6 Ways Facility Managers Can Support Sustainable Facilities

Everyone has a role to play in addressing the climate change that has become a global disaster. Failure to which the planet and its people might experience effects that might be challenging to comprehend. Therefore, everyone must work together to encourage sustainability.

For example, a facility manager can take steps to make their facility sustainable. This is because facility managers have the upper hand when making decisions; hence implementing them might not be challenging. Among the ways facility managers can support sustainable facilities include:

1.     Performing A Sustainability Audit

Before creating a sustainability plan, you must understand what’s working and what’s not as far as reducing the carbon footprint is concerned. A sustainability audit will go a long way in helping you determine where you can make changes and improvements. Once you have a sustainability audit, you can set targets and develop a plan to realize them.

2.     Conducting Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance ensures your equipment works as it should. If the equipment keeps failing or isn’t working optimally, your journey to making the facility sustainable will be affected. Frequent maintenance, especially on old equipment, reduces energy usage, saving you money. Also, it’s among the most effective ways to extend the life of equipment.

3.     Upgrading Or Investing In New Equipment

Older facilities were installed with equipment that had little to do with reducing carbon footprint. However, as days pass by, most manufacturers look forward to playing a part in conserving the environment. That said, it’s crucial for every facility manager willing to support sustainability to consider upgrading or investing in equipment promoting sustainability.

Among the things a facility manager can do to ensure their facility is sustainable include:

• Replacing old HVAC with high-efficiency ones
• Using energy-efficient lighting
• Investing in renewable energy solutions like solar panels
• Installing advanced roofing to trap more heat

Once upgraded or you’ve invested in high-efficiency equipment, you’ll eventually realize a reduction in energy and running costs, saving your facility a great deal of money.

4.     Working With Contractors Willing To Go Green

From time to time, your facility will require maintenance. If you’re willing to make the facility sustainable, avoid hiring any contractor and only settle for green-focused service providers. Green-focused contractors are those who use sustainable products and energy-efficient tools. When hiring contractors, assess them to determine if they’re experienced in using low-energy equipment in your facility.

It’s vital to mention that a contractor’s company profile describing a service provider’s prowess, values, and certification can go a long way when determining if a contractor is green-focused. By hiring a contractor who shares your dream of improving the environment, you’ll support every move to ensure your facility goes green while making the world a better place.

5.     Ensuring There’s A Use Of Efficient System And Equipment

Sustainable facility management can only succeed if sustainability is incorporated into the company culture. You can help your staff develop sustainability by developing guidelines and systems that are easy to follow and adhere to.

For instance, you can educate employees on what to recycle and how to go about this process. Everyday items such as paper, plastic, cans, and glass are more likely to pollute your facility and the environment; hence your staff should know how to recycle these items to reduce the facility’s waste. It’s also vital to provide information on what to do with old large-scale electronic waste like batteries and computers.

Finally, educate the employees on the importance of shutting down the electronics when leaving their desks since it’ll also play a significant role in reaching your sustainability goals.

6.     Using Environmentally Cleaning Supplies

Keeping the facility neat and in perfect condition is among your vital roles. Unfortunately, the fact that the facility is clean doesn’t necessarily mean that the products used are ideal for the environment. In fact, many cleaning supplies are hazardous and can interfere with your dream of making the facility sustainable. Besides that, some cleaning products can harm human health.

That said, it’s vital to ensure each cleaning product is environmentally friendly to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and the number of chemicals in the facility. Luckily, there are lots of eco-friendly cleaning supplies on the market at affordable prices.

Conclusion

Besides improving your business’s carbon footprint, making your facility sustainable will help in the growth of your business. Currently, most people are looking for ways to make the earth a better place, and investing in a business with similar goals might be a great catch. With that in mind, if you’re looking forward to making your facility sustainable, consider the above-discussed tips as you research more ways.