Greening Higher Ed, from the Top Down and the Bottom Up

The country's institutions of higher education are often thought to be hotbeds of environmental conscientiousness, the breeding grounds for environmental activism or simply green living for years to come. And yet, according to a recent survey by IBM, college-aged individuals, whether you call them Generation Y or Echo Boomers or some other title, are both the most concerned about environmental issues, and the least environmentally responsible. More     More

Last Chance to Register for Facilities America, Oct 29-30 in Greenville, SC!

Registration fees are complimentary for a limited time only, thanks to our sponsors – act now! Featuring over 20 educational tracks focused on technical issues and sustainability topics for facilities professionals. Learn about the latest technologies, best practices, products and services for optimum facilities operations. AFE Chapter Awards will be presented on Friday, Oct. 30! More

New Designs for Smarter Buildings: Small Solar Decathalon Home Inspires Big Ideas On How to Live More Sustainably

After two years of design, experimentation, fund-raising and building, the University of Arizona's Solar Decathlon team has completed construction of its 800-square-foot solar-powered house on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. MoreMore

Biodiesel Returns More Energy To The Earth Than Ever, Study Finds

Biodiesel is better than ever at harnessing the power of the sun and turning it into fuel. In fact, a study shows the fuel is returning more than four times the energy that it takes to make biodiesel. Newly published research from the University of Idaho and U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that for every unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel, the return is 4.5 units of energy. This energy-in, energy-out ratio is "energy balance." MoreMore

Canada's Tallest Office Building Reaches for LEED® Gold

Brookfield Properties Corporation, its Canadian-based subsidiary, BPO Properties Ltd., along with ownership partners Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Alberta Investment Management Corporation, announced that First Canadian Place in downtown Toronto will undergo a thorough renovation program, including a total recladding of the building's exterior with glass spandrel panels to replace the existing white marble. The project will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. More

Certified Plant Engineer (CPE) Online and Classroom Review Classes Now Scheduled!

Online CPE Review: Join instructor Jim Taylor of Machinery Management Solutions for an extended review of the CPE Review Pack. This online class is double the instruction time of the traditional week-long review to allow working professionals to dedicate the appropriate time to prepare. Classes will be held from 12-2 EST. Traditional Classroom Review: To be held Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, 2009 in Eastern Massachusetts. For the schedule, pricing and registration, please click here. or contact Carol Lawrence at (571) 203-7238 or CLawrence@AFE.org.More

Efficiency can Reduce Water Shortages

In the winter of 2005-06, a drought began in the Southeastern U.S. Over the following two years, the region experienced severe water shortages. Lawns went brown, streambeds ran dry, and lakes and reservoirs fell to record lows. By fall of 2007, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue had declared a state of emergency for 85 Georgia counties. Was the drought, which also seemed to extend laterally to the Southwest, the result of human-induced climate change? MoreMore

Benchmarking for Your Facility

AFE is researching a benchmarking tool to offer as part of a member benefits package and we need your feedback! This benchmarking tool will help you identify the cost and consumption metrics for your facility, and then provide comparisons for similar facilities. Based on the comparison, you will be able to identify the best way for you to improve your metrics. AFE needs to know what areas are most important for you to track - Utility consumption? Maintenance? Custodial/Security? Operating Expenses? Sustainability? To take the survey, please click here.More

New Tower Takes Shape on Columbia Campus

The Pritzker Prize-winning architect José Rafael Moneo has had to contend with difficult sites before. At the National Museum of Roman Art in Mérida, Spain, for example, a project completed in 1986, he built a modern exhibition space over a still-buried portion of a largely excavated Roman town. In 2007 he finished an underground expansion of the early-19th-century main building of the Prado Museum in his hometown, Madrid. MoreMore