A Moral Imperative: Climate Change & Your Vote

Climate Change – a Moral Imperative. Call climate change an environmental crisis, an economic opportunity, a matter of national security… Call it whatever you want as long as you don’t call it a “hoax” or “fake news.” Our world is literally burning as we still sit idly by arguing this as a partisan issue. Our children would be ashamed of us. 

That is why it is important, now more than ever to be making changes for the betterment of not only our world, but for our children. We have the power to seek out better opportunities and solutions to help combat climate change. We have the power to prevent further deterioration create a positive impact on the environment. No step is too small when the outcome for a better is within our grasp.

I hope that one day we can put aside the noise and see this issue for the moral imperative that it is.

Climate change is THE defining issue of the 2020 presidential election. Come November I’m not voting for a candidate (per se) or overly simplified ideology. My vote will be cast in favor of making the world a better place for all future generations.

This photo is of my three children: Jack (8), Janie (4), and Benny (2). I am voting for THEM.

Climate change, it’s a moral imperative that affects our children and future generations to come.

Craig M. Davis
President & Employee-Owner

Children

The Case for Commissioning

How third-party commissioning agents can improve building construction.

Over the last three decades, I worked with thousands of buildings and witnessed firsthand a critical issue in the building industry: Construction Quality. Serious building deficiencies are shockingly common.

These flaws are born from a construction event — not only in new construction but remodels and simple equipment replacements as well. The prevalence of quality deficiency in all building types: big and small, simple and complex, commercial and residential; is on the rise.  Retail, restaurant, office, grocery, lodging, education, warehouse, data center, healthcare… none are immune.

As a result, we have buildings with:

  • Unhealthy and uncomfortable indoor environments
  • High energy use
  • Soaring repair and maintenance costs

Causes of Poor Construction Quality

I observed four key root causes of poor construction quality:

  1. Pressure on time and money – As a society, we want things faster and cheaper, and buildings are no exception. This constricts construction teams, forcing errors and cut corners. Important design elements are ignored or intentionally removed from scopes of work.
  2. Scarcity of skilled labor – The skilled labor shortage is a national challenge and is worsening. Because of this, people are installing building systems without proper training and experience. Even when intentions are good, mistakes happen.
  3. Lack of integrity – Sadly, personal character and ethics are undervalued by many. Frequently I see contractor reports claiming certain tasks were complete but, upon inspection, were found incomplete… A construction checklist indicating the presence of important equipment accessories that are missing, a balance report showing airflow set to design while the necessary components are not installed, the list goes on. Much of the construction process is invisible to building owners and thus ripe for dishonesty.
  4. Absence of accountability – The vast majority of construction issues are being overlooked. When they are caught, they are not being pursued to a successful resolution. This problem is exacerbated for chain building owners trying to manage dozens, if not hundreds, of projects at once. They are unable to keep up, and their level of oversight diminishes.

Commissioning: How to Improve Construction Quality

So, what can be done? Give construction contractors more time and money to do their job and, though that may help, that doesn’t ensure success. The skilled labor shortage is a long-term problem and will not be solved any time soon. We can and should associate with those who have integrity, but we must verify that our trust in them is justified.

What can we do immediately? We can improve construction quality, provide accountability by auditing, and inspect the construction process. In other words, we can commission the building.

Independent commissioning agents work alongside the design and construction teams, objectively checking things along the way. However, they do not replace those teams or their responsibilities. The commissioning agents examine particular details of the building systems and determine how those systems work together. Experienced and diligent commissioning agents uncover construction deficiencies and work with the appropriate contractors to appropriately resolve issues.

Without accountability built into our construction processes, (AKA commissioning) the quality of buildings will only continue to worsen.


Melink offers commissioning services. Contact us to learn more.