TUFF Sponsors First Annual Educational Facilities Best Practices Summit

Learning of the sustainability goals of many of their Institutional partners, TUFF presented a symposium on Best Practices for Educational Facilities. The focus of the summit was addressing campus sustainability opportunities at education institutions on a practical level and often limited budget. The summit took place on the 29th and 30th of September at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.  

In his opening remarks, TUFF’s Chief Operating Office Kevin Byrne spoke to “making sustainability an integral part of the DNA of campus operations and development.” Jamie Van Mourik, the keynote speaker on Thursday evening and Director of Higher Education for Green Schools at United State Green Building Council (USGBC), charged the audience with being change agents for their institutions and discussed how they individually could lead the transformation of their educational communities into healthier living and learning environments.   Brenna Walraven, Managing Director of a seventy-seven million square foot portfolio for USAA Real Estate Company, was the keynote speaker for Friday and discussed how USAA views the future of sustainability and its implications on a successful real estate business model.  

With a host of nationally renowned speakers and case-study driven discussion topics, the summit leveraged real-world examples of attainable sustainability projects to inspire the integration of the topic into the fabric of operations of the institution.  Presenters and attendees included business officers, facility managers, campus planners, and executive leadership from several prominent national institutions as well as a variety of local and state educational participants.

TUFF would like to thank all of those who attended and participated in making the summit a success.