Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure Training: The First Step in Achieving Organizational Change

In their response to the requirements of Executive Orders and more stringent environmental regulations, many military installations and federal agencies with capital facilities are seeking ways to improve their building practices. One of the biggest barriers faced by these proactive agencies is identifying the first steps to take in order to achieve early wins in their quest for sustainable building. Georgia Tech's Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure Program has developed a customized, two-day interactive training course that sets the foundation for federal programs in built environment sustainability. The course covers the fundamentals of sustainable facilities and infrastructure, introduces participants to the spectrum of technologies and strategies available for their use, and provides opportunities to work with state of the art resources and tools that support sustainable problem solving. A key feature of the course is its interactive exercises, in which participants work together to identify the benefits, barriers, and next steps that should be taken to begin implementing sustainability in their organizations. To date, the course has been taught to a variety of agencies including the Army, the Air Force, state DoD partnerships, the Centers for Disease Control, and the USDA Forest Service. Participants report that the course has proved useful in supporting their efforts to comply with Executive Orders in that it provides both a mechanism for developing an action plan and ideas to incorporate as part of the plan.

Resources:

Pearce, A.R., Fischer, C.L.F., Jones, S.J., and Vanegas, J.A. (2000). Introduction to Sustainable Facilities & Infrastructure. Training curriculum and workbook prepared for Robins Air Force Base Civil Engineering Command, Robins AFB, GA. (abstract only) – This document provides an overview of the Objectives and Abstract of the Training Materials.

Pearce, A.R., Fischer, C.L.F., Jones, S.J., and Vanegas, J.A. (2000). Introduction to Sustainable Facilities & Infrastructure: Final Training Report. Summary analysis report to Robins Air Force Base Civil Engineering Command, Robins AFB, GA. – This is one example of a final report describing the findings and data collected during an interactive training event.

Pearce, Annie R. (1999). Curriculum Guide to the Sustainable Facilities & Infrastructure Continuing Education Certificate Series. Final specifications and project report for SFI curriculum series, submitted to Georgia Tech Continuing Education and GTRI. (abstract only) – This document provides an overview of the complete design of Georgia Tech’s SFI Continuing Education Curriculum.

Pearce, Annie R. and Bosch, Sheila J. (2002). "Sustainable Facilities & Infrastructure Training: Approaches, Findings, and Lessons Learned," Proceedings, Engineering Education and Sustainable Development Conference, Delft, the Netherlands, October 24-26. (Paper and presentation to be uploaded to web site)

For more information, contact Dr. Annie R. Pearce at annie.pearce@gtri.gatech.edu.