HOUSTON — The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation has announced the release ofU.S. Government Policy Impacts and Opportunities for Facility Management, a free publication in its Sustainability How-to Guide Series that the organization says offers a comprehensive, practical approach to making sustainability improvements to public- and private-sector facilities based on government guidelines.

According to the organization, this guide is written for facility professionals who want to stay ahead of the executive and legislative curve and implement strategic sustainability performance plans for their facilities that utilize the best-in-class resources and benchmarking information developed by the U.S. federal government and state governments.

The guide is designed to enable public- and private-sector facility professionals to:

• Understand how recent legislative and executive initiatives have focused on reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of energy and water use in federal buildings;

• Learn how to achieve greener buildings through site planning, building material selection, HVAC systems, water efficiency, and ongoing building operations;

• Improve energy management techniques through consideration of such things as energy demand, HVAC and refrigeration equipment, and efficient Energy Star® appliances;

• Build a business case for sustainability initiatives and utilize effective measurement tools;

• Take advantage of available grants, rebates, and incentives; encourage increased operational and capital investments; and identify resources supporting sustainability planning and execution;

• Understand the current reporting requirements affecting both federal agencies and commercial entities; and

• Learn from case studies offering real-world insight into effective sustainability approaches.

The guide is primarily built around U.S. acts and executive orders pertaining to the built environment, including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; the Energy Policy Act of 2005; the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; Executive Order 13423; and Executive Order 13514.

“There’s a broad range of support tools available for federal and private-sector facility professionals tasked with responding to energy improvement and carbon emission reduction goals, and this guide will help them better understand and utilize these resources,” said John McGee, past chair of the IFMA board of directors and a co-author of the guide. “Facility managers who read this guide, access the websites mentioned, and implement the recommended practices will find they have all the tools they need to develop and implement a successful sustainability strategy.”

U.S. Government Policy Impacts and Opportunities for Facility Management is available online free of charge at www.ifmafoundation.org/documents/?download=300.

Publication date: 03/05/2012