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Did You Know...?
Earth Hour is a global program by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that asks individuals, businesses, organizations and
governments to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour. Earth Hour 2010 will take place from
8:30-9:30 p.m. local time on March 27.
The aim of Earth Hour is to
visibly demonstrate global concern about climate change and a commitment
to find solutions that minimize negative human impact on the Earth.
In 2009 nearly one billion people participated in more than 4,100 cities in 87 countries.
Source: www.earthhour.org
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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: 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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BOMA's Energy Action Day, held earlier this month, drew an industry crowd to a day of case studies and practical advice from building owners, managers and experts. Great Forest COO Drew Masters spoke about "Engaging Managers and Tenants" in a panel on sustainability. If you missed it, read an excerpt of his talk here. Did you see us at the event?
-- The Great Forest Team
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New LEED Certifications
 Great Forest is proud to announce two new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications:
In March, Citibank's Operations and Technology office at 111 Wall Street was awarded LEED Gold
under the LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) Version 2.0 rating system.
Project highlights include a 46% water use reduction, 80% demolition and
construction waste diversion, 100% green powered, and ENERGY STAR
equipment and appliances for 98% of all rated power. Early planning
enabled the project to set high goals and stick to them. Enhanced
commissioning, a high performance green cleaning program, and
sophisticated sub-metering equipment are just a few of the strategies
that will ensure continued green performance for Citi for some time to
come.
640 Fifth Avenue, owned and managed by Vornado Realty Trust, was LEED certified with 36 points. Great Forest managed the process, helping to create official sustainability policies and plans for the building, and coordinating the submission of documentation to the USBGC. Work included completing waste audits, water efficiency calculations, and transit surveys.
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Green Office Challenge Expands to Four Other Communities
 Chicago's successful Green Office Challenge program has expanded to four other cities: Arlington, VA; Charleston, SC; Nashville,
TN; and San Diego, CA.
The Green Office Challenge is an innovative program that engages property managers and office tenants in a friendly competition to save money and reduce energy use in their buildings, as well as reduce waste, save water, and reach other environmental goals.
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Great Forest Clients To Participate in Earth Hour March 27th
(Photo from Canberra, Australia, Earth Hour 2009)
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International will participate in the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Earth Hour 2010 by encouraging its members and local associations to support the initiative. (See sidebar "Did You Know" for more about Earth Hour.)
"The commercial real estate industry is committed to finding strategic and innovative solutions that promote energy efficiency and positively impact the bottom line," said BOMA International Chair James A. Peck, RPA, FMA, senior director of asset services, CB Richard Ellis. "Earth Hour provides the industry with a great opportunity to showcase our dedication to green operations and management practices in buildings across the world."
Great Forest clients going dark for Earth Hour include Vornado Realty Trust, Deutsche Bank and 650 Fifth Avenue.
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NYC and NY State officials offer insights into New Energy Legislation and Programs
 On February 16, 2010, Great Forest consultant Vijay Jesrani attended a presentation organized by the New York Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers. We wanted to share with you some important notes. Click below to download presentations.
Tom Congdon, Deputy Secretary for Energy, Office of the Governor, reviewed the NY State 2010 Energy Plan, which includes:
o closing the current loophole that requires energy codes to be only applicable to renovations that affect 50% or more of a building, and
o setting efficiency standards for appliance such as water dispensers and portable lighting fixtures.
Michael Townsley, NY State Department of Public Service, reviewed two state energy initiatives:
o The Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (EEPS), which aims to reduce New York's electrical consumption by 15% by 2015, and
o A move to increase the Renewable Portfolio Standard, the state's renewable energy consumption, to 25% by 2013 and 30% by 2015.
Laurie Kerr, NYC Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, discussed the NYC Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, which includes:
o Local Law 84 requiring building owners to input data on energy and water consumption using EPA's Portfolio Manager tool.
o Local Law 88 requiring lighting systems in large buildings to be upgraded to meet the city Energy Code.
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 Were you at BOMA's Energy Action Day?
Anna Dengler, Great Forest's director of sustainability, and consultant Nathaniel Kimball at Great Forest's booth at BOMA's Energy Action Day on March 9. Read an excerpt of Great Forest COO Drew Master's talk on sustainability if you missed the panel discussion.
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GREAT FOREST Q&A
Q: Can you tell me some quick fixes to green restrooms?
A: There are many easy improvements that can be made in restrooms that not only can help lower operation costs but also have big benefit for the environmental footprint of your building.
The cheapest and easiest solution for reducing water waste is the installation of an aerator for faucets.
Some other ideas: replacing (or newly outfitting) waterless urinals in place of standard flush urinals. Each waterless urinal in a typical office environment can reduce water usage up to 45,000 gallons a year, which in turn reduces water costs and sanitation.
Another easy improvement is automatic or no touch faucets. These faucets help decrease the spread of germs, can reduce water waste up to 70% and again can help lower water and sanitation costs.
Remember, retrofits or improvements do not have to be complex or costly.
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