The Leader - September/October 2008 - (Page 43) co N ser va tIoN a N D th e B ottom lI Ne : re DucI NG co s ts aND I mp ro v I NG Yo ur co rp o rate ImaG e Wasting energy not only drains resources but is also extremely costly. In fact, SUNY Buffalo recently proved that each degree of overheating or overcooling in campus buildings resulted in $100,000 per year in excess energy use. Fortunately, there are solutions available to help not only conserve energy, but also conserve costs. Sophisticated resource scheduling technology, for example, can integrate with an HVAC system to automatically adjust the temperature of a room depending on its use. If a room or a shared workspace using the office hoteling example above is reserved using the resource scheduling system, the integration with the HVAC system will adjust its output based on this reservation schedule. So, rather than sustaining a constant temperature, the climate can be controlled based on when the room is in use. Not only does this help conserve fuel consumption, saving hundreds and even thousands of dollars, it also helps the environment by reducing the amount of harmful toxins that typical air conditioning and heating systems emit. Further, those that need to reserve a class or meeting room can view the schedule of all available rooms and book one back-to-back with another reservation in order to avoid wasting the extra energy needed to cool down or heat up a room several times a day. BuYING local fooD Another way to reduce energy consumption is to purchase food that is locally grown and/or pesticide-free. As Michael M’Gonigle, a founder of Greenpeace International, noted in a recent Los Angeles Times article, “…students today want to make our urban areas better, and they’re starting with their own halls and by asking campus dining facilities to support local farmers.” Purchasing locally-grown food helps reduce the harmful carbon emissions associated with the transportation of that produce, while ordering organic food helps to eliminate harmful pesticides that might go into water supplies let alone the food itself. Fortunately, many resource scheduling solutions allow users to order catering services in conjunction with a room or other resource reservation. By offering these types of locally-grown, organic foods as menu items within the system, meeting planners and other users can order these types of eco-friendly items to support a green initiative. Even further, there can be options in the ordering process to offer re-usable plates and utensils to avoid wasting paper plates and plastic utensils. There are many benefits to becoming a green organization – economic advantages, enhanced image, and environmental conservation. While some approaches – such as retrofitting old buildings – depend on a large capital outlay, and others require volunteer compliance, resource scheduling technology is easy to use, universally implemented, and cost effective. As added benefits, automated scheduling increases productivity, saves money and delivers ROI. Companies and campuses that are taking even small steps towards going green are creating ripples that reverberate throughout their organization and beyond. They are finding that doing a good job preserving the environment is also good business. aBout the author John T. Anderson is president and CEO of PeopleCube. Anderson, with more than 25 years’ experience managing software companies, has led PeopleCube through four successful acquisitions since 2003, culminating with a complete rebranding of the company from Meeting Maker, Inc., to PeopleCube. For more information on this topic, go to CoreNet Global’s Knowledge Center Online. Innovative Scheduling: Bringing Technology and Tradition Under One Roof http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/ kcoAsset?assetInode=40540 The USGBC Program for Implementing Sustainable Strategies Across the Enterprise http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/ kcoAsset?assetInode=3547315 2 0 0 8 th e le aDe r 43 septemBer / octoBer http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/kcoAsset?assetInode=40540 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/kcoAsset?assetInode=40540 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/kcoAsset?assetInode=3547315 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCMS/kcoAsset?assetInode=3547315
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