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Architect of the Capitol uses methods that conserve resources and make facilities sustainable.  

 

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has cultivated a legacy of sustainability by promoting a culture of resource conservation, increasing energy and water efficiency, promoting health and wellness, sustaining the Capitol's natural sites and practicing one of the highest forms of sustainability, historic preservation.

 

Photo credit: Architect of the Capitol
 
Through a successful sustainability and energy program, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) has annually exceeded its energy reduction goals. The AOC is on pace to meet its 30 percent energy intensity reduction by the end of Fiscal Year 2015. 

 

In 2013 the AOC saved enough energy to power the Madison and U.S. Capitol Buildings (over 3 million SF of space) for an entire year!

 

Additional Sustainability Accomplishments


* $2.7 Million: Saved through new energy reductions
* $14 Million: In building energy improvements re-allocated from utility accounts
* 20%: Reduction in our greenhouse gas footprint 
* 25%: Energy reduction exceeding the 2013 goal
* 6 Million: Square footage of buildings retro-commissioned
* 85 Million: Gallons of water saved 
* 230: Meters installed

 

About the Architect of the Capitol
About the Architect of the Capitol
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MEMBER BENEFIT SPOTLIGHT
3 WAYS TO ENGAGE SUPPLIERS ON SUSTAINABILITY

"I find that effective supplier engagement needs three components: a policy element, a program element, and performance element." 

 

Jennifer Woofter, President

Strategic Sustainability Consulting 

   

The policy element is intended to explain the expectations that you have for suppliers in the area of sustainability. 

 

A supplier code of conduct, for example, will outline which sustainability issues (labor, environment, human rights, grievance processes, health and safety, etc.) you expect suppliers to address and comply with. Inserting similar requirements into supplier contracts, RFP/RFQs, etc. will ensure that the policy has "teeth" and can be used in contract decisions.

 

Supply chain programs including training and capacity building -- for both the suppliers themselves, but also for your procurement staff. Do purchasing managers know what to look for in a "sustainable" supplier? Are sustainability aspects incorporated into new vendor evaluations? What kind of auditing, self-assessments, corrective actions, and negotiation tools are available on each side? Robust programs will ensure that your policy isn't just a document on a wall somewhere, but is an active expectation lived out in day-to-day decision-making.

 

The final component is effective performance measurement. Sustainability professionals like to say "what gets measured gets managed" and it's essential that any supplier engagement program have effective metrics. You might begin with simple measures like "how many suppliers responded to our survey" or "how many suppliers attended our sustainability training," but generally I advocate moving to more outcome-based metrics such as "how much did serious incidents decrease after suppliers participated in our safety training?" and "how many tons of carbon emissions were suppliers who engaged with us able to reduce (as compared to non-engaging supplier)?" These kind of indicators will give you a much better sense of how effective your engagement efforts are -- and give you insight into what new initiatives are most likely to give you the results you seek. 

 

Read full article

 

Reprinted with permission. Originally Published: April 3, 2014
Smart Buildings are Getting Smarter, More User Friendly

 

Advances in building and information technologies have brought a new "big data"  analytics-based approach to facilities management - one that ushers in a  new era of operational control, reliability and productivity for  businesses and workers. 

 

Smart buildings can increase employee comfort,  engagement and productivity, according to Jones Lang LaSalle's latest  report, The Changing Face of Smart Buildings: The Op-Ex Advantage.

 

Technological  advances have finally converged with long-existing and significant  opportunities for improving energy efficiency and the user experience  within buildings. We are seeing tenant satisfaction improve while  building operating costs are reduced, especially when tenants are  actively engaged with controlling energy usage. 

 

Read More...

 

Source: NREI Online and Fulcrum Insurance Programs 


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