Strategies

The majority of impact area content is devoted to specific strategies. Although each impact area’s list of strategies varies, each begins with an ‘Audit’ strategy and concludes with a strategy entitled ‘Staff Engagement.’

A general explanation of different strategy types follows:

• Audit strategies: The first step in identifying the best sustainability investment plan is an objective evaluation and benchmarking of existing conditions. Conducting an audit is a high priority; having the facts about existing conditions helps identify the combination of impact-area-specific strategies that best assists posts in reaching and documenting progress toward desired goals.
• Impact-area-specific strategies: Each impact area of the Guide includes strategies specific to the impact area. While the Guide does not provide an exhaustive list, the range of strategies included allows most posts to identify one or more high-value strategies that can be successfully implemented.
• Strategy-specific case studies: Case studies in each impact area demonstrate the potential of specific strategies by describing examples of successful implementation. Strategy-specific case studies are located immediately after the strategies to which they apply, enabling comparison between the two.
• Staff Engagement strategies: The last strategy in each impact area is entitled Staff Engagement. This strategy is a compilation of key occupant behaviors that can improve performance at little or no cost, along with practical applications that post management and green champions can use to implement engagement programs. General information about facilitating behavior change is provided under Influencing Occupant Behavior.

Regardless of type—audit, impact area-specific, or staff engagement—the strategies are designed to provide information in a standardized format for ease of use and comparison. That format is as follows: Each strategy begins with a matrix, describing in both text and icons information on benefit, time, investment, and required team members. The matrix should be used initially to identify strategies warranting further review, to provide estimates for typical implementation, and to serve as a starting point for post discussions. The actual level of benefit received from, or actual time or cost invested in, implementation of a strategy can vary based upon site-specific factors.

• Benefit: Each strategy in the Guide can provide multiple benefits, which are summarized in the matrix. Most of these include some type of operational savings (e.g., energy, water, operating expenses), while others can benefit building occupants (e.g., improved air quality, natural light, ergonomics, or biophilia) or the greater environment of the host country.
  • Modest Benefit
  • Medium Benefit
  • Significant Benefit
  • Major Benefit
• Time: Each strategy identified in the Guide takes time to conceive, plan, implement, and measure. While unique site conditions affect the time it takes to complete and generate benefit from the strategy, the following guidelines have been provided based on prior site experiences with similar project implementation. The following scale is used to define the estimated time required. When a strategy includes a range of potential time frames, the icon represents the lower end of the range.
  • One month or less
  • Six months or less
  • 18 months or less
  • More than 18 months
• Investment: The absolute cost of implementing a strategy varies depending on the size of the system or upgrade, the size of facility, and the type of technology selected, among other factors. To assist sites in identifying typical costs associated with the strategy (beyond the labor cost of staff time), the following scale is used to define the estimated investment:
  • Little or no funding required
  • Funding from annual operations budget
  • Funded through special funding allotment
  • Significant level of funding required
• Team Members: Within strategy matrices, the first member listed—in bold—is typically best suited to lead the strategy. Those who follow need to be informed, consulted, or engaged.The list below defines acronyms for potential team members necessary to ensure optimal implementation for each strategy, but is by no means comprehensive or indicative of everyone involved.
  • Building & Process Operations (BPO)
  • Community Liaison (CML)
  • Commissioning (CMX)
  • Corporate Sustainability Team (CST)
  • Drivers (DRV)
  • Energy & Sustainable Design (ESD)
  • Environment, Health, & Safety (EHS)
  • Fleet (FLT)
  • Facilities (FAC)
  • Finance (FIN)
  • Gardeners (GRD)
  • General Services (GEN)
  • Human Resources (HR)
  • Information Management & Technology (IMT)
  • Management (MGT)
  • Medical (MED)
  • Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)
  • Planning and Real Estate (PRE)
  • Public Affairs (PUB)
  • Residents (RES)
  • Science, Research & Development (SRD)
  • Security (SEC)
  • Site Green Team (SGT)
  • Test and Balance (TAB)

Following this matrix is a brief context overview for the strategy that outlines why the strategy is worth pursuing and how it can factor into a larger sustainability picture.

Additional Resources

Each impact area includes directions to additional resources and web links that offer more detailed information. These resources, noted by book icons ( Resources), appear throughout the Guide to indicate the existence of additional resources on specific topics. Readers can access these resources by visiting https://overseasbuildings.state.gov/green_guide/resources.