900 Third Avenue Achieves LEED  

900 Third Avenue

NYC just got a little greener with Paramount Group's 900 Third Avenue earning the LEED certification for Existing Buildings.  Great Forest managed the certification process, which boosted sustainability on several fronts.  

New waste and recycling initiatives increased the building's diversion rate to 60%, energy efficiency efforts helped the building achieve an ENERGY STAR rating of 77, and new water fixtures brought usage levels to 36% below the LEED baseline. Due to these and other LEED performance enhancements, the project will have a simple payback period of 3.7 years, at which point the amount saved from efficiencies will match the amount spent on certification.  

Case Studies Show Effectiveness of Waste and Recycling Management 

It is one of the industry's best-kept secrets - effective waste and recycling management can dramatically lower waste costs by as much as 50%.   

David Troust, Great Forest's director of sustainability for the Mid-Atlantic region, recently pulled together two case studies to illustrate this point. He presented the data to over 100 industry and local government representatives, haulers and facilities managers at the Virginia Recycling Association. Here is a summary: 

Case Study 1: 231,116 square foot building

Previous Equipment Setup  

Trash/Recycling: (1) 20-yard compactor (1x/week) 

Monthly Cost: $1476  

New Equipment Setup

Trash: (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)

*Single Stream: (2) 4-yard container (3x/week)

Monthly Cost: $797

Monthly Savings: $679 (53.9%)

Case Study 2: 604,495 square foot building 

Previous Equipment Setup   

Trash: (1) 34-yard compactor (2x/week)

Cardboard: (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)   

Monthly Cost: $4385

New Equipment Setup

Trash:  (1) 34-yard compactor (1x/week) 

*Single Stream:  (1) 4-yard container (5x/week)

Monthly Cost: $2433

 Monthly Savings: $1952 (55.5%) 

[*Single Stream system here refers to recyclables (MP, OCC, GMP) stored together in one container, but bagged separately to reduce contamination.]

"Many in the audience had no idea that waste and recycling management could make such a big impact,"  says David. "It is one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to make your buildings greener and more cost-effective."

25-Year Energy Outlook   

The Federal Energy Information Administration recently issued its 25-year projections: Annual Energy Outlook 2011 With Projections to 2035. The 246-page document and a summary are available at the link above. Great Forest went through the report and noted a few interesting points:

• Despite a projected growth in commercial floor space, commercial energy consumption in buildings, notably for space cooling, refrigeration and lighting, is expected to hold steady between 2009 and 2035 due to Federal and State efficiency standards and the addition of more efficient technologies. 
• Federal and State standards and improved building efficiency, however, do not keep pace with the growth in electricity demand for new electronic equipment, including servers and mainframe computers, which will account for 39% of total commercial electricity consumption in 2035 (see chart below from pg. 66 of report). 
• 

• Great Forest recommends tracking energy consumption of building operations (which include cooling and lighting) with embedded (or submetered) detail for dedicated technologies like data centers because those tend to move around with tenant populations. 
• The report makes a good case for starting to collect and analyze alternate, enhanced metrics per capita alongside the adjusted BTU per square foot indicators found in ENERGY STAR. This is especially essential for multi-use buildings.  

Call your Great Forest representative to help with your long term energy planning. 

NYC: PlaNYC Update  

Launched in 2007, New York City's ambitious green plan has been updated with modifications and additions. Among the new initiatives are plans to complete the incorporation of the remaining 89 Green Codes Task Force proposals into city regulations. Building owners and operators planning renovations and new construction will want to keep track of the adoption of these green codes.  

Read the updated plan to learn how your NYC buildings will be affected.

San Francisco: New Energy Ordinance  

San Francisco recently passed a new energy ordinance requiring owners of commercial buildings to perform energy audits and benchmarking every five years.  

Buildings have one year to collect data and prepare and submit audits. Download a timeline of the ordinance from BOMA's site.   

If you are not yet a client, call Great Forest for compliance help and to learn more about the Great Forest Sustainability Metrics.   

Sustainability Resources  

• Have a sustainability question? Ask a Great Forest expert.  
• Need Help? Check our resources page for regulatory updates, donation assistance and other useful information.   
• Preparing for Local Law 84 in NYC? Access our free benchmarking helpline.  
• Learn how to cut waste costs by 20% to 50%.