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Did You Know...?
Americans generate almost twice the amount of trash of other developed countries -- a whopping 4 pounds of garbage per person everyday.
With 301,139,947 U.S. residents, this adds up to about 1,204,559,788 pounds or 602,280 tons of trash each day... the weight of about 580,000 Liberty Bells.
Source: The Daily Green
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Great Forest Gives Back
Great Forest is a proud supporter of the nonprofit Blacksmith Institute, which works to solve life-threatening pollution problems in the world's worst polluted places. Blacksmith is currently engaged in over 40 cleanup projects in 19 countries.
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About Great Forest
Great Forest provides sustainability consulting and project management expertise
To date Great Forest has worked with more than half of all commercial office space and hotels in Manhattan and over 1,500 buildings across the country, covering approximately 350 million sq. ft.
Contact Us Great Forest, Inc.
2014 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10035
Ph: (212) 779-4757
Fax: (212) 779-8044
www.greatforest.com
Improve Environmental Performance, Reduce Costs
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This month we celebrated America Recycles Day on November 15th. Did you know that recycling is not a modern activity? According to the ARD website, before the 1920s, 70% of U.S. cities ran programs to recycle certain materials. Today, the nation's composting and recycling rate is rising again, from 7.7% of the waste stream in 1960 to 17% in 1990 to around 33% currently. Check for useful recycling resources here and on the Great Forest website.
Wondering where your office waste goes? See the Great Forest waste chart below.
We are also pleased to introduce new features to the Great Forest Sustainability Metrics this month. Try it out.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-The Great Forest Team
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Green Building Sector Growth
Investing in green buildings contributes significantly to the nation's wealth. According to a new report co-authored by the U.S. Green Building Council, the green building industry is poised to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. GDP from 2009 to 2013.
Over this five year span, the green building sector is projected to create nearly 8 million jobs, compared to 2.4 million from 2000-08, the report states. Those figures include jobs created directly, indirectly and by induction.
In other green building news, the results of the 2009 Green Building Market & Impact Report published by www.greenerbuildings.com indicate that there has been impressive growth in green buildings despite the economy.
According to the report author, floor area registered and certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building rating system in 2009 is estimated to grow by over 40 percent compared to last year's totals, for a cumulative total of over 7 billion square feet worldwide since the standard was launched in 2000.
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Waste Management a Top Priority for Green Building Contractors
According to the latest SmartMarket Report from McGraw-Hill
Construction, 61 percent of contractors rate waste management
as the second most important aspect of a green building, following
energy efficiency.
According to the survey, client demand (82 percent),
government regulations (81 percent) and competitive advantage (77
percent) are some of the biggest drivers behind the trend.
Anna Dengler, Great Forest's director of sustainability, attended the GreenBuild International Conference and Expo in Phoenix, Arizona last week, where she learned about this and other green building facts. We look forward to updating you about this conference next month.
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San Francisco: New Recycling and Composting Regulations
As of October 21, new recycling and composting regulations (under the Universal Recycling and Composting ordinance) are in effect in San Francisco. Owners and managers of commercial properties should be aware that they are now required to:
- provide information and/or training for new tenants, employees and contractors, including janitors on how to separate trash, recycling and compost, and repeat trainings annually.
Food vendors within commercial properties are required to:
- provide adequate and convenient bins for trash, recycling and compost that are available to employees, contractors and customers;
- provide education and training as above;
- provide at least one container each for trash, recycling and compost placed near a main exit - unless the food vendor does not provide disposable food ware.
According to city officials, no fines will be levied until at least July 2011, giving building managers time to implement the new programs.
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New York: Expanded Bottle Bill to Include Water Bottles
 On October 23rd, 2009, the New York State Returnable Container Act, commonly known as the "bottle bill," was expanded to include water bottles that do not contain sugar. Beginning October 31st, consumers can reclaim nickel deposits on bottled water under one gallon in size.
Laura Haight, a senior environmental associate at the New York Public Interest Research Group, praised the ruling, by Judge Deborah A. Batts of United States District Court, saying the new deposits would result in more recycling and less litter.
This new legislation does not affect commercial clients in New York who recycle glass, metal and plastic; these items may still all be commingled and recycled.
NYC Bicycle Access Law Goes Into Effect December 11
Just a reminder, the Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law was passed July 29, 2009 and will go into effect on December 11, 2009. Find out more about how this could affect your building here or contact your Great Forest representative.
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 GREAT FOREST NEWS
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Updated Metrics Website
We are pleased to announce two updates to the metrics website this month.
1. Save charts as jpg files. Right-click (control + mouse click for mac users) on the chart that you want to save and choose "Save As Image".
2. Track metrics per occupant. You can now choose to view your data as Total or Per Occupant in the tables and charts online. This will allow you to compare data from year to year, while accounting for occupancy changes in the building.
Log in to check out the new features or try the metrics.
Your Great Forest representative will be happy to assist you with these new features.
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Great Forest Waste Chart
To mark America Recycles Day, Great Forest has created a handy chart that follows the flow of your office waste, with reminders of what to do and what NOT to do.
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GREAT FOREST Q&A
Q: As a building manager at a commercial office building, what do I need to know about disposing hazardous waste?
A: There are many materials designated as
hazardous waste by the EPA, but most are not common to commercial office buildings. You probably mainly deal
with items classified as Universal Wastes such as fluorescent bulbs,
pesticides, batteries and mercury-containing devices.
The toxins contained in these items are unsafe when landfilled or mishandled. EPA estimates that about 14% of the mercury, a known neurotoxin, in fluorescent lightbulbs
is released into air or water when it is sent to a landfill.
The solution is to set up a Universal Waste Recycling program. The EPA estimates that out of 700 million mercury light bulbs manufactured annually, only 23% is recycled. Licensed service providers in your area can provide collection boxes for these items, safe on-site storage, removals on an as-needed basis, and certificates of recycling on all materials removed from your property.
Let Great Forest help you set up and maintain your hazardous waste recycling program. We will also educate your tenants and staff about how to properly handle these materials.
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