November/December 2024 • volume 41, number 6

The Sustainable Campus

How Understanding Campus Utilization Rates Can Reduce Your Institution’s Carbon Footprint

By Stefania Vatidis

With 39 percent of global carbon emissions coming from real estate—and 28 percent from operating buildings themselves—universities in the United States have become significant producers of greenhouse gases due to one of their largest assets being real estate. Not only that, but many universities in the United States also choose to operate their own power […]

Feature

Mitigating Floods in High-Risk Areas: Building Resilient Schools through Conscious Design Methodologies

By Britany Bock

Schools are often at the heart of communities, meaning they become a safe haven and place of shelter for the surrounding area during emergencies. In 2017, 2,246 schools in the top 100 counties were rated for high-risk flooding in the United States (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2017). The same study, done by the Pew Charitable […]

Feature

Trash Talk: How Centralizing Waste Will Transform Your Campus

By Anthony Maione

There is a looming crisis. We are running out of landfill space. Did you know that we average almost five pounds of garbage per person in the United States per day? The U.S. represents four percent of the world’s population but contributes to 12 percent of Earth’s trash. Our country recycles and composts roughly one-third […]

Feature

Combined Heat and Power Can Be the Steady Pulse of a Microgrid’s Beating Heart

By Roger Copeland, P.E.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants are unsung microgrid heroes. Properly configured and designed CHP solutions can provide microgrids with resilient, low-carbon power. In fact, CHP remains a uniquely practical resource, especially for mission-critical facilities operating microgrids, because it can produce a continuous, controllable baseload source of electric and thermal energy. Yet despite its incredible […]

Feature

Nine Ways Facilities Managers Can Advance Sustainability Goals at Educational Institutions

By Brad Smalling

When it comes to the sustainability movement in educational institutions, it sometimes appears to be more talk than action. For example, 83 percent of colleges and universities have campus sustainability committees. However, fewer than 15—not 15 percent, 15—campuses have actually achieved carbon neutrality. That disconnect may be because of seemingly exorbitant up-front costs and logistical […]

Educational Facilities Sustainability On Campus: Resilience Against Storms

By Anita Dosik with ChatGPT

APPA Digest Nov/Dec 2024

By Kevin Willmann

The Bookshelf Nov/Dec 2024

By Theodore J. Weidner

New Products Nov/Dec 2024

By Gerry Van Treeck

Membership Matters

We Are Here … We Are Here … And Grateful You Are Too!

By Suzanne Healy

For those with children, grandchildren, or who are just fond of Dr. Seuss, the phrase “we are here … we are here” might conjure up images of the story Horton Hears a Who. In this story, our hero, Horton, deals with several challenges and is labeled an outcast by the residents of the Jungle of […]

Perspective on the Profession

STARS: A Global Standard for Advancing Campus Sustainability

By Meghan Fay Zahniser

An effective and transformative framework for many institutions in prioritizing and implementing sustainability is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS®). STARS offers a comprehensive way to measure, track, benchmark, and improve sustainability performance across all dimensions of educational institutions. Using indicators in operations, engagement, governance, and academic programs, STARS offers campuses a comprehensive […]

Facility Asset Management

Belonging: A Social Fractal

By Lindsay Wagner

In 1999, I arrived as a college freshman on campus a week early for marching band practice. I also got to see the maintenance crew based out of an office in my residence hall in action. They came and went with armloads of blind slats and window screens and pushed around a cartload of plumbing […]

Technology + Trends

Embracing Technology in Education Facilities Management

By Darin Porter

Technology is rapidly shaping every industry—from finance to travel. Facilities management is no exception. While industry professionals may not always readily adopt technological solutions for facility maintenance, they are quickly becoming a top priority for leading schools. Technology is becoming part of the nation’s top institutions’ daily lives—from automated work order systems to analytics that […]

Power Tools

Landscape Services—Mobile Robotics to Augment Workforce Capacity

By Adam Lawver

The Landscape Services department at Michigan State University (MSU) maintains approximately 2,000 acres of the 5,200-acre East Lansing, MI campus. The department employs 60 full-time employees and more than doubles its workforce during the growing season with full-time temp, part-time, and student positions. Landscape practices are constantly evolving, and over the past decade, we have […]

The Sustainable Campus

University of Utah Establishes School of Environment, Society, & Sustainability

By Brian Maffly

Editor’s Note: Introducing Our New Column! We’re excited to announce the debut of this new column dedicated to sustainability on campus! Each issue, this column will explore innovative eco-friendly initiatives, student projects, and tips for sustainable living on campus. Join us in celebrating FM’s commitment to a greener future. Stay tuned for insights, news, and […]