Check out the new Sustainability How-to Guide from IFMA on green building rating systems written by Mayra Portalatin, Maureen Roskoski and Teena Shouse.
Overview: Modern FM professionals around the world must be able to clearly communicate the benefits and positive economic impact of sustainability and energy-efficient practices to key stakeholders and decision makers. One way to accomplish this is to utilize rating systems, which are an optimal way to evaluate the performance of a facility. The rating systems reviewed in this document can provide a practical structure for FM professionals to achieve widespread and effective sustainability within their facilities by utilizing the system that best fits their circumstances.
The general objectives of the How-to Guides series are:
- To provide data associated with a wide range of subjects related to sustainability, energy savings and the built environment;
- To provide practical information associated with how to implement the steps being recommended;
- To present a business case and return-on-investment analysis wherever possible, justifying each green initiative being discussed;
- To provide information on how to sell management on the implementation of the sustainability technology under discussion;
- To provide case studies of successful examples of implementing each green initiative;
- To provide references and additional resources (e.g., websites, articles, glossary) where readers can go for additional information; and
- To work with other associations for the purpose of sharing and promoting sustainability content.
About the authors:
Mayra Portalatin, RS, SFP, LEED AP O+M
Mayra is a senior professional at Facility Engineering Associates, PC. Her civil and environmental engineering background has been the knowledge base for her environmental, facility management and sustainability consulting work over the past 16 years. She has managed and performed facility condition assessments and sustainability audits, as well as provided assistance to clients in support of their goal to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification. She has authored articles and presented on the topic of sustainable facility management at conferences such as Greenbuild (2010), NFMT (2011) and World Workplace (2014). She has been an instructor for George Mason University’s sustainability certificate program and is currently an instructor for IFMA’s Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) credential and FM technology for the Catholic University of America’s master’s in facility management program.
Maureen Roskoski, SFP, REPA, LEED AP O+M
Maureen has worked with existing facilities on LEED certification, energy management and sustainability policies during her 18 years of practice. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a degree in environmental earth science. Maureen has taken several clients through the LEED-EB certification process. She has worked with federal facilities on energy audits, preparing strategic sustainability performance plans, and energy and sustainability training. Roskoski has presented in her area of expertise at several leading conferences including IFMA’s World Workplace Conference and Expo, Greenbuild (2006 and 2009) and NFMT. She has unique experience with competency models, job task analyses and workforce development. In addition, Roskoski has led workshops on sustainability in existing buildings for the New York Regional Chapter of APPA and JLL. She was one of the primary developers and instructors for George Mason University’s professional certificate in sustainability for existing buildings and is an IFMA SFP instructor.
Teena Shouse, IFMA Fellow, CFM
Teena has more than 25 years of experience in service-related fields, predominately facility management. Before joining Facility Engineering Associates, she held the position of vice president, strategic partnerships with ARAMARK, overseeing collaborative strategies. Prior to ARAMARK, Shouse was the general manager of employee services at Sprint for 18 years. She was part of the design and construction team that built the 4.2-million-square-foot world headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. As general manager, she was involved in all aspects of campus operations from day-to-day management to sustainability strategies. She creates and teaches facility management and sustainability courses for IFMA and FEA and is a guest speaker at numerous North American and international conferences and universities. From 2005-2007, she served as the chair of the IFMA Board of Directors. She served as chair of Global FM, an international federation of FM organizations based in Brussels, Belgium, from October 2010 to January 2013. This has enabled her to influence the facility management profession on a global basis.
