Magazine

President Biden’s new Executive Order signals a shift in federal priorities. It also means now is the time to re-focus on sustainability in the private sector. Here are four specific reasons why. President Biden recently signed the “Federal Sustainability Plan” (Executive Order 14057) which outlines ambitious goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. These goals apply…

  Conservation and demand management could deliver worldwide annual energy-use avoidance of 95 exajoules (EJ), equivalent to nearly 278 million megawatt-hours, concludes a report released last week at the 7th Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Sønderborg, Denmark. Canada is among dozens of national delegations in attendance to endorse urgent action on energy efficiency…

  The British Council for Offices (BCO) has released a position paper proposing updated key design criteria, as part of its most recognised publication, the BCO Guide to Specification. The guide, which is normally published every four or five years, provides expert best practice advice on how to specify office space, helping industry practitioners provide…

How much time and money do you and your organization lose every year—or every day!—because someone has been unable to make a decision? It turns out that facility managers may have more influence on decision-making than you realize! As an architect and Certified Facility Manager with over 30 years’ experience helping people make facility-related decisions,…

“What can we do?” This is among the most common questions I get after a major incident of violence. It’s not uncommon for there to be a heightened interest for a while, then things go back to “normal.” However, things feel different this time. As I’m writing this article, the news playing in the background…

Electric trucks have been in the news a lot lately, ever since America’s No. 1 pickup truck, the Ford F-150, went electric. Pickups are just the start. In time, all trucking sectors will go electric, from the delivery vans that drop off your packages to the big rigs that haul freight across the interstates. Here…

Businesses are faced with increasing pressure to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting into their practices and business models. The pressure comes from multiple stakeholders. According to a recent poll, 88 percent of institutional investors put ESG on par with operational and financial considerations when making investment decisions; 60 percent of employees choose a place…

Renewable energy and sustainable storage methods are arguably the most important transitions the world needs right now to mitigate both climate change and global conflicts. While a lot of progress has been made on both fronts, there is still a long way to go when it comes to creating a carbon-free energy ecosystem. Fortunately, some…

Bexar County Elections Office Election officials, nervous about possible violence, chose a security window film installation to safeguard their facility. “The past year has seen a significant increase in threats of violence against election workers, administrators, officials, and volunteers who administer elections for federal, state, and local office in this country,” says a U.S. Department…

NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® requires that an electrical safety program (ESP) be established and documented. Section 110.5(G) requires that electrical safety procedures be developed, and Annex E provides guidance on things to include in a detailed procedure. It is the employer’s responsibility to document procedures applicable to the tasks performed…