Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it’s implementing a new label program to boost clean American manufacturing by helping federal purchasers and other buyers find and buy cleaner, more climate-friendly construction materials and products. “The label program is made possible by a $100 million investment in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and aims […]
Walmart has taken a significant step toward the future of retail construction with one of the largest free-standing, 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the United States. In partnership with Alquist 3D, a 3D concrete printing (3DCP) construction company, the retail giant printed a nearly 8,000-square-foot, 20-foot-high addition at its store in Athens, Tenn. Dedicated to enhancing Walmart’s Online […]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded more than $2 billion in new grants to improve airport infrastructure across the country, including millions of dollars for sustainability projects. Specifically, the funding includes $1.9 billion in grants under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and $269 million in FY 2023 Supplemental Discretionary Grants. In addition to the […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. Antimicrobial resistance, also known as AMR, is an emerging global health crisis that threatens to undermine decades of medical progress. Defined as the ability of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi to resist the […]
Schools throughout the U.S. are rapidly switching to solar power to meet their energy needs while gaining significant cost-savings, boosting climate resilience, and supporting workforce development, according to a new report from clean energy nonprofit Generation180. Over the past decade, the amount of solar capacity installed at K-12 schools has more than quadrupled nationwide. According to “Brighter […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected five groups to receive $34 million in grants for projects helping address indoor air pollution in K-12 schools in low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities across the country. This announcement comes after the agency revealed $26 million in funding to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools […]
On July 29, 2024, Cal Water, the third largest water utility company in the country serving half-a-million customers in California, announced that it has helped its customers reduce their water bills by 20.5% in the last 15 years. This is compared to what they might have been charged without water conservation and water efficiency efforts […]
The need for new buildings and facilities is soaring, buoyed by surging demand for everything from manufacturing to clean energy infrastructure and the triumvirate of legislation making construction more cost-effective, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act. While this […]
As a nation, our buildings will play a pivotal role in achieving our clean energy future. Buildings are where we live, work, and play—so it makes sense that we spend 90% of our time in buildings and that our buildings use a substantial amount of energy. Residential and commercial buildings are among the largest sources […]
As climate change reshapes our world, the demand for environmentally responsible building practices has never been more urgent, especially given that the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry contributes more than 37% of global carbon emissions. A new focus on sustainable construction is emerging, with a particular emphasis on the critical role of embodied carbon. […]