Putting aside actual national politics, there’s no denying the climate in Washington, D.C., has changed in the last two years. Nowhere is this change more palpable than in the recent discussions I’ve had with a number of officials with organizations that have been working to promote various elements of sustainability in facilities.
In many cases, funding from the federal government to support these organizations’ efforts has been decreased or eliminated, jobs have been cut as a result and organizational focus has evolved to include “emotional support,” as one official describes it.
Make no mistake, facilities professionals and communities still care about improving the sustainability of institutional and commercial buildings, and many are still working to achieve that goal. But they have turned down the volume when it comes to minimizing the impact of facilities on the environment. Instead of pitching and spotlighting projects as sustainability related, more now are likely to describe them as energy efficiency measures.
The work of improving sustainability goes on, but the tone of the conversations is different.
“The quiet voices are even more quiet now,” an official says.
Where sustainability in facilities goes from here is anyone’s guess, but two things seem certain: Green organizations will keep looking for funding from sources other than the federal government, and they’ll continue to pursue sustainability victories where possible.
In facilities, the work will go on, just a bit more quietly. Many facility managers have become believers in sustainability in recent decades, not just because green efforts benefit the planet but because such measures also protect and improve the health and well-being of building occupants, visitors and in-house facilities staff on the front lines of sustainability.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
