Joe Jackson
Director, Grounds & Sanitation Services
Duke University
Durham, N.C.
Podcast: Management Strategy
The Facilities Management Tip of the Day podcast touches on essential maintenance and engineering issues for managers. Topics include landscape management, HVAC, ADA, emergency preparedness, security, plumbing and roofing.
News: EPA Approves Antimicrobial Copper Alloys
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the registration of antimicrobial copper alloys with public-health claims. These claims acknowledge copper, brass and bronze can kill harmful, potentially deadly bacteria. Copper is the first solid-surface material to receive this type of EPA registration, which is supported by extensive antimicrobial-efficacy testing. The registration is based on independent laboratory testing using EPA-prescribed protocols demonstrating the metals’ ability to kill specific disease-causing bacteria, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Webcast: Emergency Preparedness
Natural disasters. Terrorism. Vandalism. Fire. Emergency situations take many forms and can strike without warning. When they do, the results can be devastating – and even business-obliterating. It is imperative that organizations have pre-existing recovery plans in place to ensure facility and occupant safety. In this free webcast, Fred Krishon of Facility Engineering Associates discusses the key components of an emergency preparedness plan.
What You Say: Security Audit
Of the buildings you manage, what percentage have had a security audit conducted in the last three years?
Nationals Park: A Green Monument
The field was green, very green.
But aside from the grass lying at the base of Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., fans attending the season opener between the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals likely were hard-pressed to point out the remaining green attributes specified at the new home of the Nationals, who apparently have become Major League Baseball’s (MLB) most environmentally conscious franchise.
As is the case with many green buildings, occupants might not notice the stadium’s sustainable attributes. But a graphic published in a recent USA Today identifies the stadium’s varying green characteristics. The stadium also caught the attention of Fast Company magazine, which profiled the facility on its Web site. Nationals Park is aiming to become the first MLB stadium to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council …
Lighting Technology: More Than Green
Everything seems green. No, not just some things. Everything.
Anyone who attended the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference in Baltimore in March — or any other national conference, for that matter — witnessed the phenomenon firsthand. No matter the product or technology in question, manufacturers have found ways to tie its benefits to the push for environmental friendliness in facilities.
Their efforts are understandable. Organizations of all types and sizes are more interested than ever in minimizing facilities’ impact on the environment, and manufacturers are happy to help …
High-Performance Facilities Require Input from Staff
The April cover article in Maintenance Solutions magazine helped me better understand a harsh reality for managers in commercial and institutional facilities.
Despite their knowledge of facilities and an understanding of what it takes to make building operations successful, maintenance and engineering managers often do not have the time or resources to get involved with long-range projects, such as planning for new construction and renovations or working with other building officials to secure funding for the organization’s facilities.
Tim Woodley, director of operations for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District just outside of Portland, Ore., considers himself fortunate. He is involved in most, if not all, decisions regarding the district’s facilities and how they relate to the schools’ educational mission.
At the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Expo in Baltimore last month, Woodley was surprised to hear how some of his colleagues do not have such an expansive role in facilities planning …
Re-roof Construction Calculator
Title 24, Part 6 is California’s building energy-efficiency standard. This code includes performance and prescriptive requirements pertaining to roof assemblies. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association and the SolarSmart Roofing Alliance, in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Laboratories, have developed this tool to assist end users on issues specific to Title 24, Part 6.
