Sustainability: Page 12


  • The Brutalist concrete exterior of Hotel Marcel.
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    Retrieved from Hotel Marcel on May 10, 2024
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    The Connecticut hotel offering a road map for zero-emissions hospitality

    Transforming a 50-year-old office building into the first all-electric, Passive House-certified hotel in the U.S. was a challenge. But the end result has been “good for business” at Hotel Marcel.

    By Brian Martucci • May 10, 2024
  • Rows of solar panels are seen against a green field.
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    Getty Images
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    Brookfield, Microsoft ink largest-ever corporate clean energy deal for 10.5 GW

    To help Microsoft run its data centers and other operations on carbon-free power 24/7, Brookfield will deliver wind, solar and other "new or impactful" technologies between 2026 and 2030.

    By Ethan Howland • May 6, 2024
  • Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Facilities Dive

    Top 5 stories from Facilities Dive

    By Facilities Dive staff
  • An aerial view of downtown Boston.
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    Q&A

    Climate action, technology can feed maintenance, energy efficiency, C&W Services exec says

    Michael Gill, new senior director of client services for New England at the Cushman & Wakefield subsidiary, discusses reducing energy and carbon use intensity to meet sustainability goals.

    By Updated May 15, 2024
  • A rendering of Schneider Electric's battery energy storage system, announced in April 2024 with Graybar as the first channel partner.
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    Courtesy of Schneider Electric
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    Schneider Electric’s new battery energy storage system aims to boost microgrid efficiency

    The system allows energy to be stored during off-peak hours, when electricity rates are lower, and used during peak demand periods, a company executive says.

    By May 3, 2024
  • The White House in Washington, D.C.
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    White House summit urges more sustainable school infrastructure

    Speakers pointed to federal funding streams that districts can tap into to improve school facilities while making them more climate-friendly.

    By Anna Merod • May 2, 2024
  • A cityscape with sustainable buildings that include solar panels, wind turbines and green roofs
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    NZero’s AI tool aims to offer “low-friction entry point” to building decarbonization process

    The Rapid Emissions Profile can produce benchmark efficiency profiles, conduct automated opportunity assessments for cost and emissions savings, and evaluate potential penalties for non-compliance, the company says.

    By May 1, 2024
  • Rows of sustainable energy solar panels set up on farmland.
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    Higher ed institutions turn to PPAs, other efforts to meet carbon reduction targets

    Some schools are banding together to offset their electricity usage with renewable energy credits, while the University of Dayton looks to pull renewable energy from a new waste heat facility. 

    By April 30, 2024
  • GRID Alternatives employees Jimmy Chit Ming Cheung (L) and Edward Aguilar carry a panel as they install no-cost solar panels on the rooftop of a low-income household on October 19, 2023 in Pomona, Cal
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    IRS issues final guidance for IRA’s clean energy tax credit transferability mechanism

    The guidance clarifies transferability rules for 11 key clean energy tax credits and aims to help organizations benefit from clean energy tax incentives.

    By Diana DiGangi • April 30, 2024
  • A view of business towers with a green, lush tree in front.
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    Johnson Controls gets ahead of sustainability, emissions reduction goals

    The company has reduced scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 44% since 2017 while reducing safety incidents and increasing diverse supplier spending, according to its 2024 sustainability report.

    By April 29, 2024
  • Energy Department finalizes rule to phase out fossil fuels in federal buildings

    In a push for net-zero emissions from federal facilities by 2045, the new rule mandates a 90% reduction in on-site fossil fuel use by 2029 and complete elimination after 2030.

    By April 26, 2024
  • York's 1,500-ton, all-electric MaxE Chiller in the Fashion Institute of Technology.
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    New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. (2024). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    New electric chiller at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology expected to save $1M in annual energy costs

    The $7 million project is part of a broader efficiency effort that has already cut greenhouse gas emissions at the Manhattan college’s facilities by 57%.

    By Brian Martucci • April 25, 2024
  • A commercial heat pump.
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    Getty Images
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    Commercial heat pump technologies today — and a look at what’s to come

    Users weigh in on air source, geothermal and groundwater geothermal heat pump performance and cost considerations, while two federal programs aim to accelerate their use and spur technological advancement. 

    By April 24, 2024
  • A facade of One World Trade Center in New York City
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    Huslage-Koch, Heike. (2014). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    Port Authority of New York and New Jersey taps Locus Technologies for emissions reporting

    Through the partnership, the Port Authority aims to track air pollutants and all three scopes of greenhouse gas emissions across its entire footprint.

    By Brian Martucci • April 24, 2024
  • A photo of a commercial refrigeration system
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    The image by Marco d'Itri is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Honeywell says refrigerant boosts chiller energy efficiency up to 46%

    Using Honeywell’s Solstice ze refrigerant has resulted in one chiller being 30% smaller and lighter than traditional ammonia-powered units, saving nearly 20% in maintenance operations, chiller manufacturer Q-REF’s CEO says.

    By April 23, 2024
  • A pushback tug at an airport
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    Airport fleet electrification takes off across the US, but challenges persist

    Decarbonizing ground vehicles, including runway support equipment and rental cars, requires close coordination between airport operators and third-party vehicle owners, airport officials say.

    By Brian Martucci • April 22, 2024
  • Custodian janitor pushing cleaning cart down hallway
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    iStock / FangXiaNuo

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    Sponsored by CheckSammy

    Clean when you need it: The power of on-demand facility cleaning

    On-demand solutions for all cleaning emergencies.

    April 22, 2024
  • A facade of the U.S. courthouse in El Paso, Texas
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    Highsmith, Carol M.. (2014). "Exterior. U.S. Courthouse. El Paso, Texas." [Photograph]. Retrieved from Library of Congress, Washington, D.C..
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    GSA secures carbon-free power deal with El Paso Electric for federal sites

    The new memorandum of understanding aims to make federal buildings in West Texas and New Mexico 100% carbon pollution-free by 2030.

    By April 18, 2024
  • A 3D rendering of condenser unit or compressor on rooftop of industrial plant, factory. Unit of ac or air conditioner, hvac or heating ventilation and air conditioning system.
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    DOE finalizes 4 appliance efficiency rules expected to save $33B over 30 years

    The rules include new requirements for commercial rooftop heating and cooling units set to take effect in 2029 and expected to reduce energy use about 33%.

    By Robert Walton • April 18, 2024
  • A row of servers at a data center.
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    Getty Images
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    Uptime Institute launches data center, digital infrastructure sustainability assessment

    The assessment covers 14 key categories of data center design and operations, including facilities and IT management, to provide visibility into environmental footprints, the organization says.

    By April 17, 2024
  • Looking south from Walnut Street is the Peter W. Rodino Federal Office Building at 940 Broad Street in the Newark government center in New Jersey on a mostly sunny midday.
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    Henderson, Jim. (20 May 2009). "The Rodino Federal Building" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    GSA allocates $23.8M for federal facility upgrades across 10 states

    Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act will support 13 projects, including stormwater management, heat island mitigation and site sustainability, the U.S. General Services Administration says. 

    By April 16, 2024
  • A closeup of a hand belonging to an electrician installing electric LED lightbulbs on a ceiling.
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    DOE finalizes new light bulb standard expected to save consumers $27B on utility bills over 30 years

    The new rule, slated to take effect in 2028, will cut 70 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the next three decades, the U.S. Department of Energy says.

    By Robert Walton • April 15, 2024
  • The U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.
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    As DOE updates how it sets energy efficiency standards, advocates, legislators push it to act faster

    The U.S. Department of Energy has made progress reviewing a backlog of appliance efficiency standards, but advocates and lawmakers say the administration must redouble those efforts as the election looms.

    By Robert Walton • April 12, 2024
  • The inside of a Genghis Grill.
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    Courtesy of Budderfly
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    Budderfly to cut energy consumption across Craveworthy Brands’ restaurant portfolio

    The partnership, which will include installing and monitoring high-efficiency HVAC units and LED systems, could cut energy use by about 30% at each site, Budderfly says.

    By April 11, 2024
  • Northeast's Largest Public Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Station Opens At JFK Airport.
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    How cities are building out public EV charging infrastructure

    As more electric vehicles hit the road, municipalities and property owners are working with contractors to deploy public charging infrastructure.

    By Updated April 15, 2024
  • Energy Department Secretary Jennifer Granholm behind a podium speaking.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Rooftop heat pump technologies can save US businesses $5B annually: DOE

    A new commercial heat pump accelerator program aims to halve greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs compared with natural gas-fueled heat pumps, the U.S. Department of Energy says.  

    By April 8, 2024