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