The 2010 Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) convention would have a strong focus on facilities management and property management, said GBCSA CEO Nicola Douglas.

While design and construction have been prioritised when the built environment discussed green building initiatives, there were core professions which needed to take over the green mandate from architects and builders, the council stated.

Facility managers and property managers were the professionals who influenced a building's environmental sustainability over time, and took forward a building's green principles into the future.

"It would be wasteful to design and construct a ‘green' building, then follow with environmentally harmful management which contributes to wasting precious resources. The two disciplines - building and management - must work hand-in-hand," added Douglas.

Leading this discussion at the convention, which would take place in Cape Town in September, would be US-based Teena Shouse - a senior facilities consultant at Facility Engineering Associates in Kansas.

Shouse pointed out that design and construction costs accounted for about 8% of the total cost of building ownership.

"Sustainable facilities management is about infusing smart, green alternatives in each and every area of operations possible," said Shouse.

"With a well-developed sustainability plan, a facilities manager can pick the ‘low-hanging fruit' through behavioural or operational changes, replace building elements when they expire, or perform a full retrofit to maximize resources."

Shouse's philosophy hinged on communication, education and motivation - of both occupants and facilities management staff - about sustainability practices.

A complete facility condition or operational assessment is a key first step, said Shouse, as well as a thorough energy audit to identify priority areas.

Further, a review of all service contracts was important to turn up potential changes that would positively impact on utility usage.

"Another tip is to communicate to building occupants clearly, and in practical terms, what they can do to support environmental sustainability," she suggested.

"Most importantly, communicate your successes," she added, pointing out that this was vital for educating and informing the marketplace.