As one extensive ecosystem, we all have to work together to make our planet greener, more sustainable, and safer for everyone. Specifically, Southland, as a MEP building systems firm and leader in the green building movement, upholds a broad commitment to sustainability throughout our business practices.

Our Commitment

We’ve continuously provided cost-effective, energy-efficient mechanical solutions for over 70 years. Recognizing the growing global concern for energy conservation savings and the large impact of reducing energy consumption in facilities, Southland focuses on energy service solutions and sustainability as one of our core offerings.

As both a service provider and a corporate organization, our goal is to responsibly conserve natural resources and seek ways to eliminate waste from everything that we do.

Why It Matters 

In addition to helping our clients achieve their mission and reach their goals through construction delivery or energy performance, our Lean practices combined with our sustainability efforts lessen clients’ costs, improve their schedule, provide flexibility, and overall reduce significant waste.  

Climate Change & Energy Awareness

With the ever-growing shift toward energy awareness and focus on climate change, Southland continually examines how our clients can apply energy management techniques to their facilities. By leveraging our design-build-maintain model, we integrate energy efficiency and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) standards into both new construction and retrofit/renovation projects.

Sustainable Services & Resources 

With in-house LEED-accredited personnel and certified energy managers, Southland can evaluate and design a variety of solutions to suit specific energy needs. Whether an owner is trying to reduce energy costs, achieve LEED or Energy Star compliance, or perform energy usage upgrades that will qualify for tax incentives or rebates, we will identify the ideal energy solutions to achieve sustainability beyond just project goals.

Additionally, Southland has participated and successfully completed projects with net zero energy goals.

What do we do?

Sustainability is woven into our business practices and each team works to create sustainable designs through Lean methods. From energy savings, to striving to reduce greenhouse emissions, solid and water waste management, and packaging efforts, Southland drives sustainability through action.  

Efficient Use of Materials

To reduce the use of raw materials, Southland appropriately selects and designs innovative HVAC, plumbing, and fire protection systems and utilizes prefabrication and modular construction to eliminate redundant support systems and improve coordination.

Through the extensive use of virtual construction, we ensure systems are coordinated while mitigating potential rework and waste on the jobsite. With our fabrication facilities, Southland also eliminates scrap and raw material waste and the associated energy, labor, and ongoing operational costs. 

Construction

Prefabrication and Modular Construction

Prefabrication and modular construction are important aspects of our sustainability approach. Due to the factory-controlled process, modular construction is by nature material-and resource-efficient.

Modular Construction

Modular construction is inherently waste conscious, enables minimum site impact if delivered carefully and strategically, and capitalizes on the ability to move product in controlled manufacturing conditions on tight inventory control and project schedules.

Since modular builders work in a factory-controlled environment, many construction projects can be simultaneously run in one location, preventing overages waste, and offering the ability to re-inventory materials for different projects.

Waste Management

Waste management is a critical component of our commitment to sustainability. When possible, we order in bulk to reduce packaging waste and opt to buy products from recycled or local sources.

For the office, this includes recycling ink cartridges from office printers and using local contractors to recycle shredded documents.

For the shop, this includes using local vendors for materials and supplies to cut down on shipping waste. When possible, we also utilize digital drawings to eliminate large-scale printed drawings. Our BIM capabilities also reduce a lot of waste.

Vehicles

To be more ecofriendly, our fleet of vehicles includes smaller, more efficient Ford transit vans. We also lease and rotate our fleet out often, avoiding maintenance and retention of older, less efficient vehicles.

A Green Team

Each of our locations, including our offices and shops, are responsible for eliminating waste and recycling when possible. Each location has a specific policy that allows them to operate at peak efficiency, which ultimately yields overall better waste reduction outcomes for the whole company.

Community

It’s not just about Southland, our clients, and partners — it’s about the communities we work in and serve too. With an emphasis on bettering our surroundings and those around us, we support a variety of charitable organizations across the country. Southland also offers key educational programs to develop employees at all stages of employment and all functions across the company.

Communities are part of the ecosystem too. Several of our offices participate in community clean-ups to protect the ecosystem, including trash clean-ups, environmental clean-ups, and more.

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Together, we can create a diverse, inclusive, sustainable, and green future.