Sustainability Superstars!
Being green goes well beyond considering the environment before printing a work email (even if it is really funny). With Earth Day still fresh on our minds, here's a sampling of people and places seeking to create a better, more sustainable world.
NYC: Hudson Yards Makes History
The largest private development in US history is partnering with big data to change the way builders think about sustainability. New York University's Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) will continually track energy, waste, water, and air quality at the 17M SF Hudson Yards, going up on Manhattan's Far West Side, and the info will provide a road map for true efficiency for every building that comes after. Charlotte Matthews (whom we snapped above) is sustainability chief for Related, which is building Hudson Yards with Oxford Properties. She tells us it'll be the world's first Quantified Community. That means CUSP will track two office towers, 500 residences, 100 stores, 20 restaurants, observation deck, and six acres of public space that'll host 24 million people a year. (As long as Motel 6 doesn't show up... it's always leaving those darned lights on.)
The game changer, though, Charlotte says, is that Related will put that data to action. Her goal is to make Hudson Yards the most efficient living environment in the world, but Related can't achieve that on Day 1. Take hot water usage. Related's tracking of its buildings has revealed that the rule of thumb for sizing hot water systems is too high. Without risking a cold shower, Related can install smaller equipment and pump less water. The CUSP program at Hudson Yards will be larger and provide a constant feedback loop on resources, design, and operations and will combine with CUSP's expert advice on adjustments.
HOUSTON: Black is the New Green
That's according to the city's annual LightsOut event, in which office users turn off all non-essential lights. (It's perfect for spooky story time.) Event co-founder Lionstone Group VP of operations Frank Staats (above left with fellow coordinators WHR Architects sustainable design leader Tim Murray, IFMA sustainability director Marina Badoian-Kriticos, and Air Zone International VP Andy Bergman in front of Houston's darkened skyline last year) tells us 160M SF of Downtown property went dark last year, more than all the office space in San Francisco and Las Vegas combined. He says awareness has been greater this year, so he’s hoping to exceed that stat (last night was the blackout). Turning out lights can have a huge impact—if just 25% of buildings in Downtown Houston reduced non-essential energy use, it would eliminate 3,000 tons of CO2 annually.
CHICAGO & DALLAS: Giving Tech an Earth Friendly Send-Off
Chicago-based loft office guru Urban Innovations is holding its fourth annual Earth Week electronics recycling drive in partnership with Waste Management. (So get that Betamax out of the attic. Stop it, you're not gonna use it anymore.) VP of commercial property management Alfrieda Green tells us that tenants can turn in old phones, laptops, monitors, and other electronic waste at each of the firm’s buildings and results will be tallied at the end of the week. Many tenants have started saving their old gadgets for the drive, and it’s amazing what people hold onto in their storage rooms, she says. The benefits are huge: recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent of the electricity used by 3,657 US homes in a year, according to the EPA.
And Americans purchase nearly three billion dry-cell batteries annually for mobile phones, laptop computers, cameras, and countless other devices. (We'll admit it: We still use a Discman with CDs, and you know that thing guzzles batteries.) About three years ago, Dallas-based Rosewood Court Management initiated a battery recycling program while working on LEED Gold certification for Energy Plaza. Since then, it’s become a regular part of its services, says senior property manager Pamela Logan. So far, 1,103 pounds of batteries have been recycled, along with anything that tears, glass from the restaurants, landscape waste, fluorescent bulbs, restaurant grease, and e-waste, she tells us. Fun fact: The recycling canisters look like batteries.
