News and Insights Blog

Mital Hall, ecoPreserve VP

ecoPreserve’s Vice President credentialed as Envision Sustainability Professional

Congratulations to Mital Hall for earning the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) designation. The framework at the core of  ENV SP practice is quickly becoming globally recognized as a highly credible approach to sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure. The ENV SP credential was developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). It is a framework […]
Cities Reaady for 100

More communities commit to 100% renewable energy

Cities, counties, and states across the U.S. have set goals to end reliance on fossil fuels and instead to generate electricity from renewable sources. As of November 2021, Ready for 100% campaigns have launched int0 more than 180 cities, ten counties, and eight states nationwide.[1] Originally planned by the Sierra Club, Ready For 100 (RF100) […]
EV future

America’s road to an EV future

You may know that vikings sailed the ocean blue 471 years before Christopher Columbus reached the Bahamas. You may also have read that in 2021, a Scandinavian country is leading the technological journey away from fossil fuels, toward Electric Vehicles (EV). More than 89% of passenger vehicles registered in Norway last month were EV. Less than 4% were […]
Biogas plant

Two ways technology returns value from waste

Dollars and energy are being heaped onto landfills in the form of  agricultural and food waste. Composting could reduce landfill trash by 30 percent, but only 4 percent of food waste is composted. Innovative and effective use of today’s technologies can improve those numbers! Well-planned conversion of waste into renewable energy delivers significant bottom-line benefit. These clean development […]
Workplace paths

Proven paths to healthier workplaces

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average workday was 7.9 hours. Now, as many Americans return to office and commercial buildings, human health in those environments has become more important than ever! Varied certification and accreditation programs respond to today’s public health needs. These programs provide standards that can […]
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
|

Digging deeper into advanced energy technologies

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, focuses on creative answers to today’s energy challenges. Their researchers are finding breakthroughs in clean technologies and ways to integrate energy systems. Their work has the potential to transform ways that the world uses energy! We at ecoPreserve are delighted […]
Building Integrated Photovoltaics

Renewable energy brought down from the roof

Solar panels are most often seen on rooftops. That hasn’t changed. The difference today is the variety of materials and the variety of places where they can be installed. Tesla has been selling solar roof tiles since 2017. On homes, those tiles provide an attractive alternative to the common 60 or 72-cell solar panels while […]
Wildfires from space

How data science serves climate science

As storms rage, cities flood, and wildfires persist, climate change impact is here and now. Looking down from space, the consequences of atmospheric greenhouse gases are seen on every continent and from pole to pole. The death toll from 21st century extreme weather events exceed 495,000 lives. More than $3.5 trillion in material damages and […]
Agricultural methane source
|

A surprising source of climate calamity

Today’s super storms, famine, and rampant wildfires are, substantially, the consequence of climate change resulting from human induced Greenhouse Gases (GhG). To slow this process, CO2 and methane emissions are of immediate concern. Current atmospheric methane concentrations are higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]

AWARE of CDC and NIH guidelines

The Baseline Property Condition Assessments described in ASTM E2018-15 do not specify consideration of infectious disease transmission concerns. In a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, that inspection and documentation is essential.

Buildings open to the public must comply with local regulations. For best results and greatest public acceptance, any planning for building repairs and maintenance should not overlook current CDC and NIH guidelines.

Optionally, ecoPreserve's can assist with a comprehensive GBAC STAR™ Accreditation which extends beyond the building to include the goals, actions, equipment, and supplies needed to implement best practices for outbreak prevention, response, and recovery.

Tools tailored to location and need

Disaster resilience requires a select toolset, identified, adapted, or created as needed based on planning calls and inclusive workshop participation.

Business and government organizations today are confronted by threat categories that range from drought to flood, from fire to hurricane, and extend globally to pandemics and sea level rise. Threat categories are broad and diverse, but ecoPreserve and collaborating organizations design resiliency tools for specific local context.

Local needs are identified and verified. Building from that essential understanding, tools are designed, tested in pilot programs, refined, then implemented through action plans.

Today's challenges/
tomorrow's potential

ecoPreserve collaborates with major community and private organizations in optimizing the resiliency and resource efficiency of their workplaces, venues, and public spaces.

In response to ever-increasing environmental, sociopolitical, and public health challenges, we advocate for and participate in assessment and planning actions that directly address disaster preparations, recovery activities, infrastructure improvements, and smart building/city design.

Online and in-person workshops

ecoPreserve designs and leads workshops in varied formats, to achieve varied goals.

Often an event is held for skill and knowledge development, but some needs of an organization or community are better resolved through collaboration to identify requirements and to design solutions. A range of Disaster Resilience workshops are available for solutions planning and development, as well as for training and communication.

Disaster Planning and Recovery Workshops

  • Identify technical and business process gaps
  • Define stakeholders, recovery teams, and processes/functionalities necessary for operation
  • Highlight missed expectations from a data loss and recovery time perspective
  • Address compliance with regulatory agencies and industry standards
Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

Facility Condition Report

The report is prepared in accordance with the recommendations of ASTM E2018-15, Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments. This is a partial list of contents:

  • PHYSICAL CONDITION
    • General condition of the building, grounds, and appurtenances
    • Physical deficiencies, their significance, and suggested remedies
    • Photographs
    • Safety issues observed
  • INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPREAD POTENTIAL
  • OPPORTUNITIES
    • Potential operating efficiencies
    • Electricity and water use reductions
    • High-efficiency interior and exterior lighting
  • ORDER OF MAGNITUDE RENOVATION BUDGET
    • Recommended interior finishes
    • Construction costs

Risk Mitigation Improvements

  • IAQ
    • Airflow
    • Temperature and humidity
    • Vertical transportation (escalators and elevators)
  • HVAC EQUIPMENT
    • Settings
    • Conditions
    • Capability
    • Filtration
  • FLOORPLAN
    • Traffic patterns
  • FURNISHINGS
    • Placement for social distancing
    • Clear barriers where social distancing is not possible

Interior Elements

  • Foundation
  • Building frame and roof
  • Structural elements
    • Floors, walls, ceilings
    • Access and egress
    • Vertical transportation (escalators and elevators)
  • HVAC equipment and ductwork
  • Utilities
    • Electrical
    • Plumbing
  • Safety and fire protection

Grounds and Appurtenances

  • Façades or curtainwall
  • Topography
  • Storm water drainage
  • Paving, curbing, and parking
  • Flatwork
  • Landscaping
  • Recreational facilities
Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

AWARE of CDC and NIH guidelines

The Baseline Property Condition Assessments described in ASTM E2018-15 do not specify consideration of infectious disease transmission concerns. In a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, that inspection and documentation is essential.

Buildings open to the public must comply with local regulations. For best results and greatest public acceptance, any planning for building repairs and maintenance should not overlook current CDC and NIH guidelines.

Optionally, ecoPreserve's can assist with a comprehensive GBAC STAR™ Accreditation which extends beyond the building to include the goals, actions, equipment, and supplies needed to implement best practices for outbreak prevention, response, and recovery.

An OPTIMIZED Assessment

Certified Sustainability Consultants on a facility assessment team can discover ways to lower energy costs. Their understanding of HVAC equipment suitability and condition along with the specifics of LED lighting retrofits can provide offsets for needed investments in upgrades and replacements.

Knowledge of water systems can bring further savings while averting water waste. It can all be part of an assessment which might otherwise overlook water fixtures and irrigation schedules.

How should a facility be ASSESSED?

A thorough facility assessment finds the issues - on the surface or below - which have a potential negative impact on the building. That brings the facility to meet building codes. Beyond that, the assessment proactively addresses the deficiencies not covered by code.

The occupants of a building benefit as the assessment reveals conditions having a potential impact on their health or safety. The assessment must not overlook those conditions, nor fail to consider the frequency and duration of occupant visits.