Category: Grounds Management

Western Continues Shift from Fossil Fuels with Landscaping Equipment, Electric Vehicles

Caring for campus grounds has become a quieter experience and more comfortable for landscape services employees at Western University in Ontario, Canada, as the university works to eliminate gas-powered units on campus. Facilities Management has recently added two electric John Deere Gator utility vehicles (UTVs) to its landscape services fleet, replacing a carbon-intensive equipment truck […]

4 Ways to Prepare Your Facilities for Fall

With summer coming to an end, it’s time for facilities managers not only to examine the inside, outside, and landscaping elements of their facilities but also to be prepared for power outages, which are more likely to happen as it gets colder. Whether it’s an office complex, college or hospital campus, recreational hub, transportation hub, […]

How Facilities Managers Can Maintain Six Stormwater System Types

It’s important that facilities managers understand how to properly maintain their stormwater management systems, including, but not limited to, catch basins, retention and detention ponds, bioretention cells, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and stormwater vaults. Facilities Management Advisor’s July 13 webinar, “Exploring Stormwater Best Management Practices across the United States,” featured speaker Erin Zaske, a certified […]

A Primer on Landscaping Hazards and Safety

Landscaping plays a major role in ensuring facilities look inviting and well maintained from the outside. However, landscapers are exposed to all kinds of different hazards on a daily basis, ranging from heat and weather hazards, chemical exposures, accidents with machinery or tools, construction dangers, and the physical stress of lifting and other awkward postures. […]

A Comprehensive Guide to Building Maintenance Management

In our daily lives, we all desire safety and comfort within the spaces we inhabit, be it at work, at home, or during leisure activities. However, the importance of building maintenance management often goes unnoticed until an issue arises. This article aims to shed light on the significance of building maintenance management by providing an […]

College of Southern Maryland Makes Switch to Electric Vehicles

Beep! Beep! What eliminates the carbon dioxide equivalent of 42 trees, and can be found zipping around the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) La Plata and Regional Hughesville campuses? It’s the college’s new Polaris GEM utility vehicles—a sign of things to come as CSM begins transitioning to a smaller, less gas-reliant fleet of vehicles. This […]

Summer Fire Safety Tips for the Workplace

As facilities managers know, summer brings increased risks of fire hazards that require proactive planning and risk mitigation. With higher use of electrical equipment such as fans and air conditioning, risks of electrical overloads and arson attacks rise. Not to mention that reduced staffing levels can also impact safety practices. The summer is a great […]

Webinar Watch: Stormwater Best Management Practices Across the United States

During Facilities Management Advisor’s FREE upcoming webinar, learn why it’s imperative to understand a stormwater system’s complex combination of assets, called best management practices (BMPs), that work together to manage stormwater runoff. Every developed property one acre or larger is required to have a stormwater system. Can’t make it to the live event? No worries! All registrants […]

School’s Out! Essential Campus Projects to Tackle During Summer Break

Now that the academic semester is over and campuses are largely deserted, it’s the perfect time to do major maintenance projects and intensive cleaning jobs that couldn’t be done when the campus was buzzing with activity. Plan for Summer Classes Facilities teams should work with school leadership to determine what areas will be used for […]

Utah Governor Issues Water Conservation Order for State Facilities

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has issued an executive order requiring water conservation at state facilities with the goal of increasing Utah’s drought resiliency. Utah is one of the driest states in the nation; in fact, some portions of the state have experienced drought conditions nearly every year since 2000. Under Executive Order 2023-07, each state […]