Press Releases

For Immediate Release
Andrea Sanchez
IFMA
1-713-623-4362
Date Posted: Jan. 14, 2008

BOSTON CHAPTER OF IFMA TO HOST SUSTAINING GREEN BUILDINGS SEMINAR AT BENTLEY COLLEGE

BOSTON —The Boston Chapter of the International Facility Management Association, named IFMA’s International Chapter of the Year in 2007, is pleased to announce the Jan. 16, 2008, all-day seminar “Sustaining the Sustainability” on maintaining green buildings, presented in conjunction with Bentley College and sponsored by the college, Environmental Health and Engineering, and Rentacrate.

“We are honored with our chapter of the year recognition,” said Sean Murphy, president of the Boston Chapter of IFMA. “It's been six years since we've received this honor, which doesn't seem that long until you consider that oil was hovering around $30 per barrel; the Toyota Prius was a concept car; and Al Gore was known as a failed presidential candidate, not an Oscar and Nobel Prize winner. So, with heightened emphasis on the environment and building ‘green,’ there is significant interest in managing existing buildings more efficiently. This will be a great way to get 2008 started."

The seminar will take place Jan. 16, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Bentley College in Waltham, Mass. Featured speakers include Gloria Larson, president of Bentley College; Alan Whitson, president of the Corporate Design & Realty Institute; and Ian Bowles, secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“You don't have to inhabit a newly designed ‘green’ building to reduce energy consumption. There are a number of measures that can be taken to reduce operating expenses, cut down on CO2 emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign oil," said Richard Christiano, director of real estate for Harvard Business School Publishing and co-chairperson of IFMA's Green Taskforce. “Building green is a wonderful concept, but the true effectiveness is how well it is managed over its lifespan. We will discuss the strategies for maintaining buildings both old and new in the most energy efficient manner possible."

About the Boston Chapter of IFMA:
The Boston Chapter of IFMA was founded in 1984 by 10 facility managers. Today, the chapter includes more than 750 members, making it the second largest IFMA chapter in the world. Long recognized as one of the most active and progressive chapters, the Boston Chapter of IFMA was honored as the 2007 International Chapter of the Year. For additional information, visit www.ifmaboston.org.