Facility Managers Advised to Conserve Energy, Water for Better Environment

Facility managers in the country have been advised to focus on building sustainable environment by optimising energy and water, while reducing all resources that has negative impact on the environment.

They should also to educate building occupants on culture that can positively impact the environment and automate all touch points, said the Group Chief Executive Officer of Global Property & Facilities International Ltd., Dr MKO Balogun, who was the Guest Speaker, as the International Facility Management Association, Nigeria chapter performed a virtual celebration of this year’s World Facility Management Day.

Balogun stated that Facility Management is a US$1.15 trillion global industry, with over 65,000 professional and industry participants across the world.

The World FM Day theme, “Celebrating Our Environment,” celebrates the significant contribution of facility management to global economy, Balogun said, and urged facility managers to turn buildings green in line modern trend.

According to him, “Facility Management has successfully integrated people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.”

He said, Facility Managers, facility Engineers, Janitors, security team, IT teams in residential buildings, hospitals, government offices, and public offices should be celebrated for their sacrificial roles that they have played since the outbreak of the dreaded disease.

He also revealed that environments which are not properly managed would lead to building related diseases, such as humidification issues; chemicals and cleaning agents; fumigation and pest control concerns; moist surfaces and dampness in buildings; Air conditioning tower issues and Poor filters.

Balogun also noted that COVID-19 has greatly improved the environment, as there has been a drastic drop in the level of pollution due to human activities that negatively affects the environment such as transportation which reduced by 80%, the use of buildings and its facilities reduced by more than 60%, power utilisation, water use, waste generation and others reduced significantly due to lockdowns and restrictions of movement.