In our personal lives, most individuals are conscious of their energy consumption and any pollution or contamination we generate. Consider for a moment the energy-saving devices we have in our homes: there are energy-efficient appliances for the kitchen, such as refrigerators, ovens and microwaves, as well as efficient hot-water heaters, furnaces and air conditioners. There are also control systems designed to lower consumption, such as  programmable thermostats for furnaces and air conditioning units, and similar devices exist for hot water heaters and other continual-usage systems in the home. In addition, there are major recycling efforts in most communities to eliminate landfill waste.

If all of these are options for the individual wanting to reduce their “environmental footprint,” why don't we always apply the same tools and techniques to our plant and facility equipment?
The primary reason is equipment ownership. When it comes to our personal assets, we are very conscious of the impact each one has on energy consumption, the overall environment and our personal budget. There are several pressures that come into play when considering this point: the first is cost, and a second is the peer pressure relatives, neighbours and business associates apply when it comes to environmental initiatives, such as recycling.

After having reviewed personal green efforts, one may ask, “How does this apply to our plants?” It has major application in the fact that most people (and even operational departments) pay attention to assets they feel they own or control. This may be the underlying cause of why more companies haven’t started or continued green or sustainability efforts. Creating this sense of ownership will be key if employees are going to contribute to green or sustainability efforts.

How do we create ownership in employees? A company's pattern of thinking or culture cannot be changed overnight. Changing company culture may take two to three years, depending on company size and determination of leadership. Additionally the employees must change their thinking from the company’s equipment to “my” equipment.

Ideally, installed equipment in a plant or facility should already have a green focus. Unfortunately, in many plants, this is not the case. So employees must be capable of evaluating its “green lifecycle,” which begins with an equipment design and includes the required supporting sustainability and green programs. Once the equipment design is approved, it is fabricated, installed and tested before put into normal operation. As the equipment progresses through its lifecycle, all data related to the equipment (particularly the maintenance records) should be maintained in a computerized system. This data should be fed back into the green or sustainability design stage and can further be used to design improved green or sustainability of equipment for the future.  During the operational and maintenance stages of the equipment, on the basis of regularly scheduled inspection and testing, the equipment is focused on achieving green goals. To do this, the equipment may need to be periodically restored, modified or, ultimately, replaced.

The information feedback should be categorized in three improvement areas:

1. to improve the green compliance of the equipment now in use;
2. to improve maintenance work and systems related to achieving green goals for the equipment; and
3. to facilitate green and environmentally friendly designs in new equipment.

While this assists in understanding the methods used to collect and utilize the data, how do we instill ownership of their equipment in the employees? This starts at the highest level within an organization. When senior executives pay attention to the comments made by the employees about their equipment, the employees notice. When employees see they can make a difference, then the culture begins to change. However, just as one green person in the neighbourhood does not make a neighbourhood green, one green employee does not make the company green. When employees see others participating, the peer pressure starts; and once the wave of peer pressure is developed, the program will grow.

The initiative may start within one group of employees, but it must grow to others as well. For example, perhaps the maintenance organization is the first to move toward green asset management. This functional organization can only take green to a certain level. They may be able to keep the equipment running with the minimum energy required (proper lubrication, alignment, cleaning, adjustments, etc.), but others must also become involved. For example, the operators must make sure the systems they have stay within the manufacturer’s specification to avoid more waste or energy use.

As the graphic indicates, green initiatives involve multiple organizations that are typically in silos at most companies. When asset-based green initiatives have this level of involvement and support from the senior executives, it is much easier to get the employees to take ownership of their equipment.

This level of ownership will allow the employees to begin treating the equipment as if it is a personal asset. Most individuals do well in green projects when they involve their personal assets — and in almost all cases, they will do the same with company assets they feel they own, too.

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Terry Wireman is senior vice-president of Vesta Partners LLC. You can reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .