What Companies Want to see in their Green Facilities

Companies continue to see the value in finding greener ways to do business. This means that many organizations may be looking for construction professionals who can help them design, build and renovate structures that would be worthy of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

If construction professionals wish to become green building authorities, they could look into continuing education options, as well as work toward earning a LEED AP credential. Something else these individuals may want to do is take a look at companies that clearly have an interest in becoming more environmentally friendly organizations. This will allow them to see what types of green features some of today's biggest companies want to see in their facilities. Here are just three examples of businesses with buildings that recently received LEED certification:

Swisslog Healthcare Solutions
This provider of integrated logistics solutions for hospitals, warehouses and distribution centers, recently saw its North American headquarters in Denver, Colorado, receive LEED Silver Certification for Existing Buildings, a press release stated.

What this means, according to the USGBC, is that the facility puts an environmentally friendly spin on ongoing building operations, such as water and energy use, as well as waste stream management.
"LEED certification is the culmination of two years' effort in sustainability projects at Swisslog," said Mike Hoganson, Swisslog's president. "Our gains in operational efficiency and cost reduction provide a sound business justification for the stewardship programs we have in place as a result of our participation in the LEED program."

SKECHERS USA
SKECHERS sneakers often come in green, which is fitting, as the footwear manufacturer has an interest in keeping the planet healthy. This is apparent based on the fact that the company's 1.82 million square foot North American distribution center in Rancho Belago, California, recently earned LEED Gold certification, according to a press release.

The facility received LEED certification for multiple green features, including a warehouse ventilation system that makes use of outside air, energy-efficient hating and cooling systems, and 280,000 square feet of solar power generation systems that sit atop the distribution center's roof.
"SKECHERS is committed to growing its business in a way that conserves natural resources, protects the environment and reduces waste," said David Weinberg, the company's chief operating officer and chief financial officer. "In addition to efficiently distributing our product across North America, the SKECHERS Rancho Belago facility is an outstanding example of how large corporations can grow their business while also promoting Earth-friendly practices."

Whirlpool Corporation
Since its inception more than 100 years ago, Whirlpool Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of home appliances, has worked to make a positive impact on communities, according to Lee Utke, the company's senior director of global corporate real estate, as quoted by a press release. Whirlpool's commitment to communities continues with its new Riverview Campus in Benton Harbor, Michigan - the recipient of LEED Platinum certification.

The Riverview Campus serves as an example of what green construction can be. For example, nearly 15,000 tons of construction waste was kept out of landfills thanks to the fact that 95 percent of building materials and waste were recycled and reused. In addition, the facility is designed to save more than 147,000 gallons of interior water each year.

Other green features at the Riverview Campus include architecture that uses natural daylight and onsite electric charging stations to promote the use of fuel-efficient vehicles.

 Of course, these are just three companies that have recently received LEED certification for their facilities. With the right training, construction professionals may be able to help many more organizations do the same in the years ahead.

Reaching Higher for Green Cred

The water crisis sounds like another media creation, like Y2K. But Y2K was only solved after the hype scared businesses into looking at the situation. They managed to fix most glitches and were prepared for the date change. But the specter remained. And the media loves a good specter. And so the hype lived on until New Year’s Day, 2000.

Can business also solve the water crisis before it goes too far? That remains to be seen, but like Y2K, the clock is ticking.

In the U.S. we use water for everything from drinking and farming to washing vehicles and watering lawns. At the same time, costs for utilities are going up and everyone from homeowners to major conglomerates would like to spend less on it. But it’s tough to break bad habits.

Low-hanging Fruit

Much of the low-hanging fruit is gone. We have the low-flow fixtures in place. Even retail spaces like business offices have gotten a handle on it due to a mix of fighting for LEED certification and trying to save cash. Reclaimed water for landscaping maintenance? It’s being carefully drip-irrigated outside your window right now.

Reach Higher

So that leaves us with the fruit that isn’t low-hanging. Rainwater capture could be interesting. It works well for Bermuda, where all the roofs are designed to catch and contain rainwater for home use. Water flow as well as water treatment issues would need to be addressed. Get some ideas with these classes:

Water and Plumbing Basics

Storm water harvesting

Storm water treatment

Biofilters

These can be used to filter out pollutants before water hits a wetland or groundwater table. Wetlands are an important defense against a storm surge and are often regarded by local governments as protected areas. Groundwater, of course, leads to aquifers and other bodies of water where the majority of our drinking water comes from. Polluting either can result in fines, not to mention bad karma. Check out these classes for a little help:

Biofilters  

Wetland Basics

Groundwater Contamination

Groundwater Hydrology

Drinking Water

Sure, you have that little filter on the sink for your water, but wouldn’t it be nice to skip that? Or to be able to stop buying those jugs of water at the supermarket? Learn what’s up with RedVector drinking water classes:

Disinfection of Drinking water

Filtration

Arsenic Anyone?

Gray water, rain harvesting and more

Clean water is something we take for granted right up until we don’t have it. We know that municipalities are on the lookout for polluters and hefty fines can be incurred through mistakes of omission. Keep an eye out for mistakes with training from RedVector.

Small Business Survival Skills

There’s an old axiom that bemoans how it isn’t fair that we take our best standup comics and make them sit-com stars. They got famous being great standup comedians. And now we demand they do something completely different? It’s proven with every failed Margaret Cho and Jeff Dunham show.

Small business people often feel the same way. A contractor gets where he is by building things. By knowing lumber and codes and LEED certifications. But then he starts out on his own and has to learn things like sales, billing, W-4s and marketing, plus do all the stuff he usually does.

It can easily get overwhelming. Luckily, RedVector has your back.

Marketing: 101

Don’t fall for the old “I see it so everyone sees it” marketing strategy.

You see lots of media every day, including TV, billboards, newspapers and radio. Just because you listen to 70s Rock doesn’t mean your customers rock out to “Freebird” on the local station. In fact, if you sell high-end homes, all your customers might only be on satellite radio.

No, put the SiriusXM contract down; my point is that you don’t have the bandwidth to research all that. Gut instinct is great, but don’t rely on it. Use it when testing new media, not when you are betting the farm that it works.

Start slowly and take a class. RedVector has them available—from public relations to putting together a marketing strategy. Just type “Marketing” into the course search online.

To get you started:

• Effective Public Relations: http://bit.ly/W3ca7v
• Marketing: http://bit.ly/X7PNwP
• Another Marketing: http://bit.ly/101g8Dg

Small Business Survival Skills

So let’s say you start out and you get a few contracts. Then, you need to hire employees to do the work. But you need more work coming in to keep those paychecks going out. And your business builds.

Best case scenario? It has a dark side. Payroll taxes. Benefits. Morale. You’ll need leadership and juggling skills. If you’ve come this far, you probably have all the building blocks. Hone your skills by stopping by SmartTeam. A sister to RedVector, SmartTeam specializes in getting your small business on its feet. Your sales guys can get trained to sell. Your human resources person can get the basics. And you can take a class on staying stress-free.

SmartTeam can even keep you out of legal hot water.  There are ethics classes to help you spot where a business venture might be getting a little shady and compliance classes to show you the way out of shady territory. There are safety classes that help keep everyone off workers’ comp. And there are professional courses that could head off sexual harassment cases.

And so on. We can help teach you computer skills, health and wellness and so much more. And suddenly you might just realize that you have gone from a crazed small business person to someone who is taking care of business.

Have you visited www.SmartTeam.com? It's built just for small businesses looking to step up their game from the receptionist up front to the back office. Try out the 7 day trial for free.

Rethinking Dunes (and Codes) after Sandy

(Note: Scroll to the bottom of the post for hurricane-related courses from RedVector.)

Hurricanes Sandy and Andrew were very different storms more than 20 years apart, but they will have an impact on the way local governments build for decades to come. Andrew spurred major wind mitigation rethinking. Early indications point to flooding and storm surges as being the thrust of Sandy’s legacy.

To that end, seaside communities from Fire Island to Atlantic Beach are reevaluating their dunes strategies. In the recent past, not every community was willing to pony up several million dollars for mounds of sand that would disrupt views and ruin the fun for surfers. But Sandy changed a lot of that thinking.

Long Beach, NY, turned down dunes six years ago. Myriad local opinions drove the city council to vote it down unanimously. Neighboring beach communities to the north and the south swallowed the cost and voted it in. The Army Corps of Engineers designed and built the 15-foot-tall dunes where approved.

The result?

After the storm blew through, Long Beach (with a population of 30,000 people) suffered more than $200 million in damages. Nearby towns with dunes saw a fraction of those damages. Even where the dunes were breached, scientists and community leaders say the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Damage estimates and comparisons between the towns are still being calculated, but the wheels of emergency federal funds are already moving forward with dunes projects. Local government is ready to approve the measures. There is a good chance this won’t be the only policy revisited after Sandy.

When Andrew rolled through South Florida, strict building codes were enacted that reverberated throughout the state. Those in high-risk counties strapped down their roofs and purchased specially-designed doors and windows. Even builders hundreds of miles away from the affected area were impacted by revised codes. And the state’s property insurance landscape has forever changed since the storm.

RedVector training helped architects, engineers and construction companies in Florida adjust to the new restrictions. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on any changes in the Northeast as well. In the meantime, we have a variety of courses designed to keep your customers safe, including:

Coastal Engineering: Hurricanes - The Basics

Coastal Engineering: Storm Surge

Costs and Benefits of Natural Hazard Mitigation 

Earth Dynamics: Tornadoes 

Emergency Management Guide 

Hurricane Damage: Wind vs. Water Determination 

Hurricane Mitigation: Design and Construction Lessons 

And our package:

15 Hour Coastal Engineering and Hurricane Design Package with Ethics 

  

Source: New York Times

LMS and Change Management

You know the eye rolls. The restlessness. They come just after you announce a training class. It’s training malaise! And it isn't welcome in a training-intensive medical environment.

Developing a corporate attitude that welcomes training is just another type of change management. We've all had to learn new policies and procedures and eventually they become second nature.  Training will follow a similar course in an anti-training environment. There will be resistance. People will say they don’t have time. Eyes will roll. Management needs to take action. How?

1)      Is your staff tech-savvy?  Unless your office is tech-savvy, your change management could meet with fear and frustration. Make sure you get over that hump before dragging an LMS in the mix (Pssst! www.smartteam.com can help).

2)      Hold managers accountable. You know what? If my manager thinks a program is a joke, I’m not wasting my time on it. Period. Tackle your managers first, get them on board and the rest will follow.

3)      Meet on it. Taking courses in solitary confinement can make for drudgery and less learning. While the act of sitting through an online course might seem independent and self-contained (headphones, a quiet study area), people don’t often learn like that. Hold offline meetings before or after lessons to review key takeaways. The social interaction will encourage teambuilding and make the lessons more meaningful.

4)      Certificates! I love certificates. I want to reach milestones, get documentation and check items off my to-do list. I’m not alone. Track what training everyone takes and reward good behavior. Our LMS makes it so easy and quite powerful.

5)      Communicate. Even the most training-centric corporate culture will forget about the LMS if you do. We have a million other things to get done, how are you going to hold my attention long enough for me to train after that first month?  Remind me. Email me. Leave posters in   the break room. Post reminders on the intranet. Create contests. Update me in the newsletter. Add a bill-stuffer to my paycheck. If   you continue to be on board with the program, so will I.

Purchasing, creating and perfecting your LMS takes so much time.  But it doesn't end after the programmers send it over. You’ll need to manage it on an ongoing basis like anything else. RedVector will take care of the courses, but you need to take care of your employees.

Holiday Trees: Live or Artificial?

Many people eschew them for the real thing. But if the rush and madness at a local home center’s Black Friday sale is any indication, they are here to stay. Artificial Holiday trees. The $50 doorbuster sold out within nine minutes of the early store opening.

No, thank goodness I wasn't there at the sale. I bought my artificial tree earlier that week. But I've been having environmental guilt.

Artificial Tree?

Is the tree in my living room the best I could have done for the environment? I use reusable bottles, reusable coffee mugs, reusable plates, forks and knives. Is a reusable tree the same?

A Google search shows why my environmental Spider Sense is tingling. Many people don’t think artificial trees are helpful to the earth. Made in China. Shipped stateside. Contains dubious chemicals. Never degrade in landfills. The list goes on.

Live Tree?

So a live tree? Purchased at the same home center? Those trees get trucked in. Then a fire hazard. Then you hope your town will mulch them and not dump them in a landfill. On the upside, less pesticides than I expected. But it helps if you know your grower, which leads me to...

Cut it Yourself?

Home centers aren’t the only places for live trees. You can cut one down like my uncle’s family.  They get an ultra-fresh tree with less fire hazard. Personally, I worry about squirrels coming home with you. But they haven’t had issues and have decades of holiday chopping under their belts.

 Bulb Tree?

Lastly, the Internet greenies point to bulb trees. These are live trees that the nursery digs up, wrapping their roots in burlap. Then you bring the whole thing home. But there is a lot to think about when you buy a tree and make it a houseplant for a week. How to keep the roots wet? How to plant it in the frozen soil outside on December 26? How long can it stay inside the house (wow, you really should read this article: http://cin.ci/TxwpIV)? Also note that balled trees are really heavy. Like a 6” tree can be 200lbs. Check it out:  http://bit.ly/QCenbg

So my environmental guilt is well founded. But my cats can climb this tree as well as any other one, so at least they are happy. If you are in a Tree Quandary of your own, check out these articles for a little research:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/christmas-trees-picking-greenest-options-synd2?click=pp

http://environment.about.com/od/greenchristmas/a/christmas_trees.htm

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121201/LIFE08/312010014/Get-your-tree-real-fake-or-freshly-cut

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/18/a-fake-vs-a-real-tree/

Fast Track to Green

The Patent Process can be a long one. There are blueprints to submit, research to be reviewed and so much more. But if you have a green product? Get ready for the fast track!

Did you know that the US (and many other countries around the globe) has a specialized patent process when it comes to green products? Called Fast-Track, it was instituted in the US in 2009 and the green patent process has been buzzing through red tape and waiting lines ever since.

A study by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development came out this fall and found that worldwide the programs have been delivering on a faster patent wait time. The study shows that the quicker process is usually requested by start-up companies seeking to get new technologies out there. Additionally, fast-tracked patents are more likely to be granted, according to the study.  

This is important for a startup.  Getting a patent can lead to product going out the door faster or investor capital arriving on a company’s doorstep quicker than no patent.

The effort and budgets needed to decrease wait times were approved based on climate change concerns brought forth in the Kyoto Protocol. They are hitting the mark. The study shows that the majority of patent applications are climate change-related. Of these, renewable energy technologies are the most often requested.

Could the next big thing come from a fast-tracked patent? The world is hoping it will. The UN and the signers of the Kyoto Protocol will be hearing updates on it in Quatar this week and next.