May 1, 2012

Green, Sustainable, LEED Certified, Energy Efficient, Energy Star, Carbon Neutral = Green Paralysis

Green, Sustainable, LEED Certified, Energy Efficient, Energy Star, Carbon Neutral = Green Paralysis



Green, sustainable, LEED certified, energy efficient, Energy Star rated, carbon neutral, chemical free, and a million other terms have ebbed and flowed through the corporate real estate sector and in many cases have caused “GREEN” paralysis. This is when any “GREEN” idea goes in one ear and out the other, no matter how good it is.

I suggest you take GREEN out of the discussion and focus on how you can run a facility as efficiently as possible. Focus on energy, waste, and water reduction,increasing your efficiency per square foot, having a lower operating expense than your neighbor buildings, and getting your waste bills as low as possible. Then integrate energy star ratings or LEED which have both shown to produce increased rents of up to $11 and increased occupancy of 4% based on research by Co-Star.  

Resource efficiency can absolutely be a win-win without hitting obstacles from the outset because of a personal gut reactions to certain terminology like GREEN. Results are worth a thousand terms so produce results and everything else will fall into place. 

Want to learn more about how Green is the new black?  Some available resources:

Click here for upcoming classes and events listed from BOMA Silicon Valley on energy and sustainable issues 

What are you doing in your company to contribute maximize/increase efficiency and reduce operating expenses?

Ken Kurtzig, Founder & CEO
iReuse
http://www.ireuse.com/site

1 comment:

Karen D. Cochran said...

Ken,
I am in complete alignment with your philosophy. The ultimate goals are to improve our facilities so they are more efficient, cost less to operate, improve the environment for the occupants, and reduce their environmental impacts. Energy Star, LEED, and other designations are tools to that path.