Happy Friday, earth-buds. The Corner was in the way cool city of Pittsburgh, PA for a conference on Facilities Management in higher education. Our professional organization, APPA has been in existence over 100 years and its mission is to provide continual educational development and to lead the way in enhancing the entire college/university/medical center experience. APPA is incredibly innovative and the Corner is honored to be a part of that. So a shout out to the University of Rochester for their commitment to our professional organization.
When looking at ways to become more sustainable, reducing our waste and reusing our resources, I bet most people look to business and industry as leaders. Folks look to the government, too for guidance. Well, one of the first places all people should look to is colleges and universities. The academic world not only produces thinkers and talented individuals to lead our future, but the support services teams of colleges lead the way in innovation. Many great ideas on energy savings, promoting a sustainable lifestyle, and recycling have roots in the facilities and services world. We collaborate with students, administration and faculty in the truest sense of the word. We’re so proud to be part of the solution.
Here’s just a small sampling of the learning opportunities I experienced this past week: developing and training workers in the sustainability industry (Penn State), using campus/internet technology in energy management (Providence), being sustaintable in every part of your organization (University of Vermont), water conservation (McMaster University), and how to create an institutional energy strategy (SUNY-Oswego).
In addition, there were programs on leadership, working in a multi-generational environment and benchmarking.
It’s a great time to be in the field of higher education. If you are like us, then you know what it means. If you don’t service a college or university, look to us for ideas; because we want to hear yours. Together we can manage our resources for all people, everywhere.