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Did You Know...?
In the U.S., on a per ton basis, sorting and processing recyclables alone sustains 11 times more jobs than incineration does.
Source: The Story of Stuff
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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.
Read the 2009 World's Worst Polluted Places report: 12 Cases of Cleanup and Success.
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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. Services include: - Environmental Assessments
- Waste and Recycling Consulting
- Waste Brokering
- Energy Services
- ISO 14001 & 9001
- LEED Consulting
- Sustainability Advisory Services
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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SEASON'S GREETINGS. Over the past 20 years, we've worked with some of the finest, greenest buildings across the country. We are thankful for your continued support. It's been a good year! As you all know, Great Forest has a new COO and an expanded team to guide you through all the exciting new changes that are coming in the new year, especially for buildings in NYC.
Just a few days ago, NYC passed one of the most comprehensive and progressive legislative packages in the nation, putting it on the forefront of efforts to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings. In our next newsletter, we will provide a detailed analysis on what all this will mean for you.
Until then, here's wishing you the very best. HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!
-The Great Forest Team
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EPA Energy Star Celebrates 10 Years With a New Retrospective Report
The 20-page retrospective shares the story of how it all began and provides a glimpse into the future for the ENERGY STAR buildings program.
Featuring interesting case studies, the report highlights some of the more notable buildings that have earned the label over the years, including:
- The oldest building to earn the Energy Star: Cambridge Savings Bank in Cambridge, MA
- The tallest building to earn the Energy Star: Aon Center in Chicago, IL
- The largest building to earn the Energy Star: USAA McDermott Building in San Antonio, TX
- The first building to earn the Energy Star: Ridgehaven Green Building in San Diego, CA
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Showcase your Building in EPA's Video Contest
A new video contest sponsored by the U.S. EPA is challenging filmmakers to highlight the "three Rs" of individual consumption: reduce, reuse and recycle.
The agency is looking for entries to "promote steps individuals and organizations can take to minimize negative environmental impacts within their communities."
Team up with a filmmaker to showcase your building. Winners will be announced in April.
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 GREAT FOREST NEWS
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Great Forest Gives Presentation to NYC Department of Buildings
 The New York City Department of Buildings recently invited Great Forest to conduct an educational overview of the importance of measuring and managing sustainability data for their executives.
"With the new series of legislation requiring commercial buildings larger than 50,000 sq feet to track their energy data use, the DoB wanted to be prepared for any concerns they might encounter from building managers and operators," said Great Forest COO Drew Masters. "So we walked them through what buildings would need to do and I believe they were pleasantly surprised to find out how easy everything is."
As the Department of Buildings will be leading the implementation of the bill, Great Forest provided them with a tutorial of how to use the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager rating system and other tracking tools such as the Sustainability Metrics. Best practices were highlighted.
"We always say what gets measured, get managed," notes Masters. "Tracking data over time is integral to both cost savings and reducing the environmental impact of a building. After all, knowledge is power."
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ABC Television Shows More of its Green Side
 Great Forest consultant Olivia Percy was at ABC's annual green event recently to help unveil their upgraded recycling system. This is part of the television network's wide-ranging green effort, which also includes a new cell phone recycling program and a tray reuse/recycling incentive in their cafeterias - employees get a meal discount for every 4 times they reuse their trays.
Great Forest is also helping ABC's cafeterias launch a new composting program and make a move away from styrofoam and plastics, towards using china, real flatware, bio plastics and compostable cups.
"ABC has done a great job of providing their employees the tools to be greener," said Percy. "Together, we are always thinking of new ways to make the sustainability program here more effective."
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Hunter College Students Take 60 Wall Street Sustainability Tour
 In early December, Great Forest client Deutsche Bank hosted a Sustainability Tour for students at Hunter College to showcase the green elements of its Americas headquarters at 60 Wall Street.
The tour was attended by students enrolled in the "Sustainability, Green Buildings and Health," course taught by Professor Jack Caravanos and Great Forest Director of Sustainability Anna Dengler.
While the concept of "green buildings" often focuses on newly constructed buildings, Deutsche Bank was able to show how an existing building like 60 Wall Street can easily implement sustainable initiatives.
Led by Koley MacKay, Jones Lang LaSalle Energy & Sustainability Manager for Deutsche Bank Americas, the tour gave students a first-hand look at the range of sustainability initiatives at the building, including: - an industry-leading recycling and composting program, which is averaging 88% in its diversion ratios.
- a real-time Energy Flow Monitoring System installed in the engineering control room.
- the water saving Condensate Reclamation System in the chiller room.
- a "hands-free" green restroom currently being piloted on the 34th floor. The restroom uses a range of motion-sensor technologies and water saving devices, including newly installed High Efficiency Waterless Urinals and 0.5 gpm aerators on all faucets.
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GREAT FOREST Q&A
Q: How can I make sure my office 'walks the walk' by having an eco-friendly holiday party this year?
 A: Here are some ideas to show your commitment to the environment:
1. Consider throwing a party at a restaurant near your office that serves local foods. Not only is this good for the local economy, but it will also help cut down your party's carbon footprint because neither your food nor your colleagues will have to travel far.
2. If instead you're having a party at the office, reusable cups, flatware, and plates will help reduce the waste typically associated with holiday parties. If this is not feasible, use cups, plates, and napkins with recycled paper content or biodegradable materials.
3. Ensure that no edible food goes to waste by contacting a local food bank or other food rescue service. (Businesses in NYC can call City Harvest to see about donating leftover prepared food to those in need.) Consider composting whatever can't be donated.
4. Notify your building's cleaning company before your party to ensure that you have additional recycling bins as needed.
5. Participating in a "Secret Santa" or gift swap? Consider re-gifting something you don't need that someone else might enjoy. Wrap presents in recycled paper, and recycle all wrappers, ribbons and decorations.
6. Decorate the office using natural or reusable materials. Consider a real tree (harvested from a sustainable source) rather than fake ones which can contain toxic materials such as PVC and are not biodegradable.
7. Use the opportunity of an office gathering to distribute information on recycling procedures and other "green tips" in your space.
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