As we put four dollar gas in the tank and read headlines warning that heating bills may double this winter, we know that energy conservation is the name of the game. FM has chewed on this meaty topic over the years. With leadership from our Energy Management group, we have done a nice job of keeping the University’s energy use about flat and reducing our carbon footprint from the production of steam by over 30% despite adding over 2.5M square feet during that last 10 years. And now it’s time to do better.

Our goal will be to reduce campus-wide energy consumption by 5% during the next two years. In order to stay on track, we’re going to pick off 1.5% by the end of this fiscal year.

How do we plan on getting this done? Jay Denny will be heading up a team who will be concentrating on energy conservation and building commissioning/re-commissioning. Jay and his team will bring a much needed focus to our efforts. They will coordinate and concentrate our energy conservation initiatives.

Does that mean everyone else is off the hook? Heck no. The rest of Energy Management will be working with the Districts and Central Services to figure out how to save energy. Regardless of our workgroup, each one of us still needs to be thinking of ways that we can reduce energy use and our carbon footprint.

Great Performance – Chris Clark, East Bank B&G Worker

Speaking of footprints, our custodial staff deal with plenty of those in addition to fingerprints, spills and trash. As is often the case what separates an average job from a great one are the little things. Here’s what our customer had to say about Chris:


   “I just wanted pass on to you a thank you for the outstanding work
   the custodian, Chris Clark, did in Folwell Hall cleaning the floors
   under the vending machines. He not only got the floors under the
   machines to look as good as the rest of the hallway, he also had
   some fantastic suggestions for us regarding the vending machines in
   Folwell Hall. Chris was very professional and took his work
   seriously and was a real pleasure to chat with.”


The customer appreciated Chris’s attention to detail in making sure the floors underneath the machines were cleaned. Chris also made suggestions that increased the number of choices offered in the machines and the nutritional value which benefit both folks in the building and the vending company. Now if you look in a B&G worker’s job description you won’t find vending machine consultant anywhere. Chris was going above and beyond, using his knowledge of the building to improve service. Also notice the customer appreciated Chris’s professional approach to his job. In looking at the 3C’s:

   * Customer-focused
   * Culture of Accountability
   * Cost-effective

I’d say Chris nailed all three. Thank you for your work Mr. Clark!

Keep up the good work.

Mike