Green Thumbs Up for FMs: IFMA and ASBE form alliance

by Beth Leibson Hawkins

The International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) has formed a professional alliance with the Alliance for Sustainable Built Environments (ASBE).

ASBE, based in Milwaukee, Wis., was formed in 2003 as a cooperative alliance of global businesses that support the sustainable transformation of the building industry. The alliance promotes a more energy efficient, environmentally benign, health focused, and productive workplace, focusing on products, services, and work processes. “The role of ASBE,” says Bill Gregory, director, Sustainable Initiatives at Milliken Design Center, LaGrange, Ga., and one of ASBE’s founders, “is to communicate and educate the marketplace about the benefits of high-performance green buildings.”

“ASBE’s goal is to help transform the market,” says Tim Cole, director of Support Services at the Swiss company, Forbo Flooring. “We talk about the need for change in the corporate culture, not just in the marketing department.”

And ASBE leads by example. “We tell companies how we changed our own companies,” says Cole. “For instance, at Forbo, we use lifecycle assessment done by an independent party and reviewed by a third-party peer.”

With the rising costs of energy and environmental impact, sustainability has come to the forefront of strategic and operational planning. Financially, environmentally, and socially, adopting sustainable practices makes good business sense. “We try to bring experts as resources to organizations and cities,” explains Craig Zurawski, ASBE executive administrator. “For instance, we held a day-long conference in Jacksonville, Florida, about how energy and environmentally efficient buildings can be good for business.”

All of the companies in ASBE have long-term records in sustainability. “You can’t just green-wash yourself,” explains Steve Goldmacher, director of Corporate Communications for New York-based Philips Lighting Company. “It is important to be transparent with customers about sustainability issues,” agrees Cole.

It is also important that the members do not compete in the same product area. Forbo, for instance, does environmentally sound flooring while Philips offers green lighting products.

IFMA is also pleased by the alliance. “Working with ASBE will help our members do their jobs,” says Donald Young, IFMA VP of Communications. “It will help FMs assess their systems and needs and get the tools to become more sustainable.” The largest and most widely recognized professional association for facilities management, IFMA, based in Houston, has approximately 18,300 members who manage nearly 23 billion sq.ft. of workspace.

ASBE specifically pursued IFMA as the most appropriate venue to reach facilities managers. “Other organizations, such as USGBC [U.S. Green Building Council], focus on architects and designers,” says Gregory, “but we identified a white space of professionals who were not receiving information about sustainability. We believe IFMA is the best organization out there for facilities managers.”

“But facilities managers require different information than designers,” Gregory adds. Architects and designers can choose to specify a product or services because it feels good to ‘go green.’ But facilities managers, says Gregory, need to think about the impact on the bottom line.

Together ASBE and IFMA will focus on developing educational programming, communicating with members of both organizations, and collaborative research. They are currently developing programming and activity including environmental metrics including the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) and LEED-EB (Existing Buildings) programs, Energy Star, and Climate Leaders.

ASBE and IFMA developed the first dedicated seven-session sustainability educational track at IFMA’s annual World Workplace Conference in October. “There was a lot of interest among IFMA members,” says Cole. “Each of the seven sessions had between 100 and 300 attendees.” The next appearance, says Goldmacher, will be at the GreenBuild International Conference & Expo in November.

And ASBE and IFMA have already begun research collaborations. At World Workplace, ASBE and the IFMA Foundation delivered the first white paper, titled “Delivering the Green: A Fresh Look at LEED-EB and Facilities Management.”

Current ASBE members are: Johnson Controls, Forbo Flooring, Milliken & Co., Owens Corning, JohnsonDiversey, Philips Lighting and USG Corporation.  And, says Goldmacher, ASBE is always looking for like-minded companies with strong track records of sustainability to join.

More information about ASBE is available at www.greenerfacilities.org;
And about IFMA at www.ifma.org.