General Eisenhower's Thoughts on Master Planning (and Sustainability)

Driven by the best of intentions, a growing number of public and private organizations aspire to “sustainability.” These are operating principles that minimize environmental impacts and waste while reducing operating costs. This pursuit, however, is not without impacts on other elements of facility asset management. Like sustainability, these other elements also require resources and are subject

U.S. Supreme Court Weighs in on Climate Change

On April 19, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in American Electric Power v. Connecticut. This case will likely become the defining decision on climate change litigation, and it will have profound implications for environmental law generally as well as the future of climate change policy in the United States. Last year's 2nd Circuit decision in this case was the first time a

Kudos to the Nevada State Office of Energy

With 50 states plus a number of territorial authorities, we're starting to see a fairly impressive cross-section of stimulus-funded energy efficiency programs. Just one example comes from Nevada. Per their website: "The mission of the Nevada State Energy Office (NSOE) is to ensure the wise development of the state’s energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada’s

Scenarios for Energy Management

Energy managers (should) spend a fair amount of time simply managing the expectations of their top leadership. The challenge is that everyone comes to the table with a pre-conceived notion of what energy management is and what it entails. Education is the first order of the day. Toward that end, the exhibit shown here is a one-page summary of energy management scenarios. Jump-start your

Who Will Blink First: Energy Solution Consumers or Providers?

I just finished reading yet another online forum that questions why businesses fail to adopt the obvious benefits of energy efficiency. Energy efficiency proponents across the globe are discovering the same hurdle. The real culprit here is the threat of change. Organizations cannot address their energy performance without making changes to their status quo. I refer here to changes to capital