Sustainability in Facilities Management

About Facilities Management

The Office of Facilities Management (OFM) is responsible for routine preventive and corrective building and grounds maintenance services, facilities infrastructure repair and replacement, and energy conservation in the design and operation of FCPS facilities. Maintenance and repair of all mechanical, electrical, and structural equipment and systems is provided by technicians located in four decentralized satellite maintenance facilities. A fifth centralized facility is responsible for grounds maintenance and centralized trades functions.

OFM’s work on sustainability falls under several categories outlined below in accordance with School Board Policy 8542 - Environmental Stewardship, which was originally adopted on November 7, 2008.

Energy Management

FCPS invests in advanced energy management systems to operate buildings in a way that is comfortable for occupants and saves energy and money through conservation. The Energy Management team uses the latest technologies to allow remote access for managing building energy usage and comfort levels based on occupancy. A team of technicians, energy system specialists, and engineers ensure FCPS buildings are running efficiently and maintaining optimal comfort levels. Despite the student population and square footage of FCPS schools increasing, energy usage in FCPS decreased by more than 10% from 2008 to 2020 due to conservation practices such as efficient building scheduling. FCPS is working to reduce energy usage by 20-30% between 2020 and 2030. The Energy Management Team’s work is aligned to School Board Regulation 8534 - Energy Management.

The Energy Management Team also compiles the annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory describing the emissions of FCPS operations contributing to climate change. From 2008 to 2019, FCPS greenhouse gas emissions decreased 30.9%.

Learn more about the work of the FCPS Energy Management team and explore energy use across FCPS and for your school on the FCPS Data Dashboards.

Go Behind the Scenes with the FCPS Energy Specialists!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The Plant Operations section of OFM oversees waste and recycling removal and custodial operations in FCPS facilities. Per School Board Regulation 8541 - Recycling Requirements for All FCPS Facilities, all FCPS schools and centers have mandatory recycling programs for paper products, cans, bottles, and fluorescent light bulbs. Construction waste materials are separated and recycled. Learn more about recycling in FCPS here.

Grounds

The Grounds team in OFM maintains FCPS grounds, manages snow removal efforts, and oversees the integrated pest management program as outlined in School Board Regulation 8550 - Pest Control.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program

The Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering Team in OFM oversees FCPS’ stormwater management efforts as part of Fairfax County’s MS4 permit. The objective of the MS4 is to reduce stormwater pollutants in stormwater runoff by implementing certain programs and procedures. A MS4 includes stormwater runoff from roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains. The program is part of the Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES) requirements and is regulated by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). DEQ requires FCPS to demonstrate that it is addressing the following six best management practices (BMPs) or minimum control measures (MCMs) in the implementation of the MS4 program:

1. Public education
2. Public involvement/participation
3. Illicit discharge detection and elimination
4. Construction site stormwater runoff control
5. Post-construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment
6. Pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations

Learn more about Fairfax County’s MS4 permit and stormwater management work.