Sustainability in Healthcare Industry Update: New Developments and Your Hospital

Andy Machado | April 12, 2023

Several sustainability developments important for hospitals and other healthcare organizations occurred in March: March 9, 2023, The White House and Department of Health and Human Services (WH/HHS) announced reopening of the Health Sector Climate Pledge to new signatories on an ongoing basis after its successful launch last year. March 20, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on...

Energy Optimization Evolves:
10 Years Later, the Energy Savings Continue to Add Up

Michael Della Barba | December 5, 2022

With all the focus on energy-efficiency and the drive to reduce carbon emissions in buildings through design and technology investments, it is easy to overlook the fact that significant energy savings can be achieved as a byproduct of well-performing building systems. As equipment ages, as minor components fail, as the seasons change, and as space...

Finding Balance: Risk & Goals in Ventilation

Jack McCarthy | July 19, 2022

As COVID-19 precautions fall away, with the suspension of masking and social distancing requirements indoors in most locations, facility managers (FMs) may find that the next stage of the pandemic brings new challenges. While COVID cases have been much lower in recent months than during the height of the pandemic, it’s unlikely that FMs will...

BERDO 2.0: Compliance FAQ

Andy Machado | June 3, 2022

The original BERDO, or Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, was enacted in 2013 and started as a reporting ordinance modeled after New York City’s 2009 Local Law 84. Large buildings in the City of Boston were required to collect and report their energy use to the city. The City of Boston published the information,...

Boston’s healthcare greenhouse gas emissions cut by 18% in 9 years despite growth

David MacIntosh | September 14, 2021

The United States is the world’s highest emitter of healthcare greenhouse gases (GHG), accounting for 27% of the global healthcare footprint.1 Climate change impacts a wide range of health outcomes from asthma and cardiovascular disease to malnutrition and heat-related illness and deaths.2 Healthcare has the opportunity, and obligation, to promote the health of the community...

Successful Laboratory Energy Reduction Programs Start with
Buy-In

Melissa Scully | February 24, 2021

While laboratories present a significant opportunity for energy savings, executing a successful energy saving program is challenging. This is largely due to the complexity of the environments and the sensitive operations being performed combined with the need to prioritize and ensure safety. Correctly qualifying laboratory spaces for energy conservation measures (ECM) such as occupied ventilation...

Lab Energy Optimization: How to Do it Safely

Matt Fragala | January 24, 2020

College campuses across the country are instituting green initiatives and signing aggressive carbon reduction goals to become better stewards of the environment. While this aim is admirable and necessary, many colleges and universities set these goals without fully developing a plan for how to achieve them. Once they discover their plan isn’t as easy to...

BERDO & BEUDO Compliance: What You Need to Know – and What You May Not Have Considered

Andy Machado | October 3, 2019

Boston and Cambridge are following the path laid by New York City’s landmark Local Law 84. In recent years, both Massachusetts cities passed legislation to require mandatory energy and water reporting for large buildings within their jurisdictions. You may think you know the details…but you might not have considered all the consequences. Boston’s Building Energy...