Imagine you enter an office and all the facilities are looking neat and safe, how will that make you feel? Happy, right? Facilities management is all about making sure buildings and spaces are safe and comfortable. But today, it’s not just about stopping at keeping things efficient and safe, it’s also about ensuring we are being kind to our planet. This is where sustainable practices come in. The ability to reduce waste and save energy is what sustainable practices management is all about. When facilities management is practised, it makes our environment safe and healthier. In this guide, I will explain what sustainable practices are, and why they matter, and do you want to know how to implement them in facilities management? Let’s discuss it in detail, shall we?
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability means when we ensure everyone is safe, without harming future generations. What about sustainability in facilities management? This means when we use resources wisely, and how can we use our resources wisely? By reducing waste, and creating spaces that are good for people and the environment. Sustainable practices can help buildings use less energy and to produce less waste. When this happens, there will be healthier spaces for everyone.
Why Sustainable Practices Matter
Sustainability matters a lot. It ensures everyone and the environment is safe. Let’s see why sustainability practices matter in detail:
- Environmental Benefits: Sustainable practices matter. They help us to protect our planet. When our energy use and waste are reduced, we can have an environment free from pollution.
- Cost Savings: Do you want to save money and still have an environment free from pollution? Many sustainable practices can help to save money in the long run. For example, energy-efficient systems can lower utility bills, and reducing waste can cut disposal costs.
- Healthier Spaces: Any building that has better air quality—those buildings are sustainable buildings—and it can make occupants free from hazards.
- Regulatory Compliance: Sustainable practices matter, and that is why many governments have regulations that encourage or require sustainable practices. When the regulations are followed, fines will not be paid.
- Community Image: The companies around any community that practise sustainability are always respected. They will have a better image in the community. People like to support businesses that care about the environment.
Key Sustainable Practices in Facilities Management
- Energy Efficiency:
The better way to practise facility management is to sustain energy efficiency. What is energy efficiency all about? It is about using less energy to perform the tasks you do daily.
- Water Conservation:
Water conservation is important, and do you know water is an important resource people cannot do without? How do we sustain water? Conserving water is essential. These are some ways we can use to save water in facilities:
Installing low-flow faucets and showerheads can help to reduce water use.
Do you know regular maintenance of water facilities can help to check for pipes and fixtures that are leaking? And when we regularly check them and fix them promptly, it can prevent water waste.
The way we manage waste is really a big issue, and waste management is important in sustainability. How can we reduce waste?
Can the use of recycling bins be helpful in reducing waste? Waste management requires the use of recycling bins. Did you know the act of just placing recycling bins around can be helpful for waste management? When we set up recycling bins in places and locations, we ensure to educate staff about what can be recycled. This can help to reduce waste.
Another effective way to reduce waste is to start a composting programme for organic waste. Examples of organic waste are food scraps and yard waste.
Let me ask you this quick question, how many of you like to reuse items? People need to be encouraged to use reusable items. Examples of reusable items are water bottles and coffee cups. This can lessen the use of plastic items just once. When a plastic item is reused, it can help to reduce waste.
- Sustainable Materials:
I want you to imagine this—you enter into an office environment, and outside the building, you don’t find any wood with nails littered around the floor. That is sustainable materials. What are examples of sustainable materials? Take, for instance, you bought building materials that are full of chemicals. This can be harmful to you and others in that environment too. A good example of sustainable materials are products that are eco-friendly, and building materials free from harm.
- Indoor Air Quality:
The quality of life can be determined by the quality of air we take in. That is why indoor air should be safe. When indoor air quality is affected, it can cause harm to health. So, good indoor air quality is essential for the building and the occupants of the building.
Imagine a building with no proper indoor air quality. Buildings should have ventilation. When there’s proper ventilation, there will be quality fresh air to circulate, and when this happens, indoor pollutants will be reduced.
- Green Landscaping:
How can green landscaping be used for sustainability in management facilities? The use of native plants requires less water and maintenance.
The green landscape design always requires landscapes that require no irrigation. Using drought-resistant plants and efficient irrigation systems can help to sustain facilities management.
- Sustainable Transportation:
Transportation can cause a lot of carbon footprint, but when there are alternative options that can reduce a facility’s carbon footprint, the better for every occupant.
When bicycle racks are provided, it can encourage people to bike to work.
There are programmes that could help reduce the number of vehicles on the road. The name of the programme is called carpool programmes.
- Employee Engagement:
Sustainability efforts can also be successful when employees are involved in sustainability. Provide training on sustainable practices to all employees.
How to Implement Sustainable Practices
Without planning and commitment, it can be very difficult to implement sustainable practices in facilities management. But are there ways to implement sustainable practices? Let’s look at the steps to implementing sustainable practices.
Assess Current Practices: The first way to implement sustainable practices is to assess current facilities management practices. How can assessing current practices help to implement sustainable practices? The assessment is helpful—it will give an idea of some of the areas of facilities that need improvements.
Set Goals: How can you set goals? Setting sustainability goals is a great step to ensuring the environment is safe for everyone. You can set clear and measurable sustainability goals. For example, you can aim to reduce energy consumption by 20%—this can be a goal for the next five years.
Involve Stakeholders: Can you implement sustainable practices alone? It is impossible to implement sustainable practices alone. Engage employees, management, and other stakeholders in the planning process—this can help to ensure support.
Communicate Successes: This last method is crucial for implementing sustainable practices. When your processes are not well communicated, it can make people uninterested. That is why sharing successes with employees is very important. And when you share successes and progress with employees and the community, you will get their support for your ongoing efforts.
Conclusion
The process of sustainable practices in facilities management should be done strategically. Our future and planet and all its inhabitants will benefit greatly. When we focus on energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, and more, facilities can reduce their environmental impact and everyone and every space will be healthier for it. And implementing these practices will always require effort and commitment. Implementing sustainable practices has long-term benefits—the environment will also benefit.