FM CAREERS - TRAINING
ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING
Nick Blake, Principal FM Consultant, BSRIA and CIRIA Co-Author and Trainer discusses the
importance of environmental training to foster sustainable practice in FM
NOVEMBER 2021 57
No matter what industry we
work in, we all know how
important it is for businesses
to be aware of their social and
environmental responsibilities.
Occupants, visitors and the wider
community have never been more
conscious of environmental impacts.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck
in 2020, wellbeing and sustainability
were at the top of the agenda for
many organisations, and as we see
a return of the pre-pandemic focus,
organisations are asking how they
can embrace this tide of change in a
practical and aƒ ordable way.
Despite the wide-reaching negative
e ects of the pandemic over the last
few months, there have been a few
positives. One of the most notable
silver linings is the realisation that we
can make fast global changes to adapt
to events that a ect us all. The climate
crisis and the materials shortages are
two examples of how we are seeing the
impacts of bad practices towards the
environment.
There are examples of excellence,
innovation and good practice emerging
across the economy. Companies
are receiving internal and external
investment to innovate energy-saving
phase-change materials for warmth
and coolth storage, integrated smart
technologies, artificial intelligence
and augmented reality increasing
e iciencies in maintenance, and
accessing big data to manage energy
consumption while maintaining
performance. However, these e orts are
out of reach for many companies, who
will have to await these benefits which
others develop.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES
The built environment is responsible
for approximately 40 per cent of the
UK’s carbon footprint and more than
half of this is from operational loads
such as heating, cooling and cooking,
and items that are plugged into the
buildings power supply. While new
buildings are ever more energy e icient,
it is estimated that 80 per cent of the
buildings we will have in 2050 have
already been built.
What can we do in existing buildings?
We need to engage the people who
operate them with the process of
reducing environmental impacts. At
home it is the homeowner, but who
can influence a commercial building’s
approach? Evidently, this should come
from the board in a top-down and
strategic manner, and this is happening
in some organisations. However, in
others the board is focused on the daily
activities and less aware of the greater
environmental, social and governance
or sustainability potential that they
can o er. This is where the facilities
manager can step in.
Facilities, operations and estates
managers, directors and leads are key
to the application of environmental
good practice (EGP). A good FM should
be one of the most widely known
senior leaders of an organisation. They
have to integrate with every part of the
building or estate and at all levels. The
communication skills and networks
should already be in place and this is
key as EGP cannot be implemented by
one person; it needs to be a whole team
e ort. Every user of the building needs
to play their part, and the FMs are in a
strong position to bring together those
key people.
Most FMs have not come from a
sustainability background. While
the wide range of transferable skills
that FMs have are crucial for EGP
application, an element of reskilling
needs to be undertaken. FMs that
are looking to e ect changes to their
organisation’s environmental impact
are faced with an uphill struggle to
research and learn new skills. Rather
than knee-jerk reactions, a structured,
planned and deliberate approach is
required. This can only be achieved
with appropriate knowledge.
CIRIA GUIDANCE AND TRAINING
In response, CIRIA has published a
guide and is now o ering a one-day
training course for the industry. CIRIA
C797 Environmental good practice
in facilities management and the
accompanying training course aims
to be applicable to activities within
the FM function of a building or site. It
references UK legislation, practices and
industry standards.
Both the guide and the training
course apply to a wide variety of
buildings, sites and activities. They are
focused on non-residential buildings,
and also the common areas and
grounds of multi-residential buildings
and non-specialist areas and activities
in industrial, laboratory and healthcare
buildings.
Guidance is given on activities taking
place within the boundaries of the
site (sometimes referred to as the
‘red-line demise’) including buildings,
parking and paved areas, and outdoor
landscapes. The guidance o ered is
a mixture of quick wins, a ordable
solutions and new ways of operating.
The guide and the course are aimed
at people who that have su icient
knowledge of FM principles. Those
wishing to apply the guidance to their
buildings and sites should have good
knowledge of the assets they are
responsible for, the operations taking
place, and the wider strategies and
frameworks within which they exist.