FROM THE EDITOR

The “triple bottom line” has gone from business buzzword to best practice. But you don’t have to be the Vice President of Facilities for a Fortune 50 company to use the idea of the triple bottom line as a way to judge the success of your facility operations.

But let’s back up for a second and define our terms. If you’re not familiar, the triple bottom line refers to “people, planets, and profits.” John Elkington, a British expert on sustainability and corporate responsibility, first coined the term in 1994. These days, the triple bottom line is often discussed within the context of sustainability — “planet” being one of three pillars. It’s easy to see why that’s the case: Many sustainable operational strategies actually are de facto triple bottom line strategies.

And that’s where facility managers come in. Whether you manage facilities for a public school district, a giant health care campus, or a publicly traded company, you’re in the unique position to influence sustainable strategies organization-wide. And showing how facility operations contribute to the triple bottom line — saving money, enhancing the physical environment to positively affect those who work and visit your facilities, being environmentally responsible — is a major way facility managers can increase their visibility and influence within an organization.

As always, I’m interested to hear from you: Do you consider facility operations through the lens of the triple bottom line? What reporting strategies have you found to be most successful?

Cheers,

Greg Zimmerman, editor  

GREEN STRATEGIES

The Technology of Sustainability Reporting

This article shows how the triple bottom line is taking on increasing importance as facility managers consider how to report sustainable successes.

IN THE NEWS

Companies Increasingly Pursue Triple Bottom Line

There are currently about 200 “benefit corporations” — companies dedicated to having a positive effect on society. And that number is rapidly increasing.

GREEN MULTIMEDIA

FM’s Role In Triple Bottom Line

In this video, Larry Morgan of SAP discusses how sustainability and the triple bottom line intersect, and how it’s often the facility manager’s job to bring it all together.