health Design Pebble Projects.I-Sessions that provide new perspectives...

The Green Guide for Health Care’s report, “A Prescriptive Path to Energy Efficiency Improvements for Hospitals,” is a peer-reviewed methodology for hospitals greater than 70,000 square feet to achieve a 14% energy efficiency improvement over ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 in all U.S. climate zones. Compliance with this methodology is designed to qualify projects to earn two points through...

As the healthcare industry shifts toward green practices, facilities are examining how their operations affect the “triple bottom line” Green business initiatives: Only a few years back, they were the purview of a few business owners with strong environmental leanings. Today, the story has changed. Nearly every business sector is examining its own environmental impact, and being green has...

Stoughton has become the first healthcare facility in Wisconsin to receive the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification for environmentally friendly construction. The building was recognized for five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Tri-North Builders,...

How important is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)? How important is being green and living a sustainable, environmental, eco-friendly lifestyle? How important is it to live a healthy lifestyle? The questions we want to ask ourselves are the tough questions. Do I care? Am I responsible? Can you hold me accountable? As a former designer turned healthcare furniture representative,...

Something in the shade of clear may be in order—that is, healthcare facilities that are carbon neutral, water balance, and zero-waste, or that even give back resources to the environment. The challenge calls for buildings that breath, and dedicated teams that dream beyond green, say Perkins+Will architects Michelle Halle Stern, AIA, PE, LEED AP (below), and Robin Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP (left), in...