ABOUT
GREAT FOREST |
Improve Environmental Performance, Reduce CostsWith over 20 years of experience, Great Forest is a leader in sustainability consulting, providing project management expertise to clients nationwide.
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GREAT FOREST GIVES BACK
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Great Forest is a proud supporter of the nonprofit Blacksmith Institute, which works to clean up life-threatening pollution problems in low and middle income countries.
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Disaster Response As Part of CSR
With cleanup under way from hurricane Sandy, it is a good time to assess what you can do to help now and in the future. Disaster relief and response should be a part of your corporate social responsibility program. This will allow your company the opportunity to reach out and make a difference in the community. Here are a few things you can do:
- Be prepared. Review your company emergency plan and encourage employees/tenants to get disaster training.
- Donate to an organization like the Red Cross; set up a donation matching program if you don't have one. And remember, while cash contributions are most useful, donations can also be of skills and resources, such as offering the public areas of your offices for use as staging areas.
- Work through your employees/tenants to see if they already have relationships with nonprofits that can help.
- Keep your employees/tenants informed about what's happening and have management lead by example.
If you are in an affected zone, remember cleanup will take time and your trash pickup and recycling services may be affected.
- If possible, consider composting the large amount of leaves and organic debris that you will no doubt find on your premises, if this service is available in your area.
- When rebuilding, consider using deconstruction to salvage and reuse pieces of existing structure if possible. Select only materials that have their original integrity.
- Encourage remote working or telecommuting to decrease commuting congestion, or ask employees to consider carpooling or biking to work when possible.
Remember, many of the above tips apply even outside an emergency situation. Call your Great Forest representative for more information.
-- The Great Forest Team
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D.C: Benchmarking Compliance Update
Following on the heels of NYC's Local Law 84 (2009), D.C.'s benchmarking rules will soon need to be acted upon. Buildings over 150,000 sq feet may need to report as early as January 2013.
The basic structure of benchmarking follows the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager guidelines. For D.C., as in New York, we expect to find that as the sample size increases within the EPA database, the scoring can change dramatically from the benchmarked year. This is because as more buildings enter the database, the average emissions per space type can also change in the region.
Click here for the compliance schedule and more information.
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 New Metrics Features
Now you can get more out of your waste and recycling data with new features that were just added to Great Forest's Sustainability Metrics platform.
Get detailed breakdowns of your material streams, one-click reports, customizable charts, and more. If you don't have an account, login as our guest to see what the new metrics platform can do for you.
username: guest2
password: password2
No matter what system you use to record your data, the benefits of tracking your sustainability metrics are well-known. The data collected helps you benchmark, set goals, and reach targets. It is also crucial for reporting the progress of your sustainability programs.
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Reminder: America Recycles Day is November 15
If you have not yet planned your event, it is not too late. Remember, this is a great time to showcase the success of your recycling program or improve it.
Click here for ideas big and small.
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Congratulations...
Blue Hill Plaza in Pearl River, New York, has won the 2012 Rockland Business Association's Green Council Award for Large Business.
A Great Forest client for almost two decades, Blue Hill Plaza was honored for its exceptional recycling program, among other green features. Congratulations from the entire Great Forest team!
[Photo: Joanne Morano, Director of Property Management for Mack-Cali (middle) with the award, together with Barbara Fischer and Caroline Hazarian from Great Forest]
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Did You Know... Climate Change Among Top Sustainability Priorities For Business Leaders
 According to a poll of 500 business leaders, the top three sustainability priorities for companies in 2013 are: human rights, workers' rights, and climate change.
Respondents specified the following climate sustainability challenges: effectively tracking the value chain, establishing an effective strategy, scaling up projects globally, and gaining commitments from senior management.
Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of respondents said the integration of sustainability into core business function is their most significant challenge.
Seven in 10 respondents reported that energy management is their main priority in carbon reduction strategies, followed by working with supply chains and product waste and recycling.
The poll, released earlier this month, is entitled BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Poll 2012 and is available for free online. It outlines the progress business has made on 14 key sustainability challenges over the past 20 years; provides an outlook on the next two decades; and identifies the top priorities for companies in the coming year.
Sustainability reporting, water, and responsible supply chains are expected to have the most progress over the next twenty years. In contrast, respondents were least optimistic about future progress in public policy, governance and employee treatment.
Have a question for our Q&A or a tip for Did You Know? Contact us! |
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