As was the case with many institutional and commercial facilities a decade ago, Munich Reinsurance America's headquarters campus in Plainsboro, N.J., offered a host of opportunities to improve sustainability. Christopher Walinski, the company's building operations manager, knew his facilities and grounds were not taking full advantage of important sustainability benefits, including those related to water conservation.
"In 2003, when the facilities department began ramping up its sustainability efforts, the site was benchmarked and compared to average in industry metrics, and it was found to be much more inefficient than (was) acceptable," Walinski says.
To capture these benefits and reduce its environmental impact, the company developed and implemented a retrofit and upgrade program that, in part, targeted water-using systems and processes, from restrooms and plumbing systems to HVAC systems and grounds management.
Munich Reinsurance America's efforts earned Walinski's department a 2014 Facility Maintenance Decisions Achievement Award for sustainability.
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Company's Water Conservation Projects Expand as Support Grows
Retrofit Projects Bring Financial Hurdles for Insurance Company
