NEW YORK CITY-In the case of SL Green, the company name says it all—it's not so tough being green.
The REIT just released its first ever sustainability report, and the company's efforts across its building portfolio are paying off. It has reduced annual energy costs by more than $6 million dollars by putting in place LED lighting and real-time building energy management systems; it recycles over 75% (or 8,600 metric tons) of building waste, and its water use has been cut by 13 million gallons per year. These conservation efforts are supported by the company's receipt of its third LEED-EB Gold certification, and 24 US EPA Energy Star Labels, along with other accomplishments.
“We've been pursuing a lot of sustainability initiatives for several years and we wanted to share what we've done," Jay Black, director of sustainability tells GlobeSt.com. “We're going to continue strengthening the efforts we've been working on, whether its heating or lighting retrofits, working with tenants to enhance recycling, tenant awareness and education and expanding our role in the community and speaking at events to sharing our experiences.
“Our general approach,” he adds, “is about starting slow and building our sophistication over time. Sustainability is a tool to make our business better through continuous refinement of previous successes.” In the report, the company states a goal of continuing to invest in "key energy efficiency projects" in order to achieve cost reductions of 15% by 2020.
Asserts CEO Marc Holliday, "SL Green is firmly committed to its extensive environmental program. We continue to invest in greater efficiency, and to collaborate with our tenants to foster sustainability within our portfolio, and this report helps us to communicate those efforts in our markets.”
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
