Most often when design professional think about creating solutions that help improve the intended environment’s energy efficiency or work to reduce the overall carbon footprint of a space it is often just the immediate cause and reaction that is considered — if I use this product or solution than I reduce emissions by “X” amount. […]

Since 2006, InfoComm has been actively involved in sustainability and technology under the leadership of my predecessor for this column, Scott Walker of Waveguide Consulting. Scott headed up the Sustainability Task force for InfoComm and then mustered up a motley crew of twelve consultants, manufacturers, integrators, and end users to create the Sustainable Technology Environments […]

The STEP Foundation (STEP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing technology industry benchmarks for sustainability practices in the built environment, and the Green Building Initiative (GBI),a nonprofit organization committed to accelerating the adoption of sustainable building practices, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. STEP and GBI, the organization behind the Green Globes building certification program, […]

In the ever increasing landscape of a technology driven world, a key marketplace differentiator for manufacturers on a wide range of products is environmental sustainability. By 2015, over 100 Billion units of electronic goods will be shipped worldwide and corporate environmental sustainability initiatives from manufacturers are expected to have a major impact on their delivery. […]

Well, we have officially finished our first one. Complete. Done. It’s outta’ here! After many years of involvement we got through a STEP pilot project. For those of you who don’t know, have short term memory, or just plain haven’t been paying attention, STEP stands for the Sustainable Technology Environments Program. If you are familiar […]

The United States Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) defines a Smart Grid as a class of computer based technologies that provides remote control, automation and two-way communication to improve production, delivery and efficiency of the electrical utility system. For over a century, the utility companies had to send workers out to gather […]

Washington, May 17, 2012…This morning, less than a year after its official announcement at InfoComm 2011, STEP made its debut on Capitol Hill in a presentation to the U.S. House of Representatives’ High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition (www.hpbccc.org).  The caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) and Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), was formed in 2008 and […]

InfoComm’s Sustainable Technology Environments Program or STEP seeks to learn from and complement LEED, which focuses on the shell and core of a building, by adding a rating system for the electronic systems that work within that shell and core.  The system, now in draft form, invites participation throughout the project — from AV program […]