By: Deborah Johnson Wood
A building is only as 'green' as its cleaning products, energy consumption, indoor air quality, carbon emissions, recycling programs, waste handling, and, yes, even landscaping allows it to be. With all those variables to manage, how does a facilities manager manage?
That’s what the third annual Green Facilities Conference hopes to tackle when it convenes at Calvin College's Prince Conference Center on March 26.
The conference, hosted by Spring Lake-based Nichols, features 24 one-hour workshops on a variety of green topics, including renewable energy sources, LEED for schools, LEED for healthcare, recycling for sustainability, being green in the lodging industry, and natural pest management. Attendees will have time to participate in four workshops.
"We're hoping to educate facilities managers and building operators on the impact their daily operations have on the environment," says Marcie Palmer, Nichols spokesperson. "We want to help them put the processes in place to be environmentally sustainable, and to help them learn how to clean and maintain their buildings in a way that helps them become more profitable while creating a greener environment for their building occupants."
Palmer says past attendees have started recycling programs in their buildings because of attending the conference, started green cleaning practices, and came away with a better understanding of LEED principles and policies.
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell will keynote, speaking on the city's sustainability objectives and community partnerships, and the role that environmental sustainability plays in business competitiveness and the larger community.
Source: Marcie Palmer, Nichols
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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