Hoping to inspire the transformation of buildings to a sustainable future, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel Peace Laureate who led a crusade for social justice and racial conciliation in South Africa, will keynote the USGBC’s annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo.

Revered worldwide as a “moral voice,” Tutu now seeks to end poverty and human rights abuses. “Bishop Tutu’s life, work and message demonstrate the power of transformational change, and will give us an extraordinary example of social justice in action,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of USGBC.

To be held in Boston Nov. 19-21, Greenbuild’s 2008 program theme is “Revolutionary Green: Innovations for Global Sustainability.” For more on it, go to www.greenbuildexpo.org. With the design process now recognized as a major tool of sustainable practices in facilities, the next trend in ‘green’ activity is likely to be found in existing facilities.

“With over five million commercial buildings in the United States, the potential for greening our building stock is tremendous,” says Christopher P. Hodges, PE, CFM, author of “Sustainable Facility Management is the Next Wave,” published by the McMorrow Report. “The requirement to do so is becoming critical.”

The energy savings, productivity increases, reduction in waste stream, and water conservation and other sustainable facility benefits in existing buildings far outweigh the potential benefits from sustainable new construction.

So what’s taking so long? Hodges asks.

There are fewer than 100 LEED EB certified facilities in the United States. Hence, there must be obstacles to achieving widespread market transformation. The design community clearly has embraced sustainable design in new construction while overcoming the perception of higher cost.

Through diligent education and a hard look at life cycle costs, most owners are convinced of the benefits of sustainable design practices in new facilities. “However, facility managers face a different set of problems,” says Hodges. Shrinking operations and capital budgets make it difficult to implement sustainable practices that cost even minimally more than current practice.

The current EB certification process requires an owner to achieve a number of sustainable facility targets, from energy, water, indoor air quality, and material and resource practices. For older facilities, replacement of some major building systems, including the roof, chiller, and windows may all be required to meet certification.

“Although there is gathering evidence of the financial benefits of sustainable practices in existing facilities, there is still a perception of high cost to achieve a green or high performance facility, especially in existing buildings,” said Hodges. “That concern is justifiable, given the large gap that still exists between ‘doing what you can’ and achieving LEED certification.”

With tight operating and capital improvement budgets, large-scale gutting and renovation of multiple building systems becomes harder to justify. The answer to the problem is to take existing building improvements one step at a time and work on the education of the facility manager in the ways of sustainability.

“In order to achieve “market transformation” in existing buildings, we need to provide facilities managers with the tools to create a sustainable facility management program that has all of the right elements custom-fit to their organization.”

The USGBC is looking to ease the transition from new building design to ongoing operations. Just over a year old, LEED for Existing Buildings is offering free registration for all certified LEED for New Construction and LEED for Core and Shell buildings. LEED-EB addresses whole building operations and maintenance practices, and should maximize a building’s performance over time ensuring a high return on investment.

If building owners need more convincing, perhaps they should attend the Greenbuild conference in November, where the USGBC’s Fedrizzi expects they will be inspired.

“Bishop Tutu’s role in ending Apartheid in South Africa and bringing reconciliation to its people will inspire us towards the transformation of our buildings to a sustainable future,” he said.

Hodges says facility managers are ready for that transformation. We agree. Thanks and good luck.