This case study was organized by Leonardo Academy, based on information provided by Stu Carron, the Global Director of Facilities for JohnsonDiversey. It focuses on the JohnsonDiversey Headquarters in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.  The building is LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Gold Certified.

The LEED-EB process involves meeting a number of prerequisites and credits within five building categories.  The following are LEED-EB features of the JohnsonDiversey Headquarters Building:

Sustainable Sites Category Features:

• 12 acres of restored wetlands and stormwater detention on a 57-acre site
• 30 acres of native prairie plants
• Promoting alternative transportation
• Improved local environment including flood and pollutant control and lower greenhouse gases

Energy & Atmosphere Category Features:

• Energy efficiency measures
• Integrated building automation, measurement & controls
• Periodic energy audits, brainstorming sessions, and projects
• $90,000/yr cost savings from energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions

Materials and Resources Credit Category Features:

• Low mercury lighting
• Waste management program
• Procurement policies for materials
• emissions and landfill use (over 50% of solid waste is recycled)
• Improved indoor air quality

Water Efficiency Credit Category Features:

• Storm-water collected in detention ponds is used for site irrigation
• Low-use water fixtures throughout building
• Saves over 2MM gallons of water per year

Indoor Environmental Quality Credit Category Features:

• Healthy High Performance Cleaning processes
• Individual climate controls at all workstations
• Daylight and views to more than 90% of occupied spaces
• Vibrant, healthy and productive work environment

Lessons Learned by JohnsonDiversey about on-going management under LEED-EB:

Lesson #1: Keep the Core Team Engaged
JohnsonDiversey’s core team is composed of a facility manager, maintenance manager, cleaning service manager, and a LEED professional.  One of the ways the core facility management and operations team are kept engaged is through quarterly reporting.  The core team gets together once a month to report on progress, discuss issues that need to be addressed, and to compile the performance data for the building that will be needed for the LEED-EB recertification filing. At these meeting there are frequently lively discussions about new ideas and opportunities to increase the sustainability achievements delivered by the building operation and maintenance.

The LEED Quarterly Report covers procurement of items such as cleaning chemicals, janitorial paper, and office paper; reports such as solid waste recycling, floor maintenance, and energy bills; and construction plans for projects during each quarter.

Lesson #2: Operation and Maintenance Contractor Base Requires Education!
Many contractors already have good standards of performance (SOP), but most are not accustomed to recording their activities.  Planning documents and final reports need to be created for IAQ management, materials procurement, and construction waste management.

Lesson #3: Carpooling Results Add Up!
JohnsonDiversey has a strong car pooling program that results in the reduction of air pollution and money spent on gas. A report prepared by a 5-person car pooling group from Mar-Sept ’05 reported 11,250 miles saved, equivalent to 434 gallons of gas.

Lesson #4: Occupants are More Satisfied with a Green Building
JohnsonDiversey conducts periodic surveys of building occupants to determine their level of satisfaction with the indoor environment provided by the building. The LEED-EB certified building receives higher satisfaction scores than the other JohnsonDiversey building surveyed.

Lesson #5: LEED Certified Buildings Attract Visitors!
In 2005, over 500 visitors toured the JohnsonDiversey Global HQ.  This stream of visitors has multiple benefits including a demonstration of JohnsonDiversey’s corporate citizenship and the recognition of the organization as a leader. The visitors communicate to both the upper level management and the building occupants that they work in a special building.

Lesson #6: LEED-EB Connects Facility Operation and Management to the Organization’s Core Values, Mission, and Public Image
Initiating and continuing to implement LEED-EB has taken facility management at JohnsonDiversey from the side lines to being key players in the company’s image, brand, and marketing as well as within their own profession.

Lesson #7: Getting Started is the Hardest Part
You need to educate yourself and your organization, obtain organizational commitment, and consider funding requirements.  However, once the process is initiated and the core team is developed, things progress and begin to fall into place.

LEED’s Significance for JohnsonDiversey
Environmental Leadership is one of JohnsonDiversey’s seven corporate strategic objectives and LEED has helped them to exemplify their Environmental Leadership.  LEED-EB has provided the platform for operating their building sustainably – it is their facility management continuous improvement program. Despite having good facility management programs in place, in almost every case new ideas, better practices, and cost savings have come out of the EB project. They are now able to offer their building as a ‘living laboratory’ and model for managing facilities in environmentally preferable ways. 

Conclusion
LEED for Existing Buildings fits in well with major trends in corporate / organizational responsibility and is good for an organization’s bottom line, image and brand, building occupant satisfaction, and the careers of facility managers.