Energy Efficiency

Cities across the globe have followed multiple tracks in their quest to become “smart.” It isn’t a question of right or wrong. However, two key themes are emerging in their approach – either start with a pilot project that produces quick results, or undertake a comprehensive master plan that strategically lays out the coming years and decades.

TUI Group, the world’s leading tourism business, today launched its latest Sustainability Report. Following on from the launch of last year’s ‘Better Holidays, Better World’ sustainability strategy, this report tracks TUI Group’s progress in the first year of its ambitious 2015 – 2020 plan. TUI Group is committed to managing its impacts on the economy, society and environment, as well as leading the way in understanding, improving and innovating for sustainable tourism.

It used to be that the quality of infrastructure was measured by its lifespan. Water systems might last a century, and power plants at least half that. Those were measurements of solid assets, well worth the investment. But today, dependable infrastructure is just not enough. While it must be resilient and have an extended life cycle, now it must also be intelligent and communicate with other systems in ways that were unknown only a few years ago.

Black & Veatch and Schneider Electric USA have formed a joint venture to design and construct an energy security microgrid at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, in San Diego, California. The microgrid solution will allow operations at mission-critical facilities to continue uninterrupted if the utility power grid is compromised or damaged.

It’s the classic chicken-or-the-egg question. If attempting to revolutionize the auto industry, do you introduce the car or the supporting infrastructure first? For Joel Ewanick, the answer was obvious – get the infrastructure in place.

From small businesses to large conglomerates with facilities across the globe, the daunting task of protecting a building’s infrastructure through quality facilities management looms large over institutions. Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, has implemented an Asset Management Framework— a set of documents, systems and processes that addresses an organization’s asset management responsibilities— to use with facilities management clients. Sodexo’s Asset Management Framework is designed to meet rigorous ISO:55000 requirements—the international standard in facilities asset management.

Select Whirlpool Corporation clothes dryers are being certified by the Association for Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) as meeting the new AHAM sustainability standards announced today.

Across much of the 2016 Strategic Directions: Water Industry Report, a common trend is that high-profile events impacting water supply and distribution networks have dramatically raised awareness of operational challenges but also demonstrate an opportunity to change decades-long funding trends.