GreenSuite

24 Easy Ways to Make Your Building Green

This week's Earth Day has prompted a flurry of PR activity and one of the more interesting of these offerings comes from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). It has suggested 24 ways to cut the environmental footprint of office buildings, touching on water conservation, landscaping, recycling and education. Greening office buildings is crucial in the quest towards reducing carbon emissions. BOMA says that carbon emissions from office buildings make up nearly 20 per cent of all emissions in the US.  BOMA's 24 tips are listed in full below:

Conserve Water
1. Install low-flow aerators, which simply screw on to bathroom taps and can be purchased for under a fiver.
2. Insert water displacement devices to limit the amount of water used in the toilet tank.
3. Monitor activities with sensors, such as motion-sensor taps and cooling tower sensors.
4. Implement 'dry' cleaning methods. Using a broom, squeegee or dry vacuum cleaner as 'dry' instead of 'wet' cleaning can save gallons of water.
5. Reduce water pressure.
6. Reset hot-water thermostats to the lowest setting possible.
7. Turn off hot-water heaters while the building is unoccupied.

Landscape Sustainably
8. Create a landscaping programme that makes use of indigenous plants and conserves water.
9. Add composting to your landscape maintenance plan.
10. Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses, which use less water than sprinklers.
11. Schedule an annual review of your property's irrigation system.
12. Harvest rainwater to water your building's grounds.

Reduce, Re-use and Recycle
13. Work with vendors who have recycling programmes in place.
14. Establish disposal methods to discard electronics and hazardous waste.
15. Use coreless paper products.
16. Ensure that your janitorial service uses green cleaning products.
17. Ensure windows and skylights are clean to allow in optimal daylight.
18. Encourage tenants to turn off equipment after hours.
19. Encourage tenants to use Energy Star equipment.
20. Develop a recycling program for everything (not just paper) -- lighting, plastics, metal, glass and cardboard.

Communicate and Educate
21. Institute an energy-awareness program.
22. Encourage tenants to institute work from home policies to reduce workplace energy consumption.
23. Create an electronic green newsletter to send to tenants periodically.
24. Encourage tenants and building personnel to use environmentally-friendly modes of transportation.

Wilhelm featured in Business Times - Brokers Go Green Article

Friday, February 1, 2008

Brokers go green: Credential may help leasing pros clean up

San Francisco

Business Times - by J.K. Dineen

Architects and construction managers racing to bolster their green building credentials with LEED accreditation have some new company: commercial real estate brokers.

With tenants placing an increasing premium on eco-friendly space,

San Francisco

brokers are increasingly seeking the blessing of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Three city brokers thus far have passed the LEED exam and become LEED APs -- accredited professionals -- and are hoping to put their new expertise to work guiding tenants toward green work environments.

The first LEED AP broker in

San Francisco

was Studley's Julia Wilhelm, who received accreditation in September. In the past few weeks, NAI BT Commercial's David Klein and Jones Lang LaSalle's Tom Poser have also passed the rigorous 80-question LEED test, which takes several months to study for. The Washington, D.C.-based LEED doesn't have a separate category for LEED-AP brokers, who fall into a broader "real estate" category. Nationwide, 83 LEED-APs fall into the "real estate" category. In total, the number of LEED-APs has skyrocketed from 2,443 in 2002 to 45,162 this year.

Wilhelm said she was inspired to get accredited while working with the client New Resource Bank, which provides financing for sustainable businesses and green construction projects. Wilhelm said brokers are often at ground zero for a new space search, and good advice early on could make the difference for tenants seeking LEED-certified workspaces.

"By not properly preparing for a sustainable project in the initial planning and financial modeling, a tenant risks time, additional costs and the feasibility of a LEED certification entirely," she said.

Wilhelm's LEED-AP designation has already paid off. Shortly after she passed the test, Wilhelm was hired by the Nature Conservancy, which was looking to expand its

San Francisco

office from 15,000 to 20,000 square feet. Nora Seaborn, director of statewide operations for the Nature Conservancy, said it switched to Wilhelm after working with another broker who was not as familiar with green building practices.

"We just really appreciate her knowledge and commitment to green building," Seaborn said.

The different levels of LEED designation for interior spaces -- ranging from basic LEED to platinum LEED -- are earned through an elaborate point system. Points can be earned for being located near public transportation or offering bike storage. An abundance of natural daylight or super energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems can also generate points.

Tenants get points for using rapidly renewable woods or low-emitting paints, carpeting, composite woods or furniture. Tenants can also earn credits by negotiating to have sub-metering equipment that measures and records energy use within their individual space.

Seaborn said Wilhelm "saves me from having an architect with me throughout the process.

"She walks into a space and says we would have to take out that conference room to open up the interiors and get the light in," Seaborn said.

Seaborn said the Studley broker would advise them on its ultimate goal of making all of its eight

California

offices LEED-certified interiors. Eventually, the nonprofit is looking to own or develop two super-green buildings, one in

Sacramento

and one in

San Francisco

.

"Our company is known for conservation work around the globe, but we haven't done a good job internally, at least in

California

," she said.

Poser, who focuses on SoMa tech companies, said the trend toward LEED certification is particularly pronounced among young creative start-ups.

"In the tech world there is a lot of pressure to be green. It's like if you are not doing it, why not? It's full-blown," he said. "These people want to work with brokers who understand their concerns. You can't just pretend -- you better be completely informed."

jkdineen@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4971

Q&A: Studley's Wilhelm on the Benefits of Going Green

From today's Commercial Property News:                                                        

Q&A: Studley's Wilhelm on the Benefits of Going Green

Oct 4, 2007

Julia Wilhelm, associate director in Studley’s San Francisco office, was recently awarded LEED accreditation through the U.S. Green Building Council. CPN Executive Editor Russ Colchamiro spoke with Wilhelm (pictured) about being one of the first brokers nationwide with the designation, and what changes she would like to see industry-wide in regard to green building and sustainable development.

CPN: What is the significance of the LEED accreditation?

Wilhelm: It signifies that I have a thorough understanding of the LEED system, (which) really covers all sorts of options ... for companies who want to make their space (healthier) for their employees and be more ecologically friendly. Even if a company doesn’t want LEED certification, there are still a lot of things they can do in terms of improving their space.

CPN: What does it mean to you to be one of the first brokers certified with LEED accreditation?

Wilhelm: I am the only real estate professional in San Francisco with the designation, and there are only 10 in the state ... I believe only four are brokers. There are only about 60 real estate professionals in the country with the designation.

I truly care about the idea of helping companies make their workspace healthier for their employees. It’s shocking to me just how big of an impact office buildings have on resource use and waste output, and how much it does impact workers’ health, as well as the environmental impact.

CPN: What do you expect to see over the next year in regard to other brokers becoming certified?

Wilhelm: There definitely will be more brokers who do it, driven, I would imagine, by client demand. A lot of big companies ... have created sustainability departments that influence real estate decisions, and they’ll want to work with brokers who understand this as well.

CPN: On a practical level, how does the accreditation help you serve your clients?

Wilhelm: On a basic level, just in educating clients. Many companies hear about going green, but don’t know a lot about it, or why they should do it. And if they want to go forward, they don’t know how to do it. I’ve outlined certain benefits and the return on investment of those benefits for clients who don’t understand (them).

In terms of (implementation), it would be everything from outlining goals, to modeling likely costs based on those goals, getting LEED certification, remodeling existing space or finding new space.

The reality is that you can probably get LEED certification in almost any space, but it may cost you more time--and almost certainly more money--if you don’t have a knowledgeable broker involved from the beginning. Most brokers, up until this point, have left the LEED certification up to the architects. But if you use LEED certification as your guide in site selection from the beginning, the chances of it costing more and taking more time are reduced because you have found a space that is more appropriate for your client’s needs and goals.

And there are a lot of things you can ask the landlord to do (in regard to greening the space), but if you wait until after the lease is signed, in many cases it’s too late.

CPN: What are the toughest challenges you face in regard to the green building initiatives? What type of changes would you like to see industry-wide?

Wilhelm: No. 1, a lack of education among real estate decision-makers throughout the industry, and equally on that level, the perception that LEED certification means added time and added cost for a process that is already seen as burdensome and bothersome. ... I would love to see a transformation in (this) perception ... into being an opportunity to enhance recruiting, boost productivity, employee satisfaction and just make a positive statement.

Oct 4, 2007

Julia Wilhelm, associate director in Studley’s San Francisco office, was recently awarded LEED accreditation through the U.S. Green Building Council. CPN Executive Editor Russ Colchamiro spoke with Wilhelm (pictured) about being one of the first brokers nationwide with the designation, and what changes she would like to see industry-wide in regard to green building and sustainable development.

CPN: What is the significance of the LEED accreditation?

Wilhelm: It signifies that I have a thorough understanding of the LEED system, (which) really covers all sorts of options ... for companies who want to make their space (healthier) for their employees and be more ecologically friendly. Even if a company doesn’t want LEED certification, there are still a lot of things they can do in terms of improving their space.

CPN: What does it mean to you to be one of the first brokers certified with LEED accreditation?

Wilhelm: I am the only real estate professional in San Francisco with the designation, and there are only 10 in the state ... I believe only four are brokers. There are only about 60 real estate professionals in the country with the designation.

I truly care about the idea of helping companies make their workspace healthier for their employees. It’s shocking to me just how big of an impact office buildings have on resource use and waste output, and how much it does impact workers’ health, as well as the environmental impact.

CPN: What do you expect to see over the next year in regard to other brokers becoming certified?

Wilhelm: There definitely will be more brokers who do it, driven, I would imagine, by client demand. A lot of big companies ... have created sustainability departments that influence real estate decisions, and they’ll want to work with brokers who understand this as well.

CPN: On a practical level, how does the accreditation help you serve your clients?

Wilhelm: On a basic level, just in educating clients. Many companies hear about going green, but don’t know a lot about it, or why they should do it. And if they want to go forward, they don’t know how to do it. I’ve outlined certain benefits and the return on investment of those benefits for clients who don’t understand (them).

In terms of (implementation), it would be everything from outlining goals, to modeling likely costs based on those goals, getting LEED certification, remodeling existing space or finding new space.

The reality is that you can probably get LEED certification in almost any space, but it may cost you more time--and almost certainly more money--if you don’t have a knowledgeable broker involved from the beginning. Most brokers, up until this point, have left the LEED certification up to the architects. But if you use LEED certification as your guide in site selection from the beginning, the chances of it costing more and taking more time are reduced because you have found a space that is more appropriate for your client’s needs and goals.

And there are a lot of things you can ask the landlord to do (in regard to greening the space), but if you wait until after the lease is signed, in many cases it’s too late.

CPN: What are the toughest challenges you face in regard to the green building initiatives? What type of changes would you like to see industry-wide?

Wilhelm: No. 1, a lack of education among real estate decision-makers throughout the industry, and equally on that level, the perception that LEED certification means added time and added cost for a process that is already seen as burdensome and bothersome. ... I would love to see a transformation in (this) perception ... into being an opportunity to enhance recruiting, boost productivity, employee satisfaction and just make a positive statement.

Overivew and Mission

My Mission
Welcome to GreenSuite.  This weblog is intended to provide useful information and insight on green office space.  My goal simply is to make a positive impact on the built environment.  I see office space as the physical manifestation of corporate identity and a direct influence on worker productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction.  And, since we as Americans are spending an increasing portion of our waking lives in the office, a critical component to our well being is a healthy workplace.  Responsibility inside the office, as I see it, promotes responsibility outside the office.  And so, what better way to make a positive impact on your company and the lives of your employees than to seek to create a more healthy and sustainable work “environment” in all senses of the term?

Why is This Important?
The building sector has a significant impact on the environment.  Buildings in the United States consume more than 30% of our total energy and 60% of electricity annually.  They consume 5 billion gallons of potable water per day to flush toilets.  A typical North American commercial construction project generates up to 2.5 pounds of waste per square foot of floor space.  The industry appropriates land from other uses such as natural habitats and agriculture.  In my days as a commercial appraiser, it always struck me as ironic that buildings and their appurtenances were referred to as "improvements" on the land.  Green building practices however can substantially reduce these negative environmental impacts and reverse the trend of unsustainable construction activities.  I want to be a part of the solution and help as many others as possible that may want to but not know how.  -JW