Post on 27-Mar-2015
Promoting Green Buildings in the Use Phase
The Pennsylvania Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual
A Joint Project of Penn. Dept. of General Services and Green Seal, Inc.
Arthur B. Weissman, Ph.D.
Green Seal, Inc.
Purpose of the Project
• To help fulfill Governor’s executive order
on sustainable government
• To operate Penn. government buildings in
safer, more sustainable way
• To institutionalize sustainable O&M in
Penn. government buildings
Project Partners
• Penn. Department of General Services– manages state buildings and facilities
– State workers, not contractors, do building maintenance
• Green Seal, Inc.– national, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization
– mission to promote more environmentally sustainable economy
– work with governments et al. on greening purchasing, operations, facilities management
Project Structure and Process
• Green Seal assembled national team of experts
• Team worked with Commonwealth advisory committee
• Draft manual field-tested for 3 months in 3 Harrisburg buildings (including Capitol)
• Final manual made actionable for workers
Contributors to Manual
• Text: national experts in specific areas
• Penn. Advisory Committee: DGS managers,
technical experts, some outside national experts
• Field Test: building maintenance managers and
line staff
• Special acknowledgment: DGS Deputy Secretary
James Martin and Marilyn Bygall, Project Officer
Lessons of the Field Test
• Historic buildings pose special problems
• Age, physical constraints limit efforts
• Multiple jurisdications complicate maintenance initiatives
• Occupant behavior an uncontrolled factor
• Maintenance staff buy-in a prerequisite
• High-level support crucial
A Manual is Created
A Manual is Created (con’t.)
• Manual meant to be used:
– action items head each section
– explanatory text follows
• Covers cleaning procedures, cleaning products,
HVAC, lighting, landscaping,
snow-removal/deicing, roofing, parking garages
• Some flash cards developed for line workers
Disseminating the Tool
• Commonwealth printed manual, posted on Web at www.dgs.state.pa.us (button for Green Building Maintenance)
• Disseminating to all DGS maintenance workers• Distributing to all government agencies,
universities, hospitals• Developed training video• Intent on institutionalizing!
Implications for Making Existing Buildings Green
• Old/historic buildings may seriously limit green O&M efforts – major renovation may be only way through
• Green landscaping starts with design:– choice and layout of species are key
• Administrative roles crucial– split jurisdictions are counterproductive
• Training, follow-up essential to implement
Conclusions
• Pennsylvania has embarked on a new path to make its existing buildings green
• Manual is only a start to institutionalizing green O&M
• Widespread demand for this work bodes well for LEED-EB
• Managers must consider O&M from outset when greening buildings (new or existing)
For More Information
• Pennsylvania Dept. of General Services• Marilyn Bygall• tel. (717) 783-1162
• mbygall@state.pa.us
• Green Seal, Inc.• tel. (202) 872-6400
• greengov@greenseal.org
• www.greenseal.org