Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
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New Sustainability Guide details how to measure carbon footprint
The International Facility Management Association Foundation has announced the release of ‘Carbon Footprint’, a free publication in the Sustainability ‘How-to’ Guide Series’ offering facilities managers a comprehensive approach to understanding greenhouse gas emission accounting, reporting and minimisation.
Carbon has become the currency of the sustainability movement, impacting energy management, waste handling, air quality, environmental stewardship and a host of other sustainability issues. In the US, about 40% of carbon emissions can be attributed to the construction, operation and maintenance of buildings — a fact that places much of the responsibility for carbon footprint management on facilities professionals.
Because energy usage is usually the largest portion of a building’s operational cost, the drive to make buildings more energy efficient directly aligns with the desire to reduce the carbon footprint. As stewards of the built environment, facilities managers are in a unique position to measure, monitor and reduce building- and workplace-related carbon emissions.
‘Carbon Footprint’ provides facilities professionals with the tools they need to understand the carbon footprinting process, analyse their results and plan for the future of their organisations.
The publication is divided into six sections that cover topics including:
What is a carbon footprint?
The role of the facility manager
Calculating greenhouse gas inventory and…
…Analyzing the results
Best practices and benchmarking
Setting goals for reduction (climate action planning)
Making the business case (cost savings, tangible and intangible benefits)
Case studies.
The guide was written by Sharon Jaye, D.Ed., CAPM, SFP, assistant director of facilities at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Ga. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Clayton State University, a master’s degree in project management from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from Argosy University.
“With changing regulations in the environmental field, carbon footprinting is becoming increasingly more important to organisations and facility management professionals alike,” she says. “My hope is that this guide demystifies the process for facility managers and makes it easier for them to save money for their organisations and reduce the environmental impact of their carbon footprint in the process.”
‘Carbon Footprint’ is available online free of charge. In total, 13 publications from the Sustainability ‘How-to’ Guide Series are available online. The IFMA Foundation produced the guide in partnership with the Atlanta Chapter of IFMA and the IFMA Sustainability Committee.
T: 713-623-4362
W: www.ifmafoundation.org / www.ifma.org
10th May 2012