Editorial: A Different Perspective - Column

As you can tell by the cover of this issue, we’ve taken a slightly different approach. June editorial is focused on Commercial Interiors as well as ENERGY STAR. What better way to broach the topic than to draw immediate attention to it, no?

I’ve harped about indoor environments and IAQ in past editorials, and now I’d like to touch on the growing importance of optimizing not only a facility’s energy performance, but also optimizing the overall office environment as well.

On a recent media tour to the Bick
Group’s newly LEED Gold-certified i-Building just outside of St. Louis, I witnessed first-hand how an upgraded network operations center (NOC) can pre-sent live and historical information regarding multiple facets of an office’s Facility Management System (FMS). Having come from “a practically windowless, obsolete, poorly laid-out building,” Bick wanted a space that offered plenty of daylight, views to the outside, and functional, flexible features that would enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.

The July issue of Sustainable Facility will feature editorial on the Bick Group’s building and the Tate Flooring that helped to accomplish the LEED-certified renovation of this facility.

Embracing Energy Star
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy’s (DOE) ENERGY STAR program has partnered with green building organizations such as the Green Building Initiative’s (GBI) Green Globes program, and as of the end of 2007, there were nearly 4,100 buildings and plants that have earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR. These commercial buildings use nearly 40 percent less energy than average buildings and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, offering a significantly smaller carbon footprint. According to Jean Lupinacci of the EPA, EPA partners with organizations that make a fundamental commitment to help protect the environment through the promotion of superior energy performance in the commercial, industrial and institutional markets. GBI shares these principles and joins more than 3,000 ENERGY STAR partner organizations with a similar commitment to protecting the environment through energy management.

Different by Design
NeoCon World’s Trade Fair ( www.neocon.com ) is a huge endeavor for the interiors and design crowd, and while some facility managers may be more concerned with their HVAC and mechanical systems than the look of their carpet or furniture systems, the products showcased represent another side of the sustainability movement.

Senior Editor Michelle Hucal, LEED AP, and Group Publisher Diana Brown will be at NeoCon (held at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago) June 9 – 11, 2008. If you’re heading to the show, make sure you say hello to them and let them know you’re reading (and enjoying!) Sustainable Facility.

Online Update
As of May 2008, Sustainable Facility’s website has been revamped and updated to include a blog, video, and more digital and Web-based “Only Online” features.

Technology is driving our readership (as well as our daily lives) online. The need for regularly updated integrated media is a critical mission for BNP Media’s publications, and Sustainable Facility’s online offerings will incorporate these robust burgeoning technologies to continue to bring updated Breaking News and Industry Watch items, as well as our digital version, eNews archives and much, much more.

Web exclusive features can be found at www.SustainableFacility.com . Please continue reading the print version, but do visit online to check out our new digs.