In this article we will examine a brief case study of what one member has done on the “green” front, discuss various resources from BOMA International and other national & local entities.
Case StudyAccording to Byron Bright, MCR, and Greg Dolence, RPA, FMA, SMA, from Progressive Insurance, their company practices what it calls “environmental stewardship” which includes recycling at all their main locations. Throughout 2014, Progressive’s efforts nationwide resulted in over 2,000 tons of recyclable materials avoiding the landfill. The company also has limited programs to repurpose polystyrene, coffee grounds, landscape spoils, and rainwater. However, the company’s most significant stewardship efforts are in the area of energy management.
Progressive Companies
For members looking to take that “next step” there are a number of invaluable resources:
BOMA InternationalTaken directly from BOMA International’s position statement on benchmarking:“BOMA International...encourages its members to benchmark their buildings at least annually using EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager platform or other similar programs.”Benchmarking is the place to start when striving for better energy efficiency. In fact, BOMA members must benchmark if they are interested in participating in the Experience Exchange Report (EER) and attempting to obtain a BOMA 360 designation.
Benchmarking is just the beginning. BOMA International also has designations and competitions that drive member buildings to really put sustainability at the forefront of their operationsExperience Exchange Report (EER)We talk a lot about the EER. You see it advertised in virtually every issue of the BOMA Watch newsletter. It is an invaluable resource that BOMA International has created. The EER tracks income and operating expense data from more than 5,200 buildings across North America including office rents, retail and other rental income, telecom and wire access income, real estate taxes, energy and other utilities costs, repairs and maintenance, cleaning, administrative costs, security, roads and grounds and more.Why is this so useful? You can easily evaluate your building’s performance against others in your current or similar markets to see if you are operating in a competitive manner.BOMA 360 Performance ProgramCan you name the buildings in the Greater Cleveland market that have a BOMA 360 Performance Program designation?200 Public Square, Fifth Third Center, Howard M. Metzenbaum United States Courthouse, Key Tower, Post Office Plaza, Skylight Office Tower, Terminal TowerThe BOMA 360 Performance Program evaluates buildings against industry best practices in 6 major areas: building operations and management; life safety, security and risk management; training and education; energy; environmental/sustainability; and tenant relations/community involvement. Individual buildings that satisfy the requirements in all 6 areas are awarded the BOMA 360 designation.The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) AwardsThe TOBY Awards are the most prestigious and comprehensive programs of their kind in the commercial real estate industry recognizing quality in buildings and rewarding excellence in building management.During the competitions, all facets of a building’s operations are thoroughly evaluated. Buildings are judged on everything from community involvement and site management to environmental and “green” policies and procedures.Other ResourcesThere are plenty of resources available for purchase. The good news is that BOMA members qualify for a discount. A particularly useful guide that examines a trend that is gaining a lot of traction in the industry is Commercial Lease: Guide to Sustainable and Energy Efficient Leasing for High-Performance Buildings. This document provides a model for modifying lease terms to maintain energy efficient and sustainable building operations.A great free resource that BOMA International offers is Working Together for Sustainability: The RMI-BOMA Guide for Landlords and Tenants.Green Globes and LEEDGreen Globes is a worldwide building certification label for sustainable management and operations, developed by the Green Buildings Initiative (GBI). LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, developed by the US Green Building Council. Both programs are widely used and accepted in the industry.There is some controversy about programs like this because, as with most things, the devil is in the details. Standards set by programs like this can at times be economically and practically impossible for any building. Organizations like BOMA offer these as suggested programs because they (generally) are voluntary and work well as a baseline.Keeping it LocalSustainable Cleveland 2019: Beginning in 2009, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 is a 10-year initiative that engages everyone to work together to design and develop a thriving and resilient Cleveland that leverages its wealth of assets to build economic, social and environmental well-being for all.Cleveland 2030: The Cleveland 2030 District is an interdisciplinary public-private-nonprofit collaborative working to create a groundbreaking high performance building district in downtown Cleveland.USGBC: The purpose of Northeast Ohio Chapter of the USGBC is to generate broad support for various individual efforts, build momentum, and advance the green building agenda in our region through education, consultation, and cooperation.BOMA Greater Cleveland has ongoing working relationships with these three locally-based “green” initiatives.
Where You Can Find These ResourcesBetween www.bomacleveland.org and www.boma.org we have you covered.Special thanks to Byron Bright, MCR, and Greg Dolence, RPA, FMA, SMA for sharing their work as part of this article.