Environmental stewardship and sustainability are necessary for facilities management, as they are essential for protecting the environment and ensuring that the facility is operated sustainably. A facilities manager with strong environmental stewardship and sustainability skills can plan, manage and support the organization's commitment to protecting the environment and ensuring the sustainability of the natural and built environments.
Some key aspects of the environmental stewardship and sustainability competency for facilities management include:
- Managing and safeguarding the natural environment: This includes protecting the natural environment by managing and overseeing activities on the property and implementing measures to minimize the facility's impact on the environment.
- Developing and directing sustainability programs: This includes creating and implementing programs that promote sustainability, such as recycling and energy conservation initiatives.
- Providing data to support facility evaluation: This includes collecting and providing information that can be used to evaluate the facility's performance and identify areas for improvement.
- Evaluating and managing the asset life cycle process: This includes assessing the lifecycle of facility assets and implementing measures to ensure that they are used and maintained sustainably.
- Implementing and monitoring environmental policies and guidelines: This includes ensuring that the facility complies with local and national environmental regulations and monitoring the facility's environmental performance to identify areas for improvement.
Overall, effective environmental stewardship and sustainability are essential for a facilities manager to ensure that the facility is operated sustainably. Additionally, the ability to plan, manage and support the business' commitment to protecting the community and environment, and to develop and direct sustainability programs can help to ensure that the facility's impact on the environment is minimized and that its assets are used and maintained sustainably.