Sustainability-focused trade show promotes best practices

Light bulbs, hand-dryers, or chilled- and hot- water pumps rarely evoke dedicated interest or enthusiasm, but for Harvard’s building managers and facility leaders the energy and cost savings these technologies can deliver tend to inspire such reactions.

To capture this enthusiasm, Harvard’s first-ever sustainability-focused Operations and Maintenance trade show was held on Tuesday January 21. The trade show, organized by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Green Program, a partnership between FAS and the Harvard Office for Sustainability, and Harvard Strategic Procurement, was an opportunity to promote best practices in the field, and to unite building managers and facility leaders, who work behind the scenes to optimize building energy systems and performance.

“Our goal was to bring together and promote one community, within and beyond Harvard, focused on energy efficiency and sustainability work,” said Gosia Sklodowska, senior manager of the FAS Green Program.

Twenty outside vendors and contractors participated in the trade show, including NSTAR, Swegon, Grundfos, Stirling, and Dyson, showcasing everything from high-efficiency lab freezers to air handling units and sustainable insulation. NSTAR, Phillips, and GE also gave presentations to the attendees on various incentive programs and the resources available to Harvard clients.

Facilities teams from across all of Harvard’s 12 Schools and departments browsed the latest cutting-edge products, remarking on the value of having a trade show to compare, and discuss the multitude of vendors and products.