The full collection of published articles.

 

Speaking Up in 2011 Welcome to the first annual review of blog articles published to Speaking of Green – a complete collection of the insights, analyses and best green building management practices posted in 2011 by CBRE professionals and our industry partners. Articles are reprinted in reverse chronological order, with the most recent appearing first. Since Speaking of Green’s first article on February 21, 2011, entitled “New standards shed light on LED technologies” by Georgi Zatloka, the blog has grown in popularity and participation, exploring topics as diverse as turning trash into cash to the true value of environmental vehicles and getting a building LEED certified. The blog also features a carbon calculator and a video component, providing additional interactivity to complement the articles. Important credit should be given to CBRE’s Green Knights, who comprise a coalition of some 100 building leaders throughout the U.S. and who contributed significantly to the content posted. These professionals, which include property, operations and energy managers, along with building engineers and technicians, have exceptional insight into contemporary green building issues and bring a strong measure of authority (many are both LEED AP and trained through BOMA BEEP) to the subject of sustainability. As a whole, the Green Knights are considered the preeminent active body of commercial real estate leaders in the green building movement; as individuals, Speaking of Green allows each to give voice to their expertise on a valuable topic. We hope you enjoy scanning the articles for any additional insights you may glean from content published in 2011, and look forward to presenting you with increasingly useful articles in 2012, from those who speak from experience. The Editors www.cbre.com/speakingofgreen Sample key words tagged during the year: BOMA Earth Day Earth Hour Energy ENERGY STAR

Greenbuild Guide LEED Legislation Lighting

Recycling Regulations Study Technology Water

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Get smart about your career December 16, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing If education opens doors, then you might say LEED® professional accreditation provides a valuable key, offering aspiring leaders of the green building movement with a golden opportunity for professional growth and career development, as well as a larger voice in the real estate industry.

Tim Shen, LEED AP O+M and Director of Sustainability in Asia, is a great example, having converted a personal interest in green building issues into a position of expertise on matters of sustainability through a drive towards increasing his knowledge. Tim, who became a LEED AP in 2009, now plays an important role in CBRE’s efforts to integrate its green building initiative on a global level. In fact, he is just one of a growing cadre of CBRE professionals who sees sustainability as not only a constant in the everyday equation of commercial real estate services, but as an opportunity to translate corporate responsibility goals and commitments of CBRE

clients into a customized green building strategy. This speaks to a growing focus in all global regions, where CBRE professionals are taking the industry lead in helping clients achieve higher standards of sustainability that improve operating efficiencies, support regulatory and social responsibility standards, and enhance a company’s image. “Becoming a LEED AP has had a significant positive impact on my personal career development,” according to Tim, who was recently featured in USGBC’s LEED Professional Newsletter. “Taking the initiative to study for and achieve this credential demonstrated my personal commitment to CBRE, and I believe contributed to me eventually becoming regional director of sustainability. It has certainly helped open a lot of doors for me and allowed me to meet a very broad spectrum of green building practitioners from all over Asia and around the world, which has culminated in being involved in the formation of Platinum, the world’s first society for LEED professionals, based in Hong Kong.” In other words, a professional credential like LEED AP is a win-win, giving the credentialing organization critical support in a growing market while boosting the visibility of one of its member professionals. Let’s not forget: USGBC is a relatively young organization, minting its first LEED-certified building only 10 years ago. In September 2011, the organization announced its 10,000th certification. Emerging leaders like Tim are helping to accelerate both awareness of sustainability and implementation of green building standards that are pushing the industry collectively forward. Obviously, credentials that spawn from continuing education, like the LEED Green Associate (precursor to LEED AP) or programs offered through BOMA, IREM, ISO and other standardization bodies, can help launch – or at the least extend – one’s commercial real estate services career, whether it’s related to engineering, property management, brokerage, consultation, valuation or even marketing. “I generally encourage everyone I meet who is at all involved with real estate to consider acquiring a LEED credential,” says Tim. “Regardless of profession or professional background, if you’re involved with buildings in some way, this is an excellent qualification to hold.” Which begs the question, is this all about LEED? “While most countries in Asia have their own national green building rating systems which are robust and successful in their own right, we’ve seen the market adoption of LEED across the

Tim Shen LEED AP O+M

 

region accelerate, particularly since 2007. There are now LEED projects registered in at least 19 countries across Asia. The registration growth curve for LEED CI has been pretty much exponential since 2007, demonstrating a very strong corporate occupier demand for green certified fit outs, even in markets like Hong Kong where there haven’t been LEED certified buildings to move into. “Because I have a regional role at CBRE and many of our clients are multinational, the green building conversation almost inevitably will involve LEED at some point, and in many cases, is only about LEED. That makes knowledge of the system and my AP credential particularly useful when engaging in that dialogue, regardless of whether a client eventually opts to pursue certification using LEED or another rating system.” To learn more about obtaining your LEED AP credential, visit USGBC, where you’ll find a link to the organization’s partner credentialing arm, the Green Building Certification Institute. For information on a host of other educational opportunities, including the CBRE/BOMA co-branded BEEP programs, contact Lisa Colicchio. If you have your own thoughts on the value of professional education and its impact on career development, let us know by leaving a reply. You can also email Tim Shen directly to learn how LEED AP has been opening doors.

Going green, making green December 15, 2011 Michelle Bachand-Gill, LEED AP – Real Estate Manager After earning a LEED AP designation, I was inspired to put my training to use and make Central Park Square in Phoenix more sustainable. One of the building’s biggest achievements has been earning its first ENERGY STAR® label in 2011 by raising the score from 40 to 85. In addition to significantly lowering operating expenses, the ENERGY STAR label allowed the building to attract a new 11,000 SF tenant – KEMA, a worldwide sustainability company. KEMA’s first requirement in selecting a new building was that it was energy efficient and ENERGY STAR labeled. Although Central Park Square is not yet a LEED® certified building, it is ENERGY STAR labeled and incorporates single stream recycling and green cleaning products, plus a deep commitment to best sustainable practices, allowing the new tenant to certify their space as LEED CI Gold.

What is PACE? December 8, 2011 Kurt Sarchet – General Manager Since 2009, popularity has grown for PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) programs across the U.S. PACE supports programs that drive energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation measures. Its programs include both local government and community initiatives that will create permanent private sector jobs with the goal of making the U.S. more energy secure and self-sustaining. PACE is not mandated by the federal government, but is voluntary and community-based. PACE allows property owners to finance energy-efficient and renewable energy projects for homes and commercial buildings. Property owners can receive financing for energy improvement projects that are repaid through a special assessment on their property taxes for up to 20 years.

 

PACE legislation has been adopted in 27 states since 2011 and offers many benefits to our nation, municipalities, property owners and existing lenders. To learn more, visit http://pacenow.org/blog/.

The most efficient building has no occupants December 6, 2011 Jeremy Benkin, LEED AP – Director of Procurement Sarcasm? No doubt. The variance between actual building performance and modeled performance at the time of design and construction has been a hot topic for the past several years. While the energy model may have been spot on when constructed, usage patterns change and building systems require maintenance. Over its life, an office property may go from housing perimeter offices with oak paneling to a cube farm to a concept we haven’t yet begun to imagine. That’s why maintenance and periodic comprehensive reviews of systems are so important.

Post-occupancy commissioning, or re-tuning, is a critical tool (but not a universal fix) for all properties. A qualified energy auditor can assist in determining when commissioning is the most effective. But for those of us who like to know the process, or for operations personnel that are hands-on with building systems, basic training can get us started. No-cost, online training from The Pacific Northwest National Lab is available to enhance

skills or provide an overview of the process. In this case, you certainly get more than you pay for! Re-tuning training is effective for anyone who wants to establish a framework for improving their buildings, or simply gaining a better understanding of how their building operates.

Sustainability: more than light bulbs November 28, 2011 Shannon Barnett – Assistant Real Estate Manager In upholding CBRE’s sustainability initiatives, we focus on saving energy, but what if we expanded the idea to our communities and charitable giving? We hold electronic waste recycling drives for tenants, but what if we opened these drives to our communities? It would ensure that the electronic waste was kept out of the landfill. Food drives help families in need and reduce discarded food and food byproducts; the same goes for clothing drives, cell phone drives and blood drives. These events bring two of CBRE’s causes – sustainability and philanthropy – together in a way that helps our communities, our tenants and building owners. With the holidays approaching, now is a good time to challenge your team to think of ways to encourage sustainability practices among tenants while expanding philanthropy and charitable giving to the greater community. We can assist our planet and the people who live on it.

 

Making BIG green statements November 17, 2011 Hunter Marr, LEED AP – General Manager

Having trouble getting tenant buy-in for your sustainable projects? Today, everyone is flooded with fact sheets regarding causes and projects. To get your message across, think about making a Big Green Statement! Research has shown that group involvement can encourage decisions that are better for the community and motivate people to act. Group messages can also be

larger and more powerful due to the overall scale of the message. They can provide that “Aha!” moment to put the issue into focus. To bring change into your tenants’ green behavior, first think BIG! Make a memorable statement that highlights the cumulative efforts of the group and sends the message that sustainability is a priority. Then support your Big Green Statement with smaller ones that reinforce and remind your tenants about the importance of the project.

Shedding some light on LEDs November 15, 2011 Eric Smith – Operations Manager The Commercial Building Energy Alliance (CBEA), through the U.S. Department of Energy and its national laboratories, is promoting the construction of high-performance buildings to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint of the commercial real estate market. Together, they are working to support the market introduction of light-emitting diode (LED) parking lot lighting. Currently a parking lot lighting specification is in development which will include solid state lighting SSL in lieu of high-intensity discharge HID. The specification will provide information on both lumen levels and guidelines on how a site should be lighted. As part of their research, they will identify and evaluate candidate products, review product laboratory testing and conduct field demonstrations. View more information and resources to evaluate this lighting technology for use at your buildings.

Are sustainable buildings worth more? November 10, 2011 Lisa Colicchio, LEED AP – Director of Operations In a new ViewPoint, CBRE launched its Sustainability Checklist aimed at establishing an evidentiary base whereby property valuers in the United Kingdom will be able to directly correlate the impact of sustainable building attributes and innovations to the value of an asset.

Sustainability and its promotion is an important, natural evolution of the real estate industry. Our role is to credibly address the challenge of weighing the direct effect of sustainability initiatives on asset values – an issue for both investors and valuers. The importance of a robust evidence-based approach is clear, which is why we have launched our Sustainability Checklist. The deployment of this across such a significant sample will provide a benchmark from which to assess future data. The ViewPoint, Valuing Sustainable Buildings, accepts that the increasing adoption of sustainable practices has provided commercial returns, often in the form of reduced operating costs.

 

Another established benefit is the greater marketability of the property, particularly with regard to the public sector or markets where there is over-supply. Until now, CBRE has not incorporated sustainability factors into its appraisal methodology and does not expect, in the short term, that a building’s sustainability rating will lead to an automatic change in values. The value modification must be evidence based. To establish this base, the Sustainability Checklist will be incorporated into property valuations, covering a statistically significant universe of approximately 15,000 commercial properties with a combined value in the region of £100 billion. John Symes-Thompson, Senior Director, Valuation and Advisory Services, UK adds: “The information gathered in our checklist, will enable the industry to map more precisely the relationship between an asset’s sustainable features and its value – and to differentiate between gimmicks and game-changing investments. As this relationship becomes more quantifiable, the benefit for investors will be that they can prioritize the projects that offer the greatest impact for both the environment and their bottom line.”

Sustainable water treatment solutions November 8, 2011 Randi Pierson – Senior Real Estate Manger The many sustainable solutions for your HVAC water treatment needs include products using 20-40% less water, reducing the water discharged by the system by up to 95%, and providing a non-toxic alternative that is better for the environment and your employees. Conventional water treatment programs address the challenges of scale, corrosion, fouling and bio-growth with hazardous chemicals that are dangerous to store, harmful to employees and have a negative impact on the environment. Environmentally responsible products address those challenges and provide additional benefits:

Non-toxic solutions, including some so safe that they are certified for use in potable drinking water systems. Sustainable water treatment solutions are safer for employees to handle and less harmful to the environment.

Significant water reduction also is achieved, since draining and blow down of water systems are not necessary or less frequent with this technology, leading to considerable operating costs reductions.

For more information on sustainable HVAC water treatment solutions, drop me a line at randi.pierson@cbre.com.

Innovative wastewater technologies November 3, 2011 Jason Bonomo – Assistant Real Estate Manager As Michael Gottlieb pointed out earlier this week, bathrooms are a great place to see how sustainable policies, investments and practices come together. The next time you’re faced with the need to repair or replace a toilet fixture in your building, consider implementing a dual-flush handle system. Dual-flush systems can save up to 68% more water than a conventional system and help promote increased environmental awareness. The U.S. Green Building Council® also supports the dual-flush method by assigning points in LEED® for Existing Buildings criteria related to water conservation.

 

Dual-flush retrofit kits can be found on SiteStuff, or you can contact your preferred plumbing vendor to provide parts and installation. Remember to consult your local water company for any incentives and rebates for water conservation measures. For more information on LEED EB criteria and new sustainability ideas, check out cbre.com/leed.

A healthy environment means for people, too November 1, 2011 Michael Gottlieb – Advanced Green Solutions Do you want to test a green building to see if it is truly operating efficiently? Check out your building’s bathrooms. Bathrooms are a great place to see how sustainable policies, investments and practices come together. With flu season upon us, now is the perfect time to assess the relative health of buildings and the risk they pose to you becoming one of the between 5% and 20% of the U.S. population that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says will contract seasonal influenza. The resulting loss of an estimated 70 million work days will contribute to more than $10 billion in lost productivity. “Restrooms are often the Achilles’ heel of sustainability,” said Joshua Radoff, co-founder and principal of the sustainability consulting firm YR&G, during a recent GreenBiz webinar. According to Radoff, what you see, hear and smell in a restroom will tell you whether a property owner is truly committed to sustainability or whether it is all just greenwashing. Test it out When you enter the bathroom of a commercial office building, what do you see? Do you need to flick a switch to turn on the lights? Do you hear a fan rattling away? Does it look dirty or did you detect any strong chemical smells that made you feel a little green? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, then maintenance could be an issue. What kind of toilet is installed? Low-flow toilets are great, but in states like California, which mandated low-flow toilets in 1992, look for clearly marked dual-flush toilets. Without instructions, high-efficiency appliances can end up wasting more water and energy than they save. For the men out there, stop by the urinal. Waterless urinals are becoming more common in professional environments, but they require regular servicing. If you catch a strong whiff of ammonia, deferred maintenance might be an issue limiting the effectiveness of the devices.

Are the sinks sensor activated and when triggered was there enough water to properly wash or far too much? If you used paper to dry your hands, was the paper recycled and did you use more towels than usual? Of if a hand dryer is provided, did it get your hands completely dry? Systems need to be calibrated correctly to provide the maximum efficiency. Too much water, paper or dryer time is wasteful. But if you can’t wash and dry your hands

properly, the hygiene of a building comes into question. Keep in mind that wet hands are more than 500 times more likely than dry hands to transfer germs the next time you press the same button touched by hundreds of people before you summon the elevator. Despite their reputation, bathrooms may not be the dirtiest place in an office building according to a recent survey by Staples. Nearly one-third of respondents said their keyboard and phone are the dirtiest items in their office.

 

The bottom line Going green is not just about protecting the environment; it’s about providing a healthier environment for people in buildings. The big promise of going green – that workers will be healthier and more productive – hinges on the practices that converge in the bathroom and reflect the general commitment by a property owner to meet the expectations that the LEED® plaque in the lobby proclaims. “There are also growing concerns about human health around the world and the prevention of disease transfer and disease epidemics,” concludes the IFMA Foundation’s Global Green Cleaning Sustainability Guide. “However, the use of a comprehensive approach to green and sustainable cleaning, while monitoring the cause and effect in all ancillary actions, can have a measurable impact on reducing environmental impacts in an economic and socially beneficial manner.” If you find that the bathroom fails the smell test, chances are that other building systems are not functioning effectively and providing the sustainable benefits you expect in a green building. Leave a reply and let me know how your test turned out, or visit Advanced Green Solutions to learn more about our approach to supporting a healthy building environment.

Scanning for sustainability October 27, 2011 Jami Vallelonga, LEED AP – Real Estate Manager We have all seen them – the funny little pictures companies want us to scan for more information about their products. These Quick Reference Codes, better known as QR Codes, represent an opportunity: being green can save you green. QR Codes eliminate unnecessary printed communications and repurpose pertinent information on a website.

The payback can be quick, because the initial investment for QR codes is minimal. Many sites offer free QR Code Generators, but a low subscription fee is often assessed for monthly use. A QR Code can be placed on the window of a vacant space, allowing potential tenants and brokers to scan the code with their smartphones for information about available space. On your

next broker tour or marketing project, try a QR Code. It will save driving time, gasoline and unnecessary printed materials. For more information on how to effectively use QR Codes, click here.

Too smart to stop October 20, 2011 Alicia Chidsey, LEED AP – Sustainability & Energy Services Manager Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the first Greenbuild to convene outside the borders of the U.S. Prior to the event and throughout the week, the U.S. Green Building Council® asked attendees to think about “What’s Next?” That question was easy to keep in the front of our minds as we raced from session to session, expo hall to expo hall, networking events and concerts – what’s next, what’s next, what’s next – each event better than the last as we went.

 

Greenbuild 2011 was particularly motivational because of the Opening Plenary Session at which world-famous author and speaker Thomas Friedman delivered the keynote address. Interrupted several times by applause, he gave a straight-talking speech that seemed to resonate with the crowd. Friedman encouraged us all to “not get the word.” While talking about naysayers and doubters who question the science of global warming, he drove home the point (sarcastically) that all 23,000 of us in attendance, and the hundreds of thousands of others like us who weren’t in Toronto, are “too dumb to get the word.” When it comes to the white noise of doubters, haters and opponents of the green movement, Friedman encouraged us to simply plug our ears. He went even further to say that soon the word “green” itself will cease to have the meaning it does today. Eventually buildings and companies will automatically operate with respect for the environment, making “green” the norm. USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi later drove the point home by telling a futuristic story from a newspaper written in 2036 reporting that the USGBC had closed its doors because its primary mission of greening building practices around the world had been achieved. We all anxiously await that time. Early the next morning, I attended a session called “Beyond LEED®.” The discussion included an in-depth conversation about the Living Building Challenge, a program sponsored by the International Living Future Institute. We heard from International Living Future Institute board members Bob Berkebile and Jason McLennan in thoughtful, creative skits that challenged the entire audience to think beyond LEED.

Later, Tom Paladino, a speaker I heard in a session earlier in the week, took the stage and began an interactive conversation with the large audience. He started by talking about Thomas Friedman’s inspirational presentation, special musical guest Maroon 5 and other highlights of the conference. He said that Friedman had gotten everything right except one thing – the “too dumb to get the word” statement. A rocket scientist (literally) and triathlete,

Paladino said he prefers to think that all of us who are part of the sustainability and green movement are “too tough to drop.” As a former athlete, that phrase resonated with me to the core. I hope all of us in the sustainability industry will be reminded that we are too tough to drop, and that we will not quit just because some choose to question the science behind what is happening to us and to our planet. As champions of the sustainability movement, and in life, it’s always good to remember that we are too tough to drop, too focused to quit and too smart to compromise.

Greenbuild 2011: Redefining our future October 17, 2011 Kurt Sarchet – General Manager Recently I was lucky enough to attend the USGBC Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, thanks to CBRE and the support of my fellow Green Knights. This year’s Greenbuild was held in Toronto, Canada, which became an epicenter of green building activity – with press

conferences, educational workshops, informational sessions, expo halls full of exhibitors and, of course, a visionary keynote address delivered by New York Times author Thomas Friedman. The event’s closing remarks were provided by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. If you have not attended Greenbuild in the past, here are some impressive facts:

Greenbuild 2009 (Phoenix)

More than 27,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors

USGBC provided over 400 light rail passes to attendees.

 

Applications for the annual Greenbuild Award increased by 67% to 160 companies participated (CBRE won the award in 2008!).

More than 25,000 lb. of organic waste was generated with a 45% diversion rate. Greenbuild 2010 (Chicago)

More than 28,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors

39% fewer signs and graphics were produced compared to 2009; 59% were available for reuse.

87% of all waste was diverted from landfills.

100% of venues used for official events were LEEDâ certified.

Mandatory guidelines were introduced and required all exhibitors to implement sustainable practices. A full 97% of exhibitors participated by submitting documents for auditing.

Greenbuild 2011 (Toronto) This was the first-ever Greenbuild held outside the U.S., with an estimated 23,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors taking part. The reduced attendance was anticipated due to economic uncertainties and international travel requirements. Greenbuild 2012, to be held in San Francisco, should come roaring back with record attendance expected. I enjoyed myself and learned quite a bit during the three-day conference. I found myself motivated and inspired by how green buildings and sustainability overall are part of the solution to many issues facing our nation, and which other countries are starting to tackle. “Green building” was little more than a buzz phrase used for describing presumed efficient building performance during the past decade. Today, it has become a sophisticated approach to commercial and residential real estate operations that continue to adapt and evolve to both business needs and changing social demands. By attending Greenbuild, I took away a lot of interesting information on how other countries are developing legislation and regulatory requirements on an international scale – information that will impact building performance here in the U.S. In short, the increased awareness of sustainability around the world has accelerated the “mainstreaming” of green building practices as a whole. In Toronto, Greenbuild exhibitors introduced an assortment of innovative technologies that are replacing more antiquated technology. I visited many of these exhibitors and came away with several new ideas to implement in our Seattle market. The continued introduction of progressive, efficiency-driven products and services will further drive increased value into commercial buildings, while promoting healthy competition in regional markets. The educational sessions were phenomenal. Courses ranged from institutional investor forums and roundtables to “How to Integrate Sustainability Master Plans and Green Building Policies” in your city. The latter explored a number of relevant topics, including:

Acquisition, installation and management of project materials

Improvements to the indoor environment

Project site factors

Project surroundings and public outreach

Systems and energy/utility Impacts

Stakeholder involvement in innovation

Water management

 

Whether you’re an architect, project manager, government official, property manager, broker, appraiser or consultant, the event offers a number of opportunities to learn through special sessions and educational courses, not to mention providing a larger, global context in which this knowledge is taking hold. I am very glad that I attended Greenbuild 2011, which further opened my eyes to the expanding world of sustainability – and also reminded me that doing the small things, like carpooling, conserving resources and recycling, can make a big difference wherever you are in the world.

Communities go with green power October 11, 2011 Lauren Witham – Real Estate Services Administrator

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the Green Power Partnership, encouraging leading U.S. organizations to purchase green power to reduce environmental impacts directly connected to conventional electricity use. Green power is “electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact biomass, and low-impact hydro resources.” The

Partnership currently has hundreds of partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt hours of green power annually. In the Green Power Program, the local governments, businesses, and residents collectively buy Green Power to meet or exceed the program’s needs. Clayton, Missouri, recently was designated the first Green Power Community in Missouri and the 37th community in the United States. Clayton reached and passed its goal of replacing a monthly total of 670 megawatt hours per month of electrical usage. For more information, visit Green Power Partnership.

Is deconstruction really green? October 4, 2011 Fred Ehlers – Operations Manager Deconstruction is the selective and careful dismantling of a building to maximize re-use and recycling while providing new life to building materials. This ancient activity has been revived by sustainability and green building proponents. Deconstruction can cost more, take longer and result in a larger carbon footprint. So, when does it make financial and environmental sense?

Green demolition is the more appropriate answer. Identifying which items can be salvaged and reused and those which must go to a landfill makes a deconstruction project truly green. Old doors, windows, lumber and wood siding could be covered in layers of lead-based paints and other toxins, so restoring them requires massive amounts of chemicals, making these toxins

airborne. Deconstruction and landfills have their place and function. Determining when and where to use each is the key to green demolition. For additional guidance, check out our white paper here.

 

Green matters to building occupants September 29, 2011 Donna Laquidara-Carr – McGraw-Hill Construction At McGraw-Hill Construction, we’ve been excited to partner with CBRE in researching the impact and benefits of green commercial buildings. This year at Greenbuild, we will be announcing the results of two consecutive surveys of occupants in CBRE-managed buildings that have earned an ENERGY STAR® label, with 28% of them in 2010 and 54% in 2011 also earning LEED® for Existing Buildings certification. The goal of this ongoing study is to understand the importance building occupants place on green and the benefits they experience from working in a high-performing building. Below is a sneak peek of a few of the key findings. One thing we learned is simple but can have a big impact in the long run – building occupants really do care about green. They report that working in a green building is a factor in their employment selection, and they place significant value on features associated with green such as a healthy indoor air environment, daylighting and recycling. Surprisingly, the majority of occupants don’t know that the building they work in has earned well-recognized green certifications. There is also a very interesting difference in their satisfaction with green features between 2010 and 2011. In 2010, satisfaction with features in LEED and ENERGY STAR-only buildings was relatively the same; but in 2011, LEED building occupants are significantly more satisfied with six of the 12 features we asked them to rate. There was a small, but important, increase in the percentage of LEED occupants who report being more productive in their current space than they were two years ago. It will be interesting to see if these differentials are maintained as even more buildings in the group surveyed earn LEED certification in future years. So why is this important? Because in the end, occupants can help make buildings greener. Their higher satisfaction and engagement in the greening process will help change the marketplace and achieve truly high-performance buildings.

Landmark study to be released September 27, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing

One of the exciting things about Greenbuild each year is the announcement of new products, design innovations and market research that nudges the industry towards a broader adoption of best

environmental practices. While the event’s sponsor, USGBC, began in the 1990s as a non-profit trade organization of like-minded architects and building design practitioners, it has evolved so dramatically, and influenced so many areas of the built environment, that today the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo represents an appropriate forum for announcing the results of our annual CBRE/University of San Diego study, entitled “Do Green Buildings Make Dollars & Sense?”, which will be presented on October 5 in Toronto. What makes this year’s presentation special is that we can now report on three full years of aggregated data, making the study not only the largest of its kind but also the longest. In short, many of the positive aspects of green building operations and occupant behavior established in the initial 2009 report have been both supported and, in some cases, strongly reinforced over three years of the study. Stay tuned, but what you can expect to hear are that rental rates and occupancy levels continue to trend higher than the general market, establishing a clear economic case for the value of green in existing buildings, with some markets leading the trend.

 

While this by itself isn’t groundbreaking, the fact that the same results are appearing consistently over time lends credibility to the importance of pursuing higher sustainability standards, including ENERGY STAR® and LEED® certification, especially in light of related academic studies that will be discussed in Toronto. Interestingly, even during the downturn, green buildings continue to outperform the general market in key areas, while downward economic pressure is influencing organizational behavior in others. Be one of the first to learn more about the CBRE/USD study, including an impressive adjunct study presented by our partners at McGraw-Hill Construction, at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) on October 5. If you won’t be in Toronto next week, be sure to visit CBRE’s Envirometrics page following Greenbuild, where you’ll find results of the 2011 study, as well as more information for making dollars and sense of sustainability in the commercial real estate market.

Get ready for Greenbuild 2011! September 22, 2011 Katie Rothenberg, LEED AP – Program Manager

CBRE’s Sustainability Programs Group will be making their way to Toronto October 4-7 to attend the Greenbuild International Conference

& Expo hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council®. As Jeremy Benkin mentioned earlier this week, this is the first time the conference has been hosted outside of the United States, which is a testament to the international appeal of the LEED® green building certification program. Greenbuild combines the best of latest technology, proven strategies and industry and product experts for every phase of the building lifecycle – from building design and construction to operations and maintenance. The conference provides green building professionals and other interested parties with a great venue for learning, networking and exploring new technologies. This year CBRE is a Platinum sponsor of the event, which highlights our corporate commitment to sustainability and green building practices. Top Reasons to Attend Greenbuild

Learn from the best. Greenbuild attracts many of the most influential and knowledgeable speakers in the market. Past keynote speakers have included President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Secretary of State Colin Powell. This year’s speaker lineup includes Thomas Friedman, Michael Bloomberg and CBRE’s Dave Pogue and Gary Thomas, in addition to representatives from Vornado Realty Trust, U.S. General Services Administration, Bentall Kennedy and many other industry leaders.

Grow your network. Greenbuild is a huge conference – more than 28,000 registered attendees and 1,000 exhibitors participated in the 2010 show in Chicago. Attendees run the spectrum from building engineers or managers to product representatives and consultants.

Earn CMP hours for your LEED Professional designation. Almost all educational sessions at Greenbuild can be used for meeting GBCI continuing education requirements.

Experience a green conference in action. Greenbuild is a three-time recipient of the IMEX Green Meetings Award, a prestigious international designation awarded to only the greenest events.

Learn about USGBC’s latest programs. GBCI and USGBC frequently announce or launch major program changes at Greenbuild. Whether you are interested in the Volume Program or recertification, be there to hear new developments first-hand.

Meet the LEED reviewers. If you have an active project or are considering certification, attend the session that allows you to meet and learn from the people reviewing actual projects. Make sure to bring your questions about tough credits or standard changes.

 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect, learn and experience the best in green building at Greenbuild 2011. See you there!

The power of community September 21, 2011 Jeremy Benkin, LEED AP – Director of Procurement In 14 days, 20,000 attendees will descend upon Toronto, Ontario, for the first Greenbuild International Conference and Expo held outside the US. With several illustrations of public and private partnerships that have made significant impacts on the community, Toronto is a great choice for hosting so many green building practitioners. The city provides an excellent backdrop for the transformation that we seek in our own communities locally and abroad.

During Greenbuild, CBRE will release the third version of our longitudinal study on green buildings. The study tracks both the market dynamics affecting green buildings and subjective feedback from building owners, managers and occupants. Responses from study participants support the idea that properties at the leading edge of green have been successful in creating a strong sense of community among building occupants. This

sense of community becomes a catalyst for affecting change not only at the building level but throughout entire regions. The focus shifts from mundane messages about doing less harm with our buildings to leveraging the power of a group of individuals to influence outcomes no single person could accomplish alone. Each of our neighborhoods has its own unique challenges, but building better communities is the common thread woven through all of our solutions. The key to operating better buildings lies within our ability to modify the behavior and attitudes of large groups. At Greenbuild this year, renew your commitment to engage with your neighbor. Take the time to make connections with the thousands of like-minded professionals in attendance who face similar challenges in their buildings, neighborhoods and marketplaces. Let’s change the conversation from using less to doing more good.

LEED® raises the green building standard in Asia September 15, 2011 Gary Thomas, LEED AP – Director of Sustainability Programs LEED® is well-established as the preeminent green building rating system in the United States, but the U.S. Green Building Council® is also making strides to establish LEED as the international benchmark for green buildings throughout the world. Although LEED projects exist in over 100 countries, the majority are related to new construction. Over the next five years, however, the biggest movement will be in the existing building market. Based on my two recent visits to Asia, including Vietnam, Hong Kong, and mainland China, it is apparent that LEED in Asia is slowly gaining ground. Prominent building owners are becoming very interested in energy efficiency, sustainability and LEED rating systems, but increased value and potential payback are the primary drivers for acceptance. Even though many countries have their own rating systems in place (e.g., Hong Kong BEAM Plus, China Three Star, Japan CASBEE), most are regional rating systems designed for a market-specific objectives. None are recognized outside of their market and their rigor does not come close to matching LEED rating system requirements. Additionally, multi-national

 

companies gravitate toward LEED as a standard due in part to the fact that LEED buildings can be found globally from New York to London to Singapore.

CBRE’s Sustainability Programs Group recently conducted our first LEED for Existing Buildings assessment for a property in the Hong Kong central business district. While there are specific challenges due to the location, the U.S.-based rating system translates well to regions abroad as a result of the flexibility built into the system. We have submitted a LEED for Existing Buildings Platinum project in Southern Spain as an example of

the functionality of LEED EB internationally. As we have seen over the past several years in the U.S., the move of a market toward LEED certification, and LEED for Existing Buildings in particular, can come very swiftly once a prominent landlord or occupier certifies a building. Due to the competitive nature of the major landowners in central Hong Kong, value can be created by operating a more sustainable building and achieving certification. With the presence of multi-national firms occupying substantial office space in Hong Kong, we fully expect to see 10 to 20 LEED for Existing Buildings certifications in the region over the next two years. For more information on LEED and getting your property certified, visit www.cbre.com/leed or drop me a line at gary.thomas@cbre.com.

Retrofitting: the low-cost solution to climate change September 6, 2011 Jonathan Hills – Associate Director The scale and pace of construction across Asia Pacific in recent years has provided ample opportunity for developers to construct modern, efficient commercial real estate in compliance with green building codes and certification schemes. But what about existing buildings? In many cities, new construction typically represents just 1-2% of total stock, signaling a significant opportunity to increase the environmental performance of existing real estate through retrofitting. According to the U.S. Green Building Council®, retrofitting involves any kind of upgrade of an existing building that is wholly or partially occupied to improve its energy efficiency and environmental performance, reduce water use and improve the comfort and quality of the space. When improvements are maintained over time, the benefits are endless, including reduced operating costs and a healthier workplace. To learn more about the advantages, challenges and opportunities associated with retrofitting existing buildings for sustainability, click here.

Connect to the future on Sept. 8 September 2, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing

With all the so-called “new” developments taking place in the world of sustainability, wouldn’t it be nice to dial into a commercial real estate discussion that concentrated the most critical information into a 90-min. brief on sustainability that covers policy, standards & regulations and renewable energy? Question answered. On Thursday, Sept. 8, CBRE and the University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate have partnered to present What’s NEXT?, our second co-sponsored event that will

 

feature three of the industry’s leading experts in sustainability. We’re especially excited about this version in our quarterly series, since each of the panelists is helping to shape the broader discussion on green, whether it’s Andrew Burr of the Institute of Market Development, which analyzes the rapidly changing regulatory environment for sustainable buildings; Kristen Taddanio, who brings an insider’s view of sustainable real estate from the U.S. Department of Energy; or Robert Hutchinson, who’s forthcoming book Reinventing Fire contemplates the potential of renewable energy to charge trillions of dollars into the economy. As big as these themes are, each of the panelists has a specific expertise that will bring into focus their particular subject, weeding through what has become an overgrowth of predictions to get at the heart of what’s next from a real-world perspective. Register now for What’s Next? on Thursday, September 8, starting at 9:00 a.m. PDT/12:00 EDT. Participation is free, but there are limited seats available. For more information, drop us a line at sustainability@cbre.com – and join us on September 8 as we dial into the future.

Green buildings transform Asia August 30, 2011 Tim Shen, LEED AP – Director of Sustainability Asia

CBRE recently released the latest edition of its semi-annual green building research publication, Sustainability Asia Pacific. For the past two years, the publication has highlighted key environmental sustainability issues and related them to the real estate context within Asia markets. The latest issue expands this coverage to include industry-leading input from Australia and New Zealand. Green building is nothing new in Asia—Hong Kong released its BEAM green building rating system in 1996; the Kandalama hotel in Sri Lanka was the

second building in the world to achieve LEED® NCv1 Pilot certification in 2000; and the Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, India, was the first building around the globe to achieve a LEED NCv2 Platinum certification. Despite these achievements, it is arguably only in the past few years that we’ve really seen green building uptake at a market transformation scale. Annual registration of LEED projects increased throughout the global financial crisis, expanding to 19 Asian countries. Most countries now also have their own national green building rating systems. Many of these are linked to government legislation and incentives to promote adoption by the private sector, adding a significant number of buildings with a core focus on sustainability across all sectors of the industry, from new eco-cities to interior fit-outs of convenience stores.

 

Sustainability Asia Pacific actively engages with industry stakeholders at the cutting edge of this profound change, providing a diverse and impartial peer-to-peer insight into green strategies that lead to success. Check out the latest edition here.

BOMA shoots for the stars August 25, 2011 Diana Hernandez – Senior Real Estate Manager

In its ongoing efforts to advance energy-efficient commercial real estate, BOMA International continues to find new ways to promote building accomplishments. Its newest program, BOMA STARS, encourages

properties to track their energy conservation efforts through EPA ENERGY STAR®, helping monitor individual building progress across the industry. Becoming a BOMA STAR helps you understand your building’s consumption, improve energy management and increase NOI. Agreeing to share your energy management progress also highlights the industry’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, BOMA STARS helps demonstrate market transformation in energy management without the introduction of new mandates. Turning your building into a star is simple:

Submit data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

Track progress over time through benchmarking

Assess energy performance and take steps to reduce consumption

Rate performance by achieving an ENERGY STAR rating

Share your data with BOMA International and achieve recognition as a BOMA STAR For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Turning trash into cash August 23, 2011 Stephanie Singletary – Real Estate Manager Thanks to Heather Sikita and Patricia Boisvert, we know how to properly recycle batteries and other non-blue bin items – now let’s talk cardboard. Many businesses recycle cardboard by commingling with other recyclable materials. It’s easier to have the recycling company pick it up, but did you know cardboard is worth something green? At a CBRE-managed office complex in West Hills, California, cardboard is recycled at no cost to the property.

When our recycling service provider first suggested purchasing a cardboard baler, it seemed too pricey – but I decided to do some further investigation. Although the commodity market fluctuates, I learned that proceeds can range from zero to hero. Payback on the baler is estimated at only 16 months, with an average of eight tons of cardboard per month at a cost of $115 per ton.

Balers typically have a 10- to 15-year life span when cared for correctly, so revenues are considerable when the equipment is paid off.

 

If your property utilizes cardboard, look into a baler. A simple lifecycle cost analysis will provide detailed information on payback and revenue opportunities. Turn your messy cardboard bin into a profit center, and get paid for the cardboard you recycle!

How do you use your blue bin? August 18, 2011 Patricia Boisvert, LEED AP – Facilities Manager As Heather Sikita mentioned in her post earlier this week, not all recyclables are fit for a blue recycling bin. Non-blue bin recycling for items like batteries, furniture and construction materials is a sustainable practice that diverts waste from landfills, reuses items and recycles materials. It also can:

Reduce solid waste disposal costs

Generate revenue from the sale of recyclable materials

Provide tax savings from donations to nonprofit agencies

Contribute to LEED® points Developing a comprehensive waste strategy that addresses sustainable practices is a key component in turning waste into usable resources with value. Remember the 4 Rs: Rethink, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. For more information on how to recycle non-blue bin items, click here.

Got batteries? August 16, 2011 Heather Sikita, LEED AP – Senior Real Estate Manager

All “charged up” about how to properly dispose of your batteries as part of your building’s recycling program? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation battery recycling regulations, all batteries over nine volts must be sealed with tape or placed separately in plastic bags to prevent battery contact or terminal exposure. Batteries that are nine volts or less may be left unsealed in a recycling container with other batteries of the

same chemistry (i.e., alkaline with alkaline, Ni-Cd with Ni-Cd, etc.). Following these guidelines allows for the safe transportation of batteries to the recycling facility. For more information on battery recycling, click here.

Going clean and green for windows August 11, 2011 Bill Lewis, LEED AP – Asset Services Director Everyone has gone green – even window washing companies! Service provider HSG, Inc. in Los Angeles has established a Green Program to help reduce the environmental impact associated with cleaning windows. Their green practices:

Use Green Seal-certified cleaners and environmentally friendly supplies

Minimize water usage and divert runoff to planters

Use mobile wash and recovery systems for high-pressure washing to comply with EPA’s Zero Discharge requirements

 

Reclaim and filter water discharge from pressure washing

Utilize building electric motorized equipment efficiently to minimize electrical consumption

Utilize highly efficient electrical Denka boom lift

Maintain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) program and control all chemical usage HSG is also greening its own corporate footprint. Using a window washing service provider that incorporates these practices will help meet LEED® requirements while making your building more sustainable. For more information, drop me a line at bill.lewis@cbre.com.

Energy costs are through the roof August 9, 2011 Lisa Churchill, LEED AP – Senior Real Estate Manager Black roofs absorb heat, and white roofs reflect it. This simple concept can keep building interiors cooler and reduce the heat island effect many cities experience. An Urban Heat Island (UHI) is created when buildings, roads and infrastructure cause metropolitan regions to become warmer than more shaded, rural areas. The facts:

UHI can cause higher energy use, stress on power grids and increased pollution.

A roof painted with solar reflective white coating can reflect up to 90% of sunlight, as opposed to traditional black roofs that reflect only 20%.

White roofs can remain up to 30 degrees cooler, requiring less air-conditioning use for the building below.

Buildings with white roofs can reduce summer energy consumption by 10%- 30%. Most roofing companies can provide case studies and anticipated savings for your region. White roofs are easy and low-cost, but the payback in energy savings is huge. For more information, click here.

Water conservation, drop by drop August 4, 2011 Brandi Tyler – Associate Director

Because water prices are expected to rise with demand, water conservation could shoot to the top of your project list. To develop a conservation plan, start with establishing your building’s water baseline in ENERGY STAR®. The Portfolio Manager tool tracks and assesses water consumption to help you set achievable goals.

Once you have clearly outlined your goals, prioritize your water conservation efforts. Restroom retrofits that incorporate high-efficiency fixtures are a great way to achieve cost savings for your building. To get the most out of your restroom upgrades:

Install automated restroom faucets – helps achieve water usage savings of up to 70%

Consider waterless urinals – reduces an estimated 40,000 gallons of water per urinal

Install more restrictive aerators – accounts for approximately 40-50% of the building’s water usage

For more information on these and other water-saving tips, click here.

 

Becoming leaner and greener out on the road August 1, 2011 Georgi Zatloka – Real Estate Services Administrator It’s peak summer travel time in North America, and for most people that means taking a vacation with family, often to a national park or major tourist attraction – and most often by car. In fact, according to the U.S. Travel Association, more than 75% of leisure travelers use an automobile to get to their destination during the summer months. That’s a lot of cars on the road.

This got me thinking about the other months of the year, and how American commuting habits continue evolving. Turns out, automobile transportation accounts for about one-third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is the fastest-growing major contributor. Real Estate Managers can influence the commuting choices of building occupants and tenant organizations by

promoting one or more of the following green transportation ideas:

Invite local transportation organizations to host a “Commuter Fair” to share commuting options

Facilitate carpooling with a simple communication board or online ridesharing solutions

Communicate formal vanpool and rideshare programs

Work with parking service provider staff to promote carpooling with discounted rates and premium parking stalls

Invite a bicycling organization to conduct bicycle commuting classes Rising gasoline prices and increasing road congestion have many tenants looking for alternative transportation choices. Providing these options is not only a service to tenants but can help reduce GHG emissions and help the environment. It’s hot enough out there during the summer. Reducing the time spent on our roads commuting to work gives everyone a little more breathing room, regardless of season.

CBRE helps guide the industry July 28, 2011 Lisa Colicchio, LEED AP – Director of Operations

As Heidi Sanchez introduced in her post on June 22, CBRE has released a convenient new user’s guide to state and local energy performance regulations for commercial buildings. The guide is a great practical tool for interpreting these regulations while helping building owners and managers comply with newly mandated energy performance requirements. In the last decade, energy performance rating and disclosure has become a global trend aimed at prompting investment in energy performance

improvements and helping stimulate demand for energy-efficient buildings. While this is common practice in the EU, policies that rate buildings’ energy performance and require public disclosure are just now being adopted by U.S. states and cities. Energy performance requirements are being phased in this year and will have an enormous impact on U.S. real estate, affecting 4 BSF of commercial space. New York City Local Law 84 is the first to go into effect August 1, and will impact all buildings in excess of 50,000 SF. Mandates for other cities, including San Francisco, Washington DC and Seattle, are close behind with October 1, 2011 effective dates.

 

Benchmarking energy performance empowers building owners and operators to identify opportunities for energy improvement, track progress and demonstrate achievements. Like fuel efficiency ratings on vehicles, transparent building energy ratings allow the market to identify buildings with lower energy costs, unlocking demand for more efficient buildings. Transparency and data disclosure also assist property and financial markets in accurately valuing energy efficiency. With the growing proliferation of energy reporting and efficiency standards in various states and cities across the country, real estate owners and occupants need a resource to assist them in understanding the requirements in their market. Click here for a copy of the current guide and check cbre.com/envirometrics for updates as more jurisdictions adopt similar energy performance regulations.

Asia goes PLATINUM July 25, 2011 Tim Shen, LEED AP – Director of Sustainability Asia The lack of Green Building Council Chapters outside the U.S. can make it difficult for LEED® Professionals abroad to achieve continuing education hours and remain current on LEED developments.

With the guidance and support of the U.S. Green Building Council®, PLATINUM, a new group based in Hong Kong, has launched to fill this gap and will host its inaugural event this week. PLATINUM is a nonprofit society created by a team of LEED volunteers from companies across the industry to provide membership-

based support for LEED Professionals, including networking, knowledge sharing and education opportunities. Over the past few years, the market adoption of LEED in Asia has grown exponentially. This success has been accompanied by a similar surge in the number of LEED Professionals. Outside of North America and the United Arab Emirates, China (622), Hong Kong (520) and South Korea (389) top the national list of LEED Professionals globally. Since a large portion of professionals based in Hong Kong serve regional functions, PLATINUM’s influence could expand to support LEED Professionals in other Asian countries. Mark your calendars for July 26, PLATINUM’s first event featuring Mark MacCracken, USGBC Board Chairman. PLATINUM is open to everyone. For more information, visit our LinkedIn page or contact me at tim.shen@cbre.com.hk.

VFDs help drive down energy use July 20, 2011 Bridget Kitzerow – General Manager After you’ve benchmarked your buildings and completed any no-cost/low-cost operating efficiencies, it’s time to review capital project opportunities with the shortest payback and highest yield in energy savings. Consider installing variable frequency drives (VFDs). At Pacific Plaza, a 293,000 SF, nine-story building in Daly City, CA, Collette Brown, Real Estate Manager, and Robert Rodriguez,

 

Engineer, completed a VFD installation on the HVAC system, composed of two 75 hp motors and two 25 hp motors, plus EMS upgrades, for a total cost of $160,000. The upgrades qualified for a significant rebate from the utility provider of approximately $75,000. With annual electrical savings of approximately $120,000, this capital project had a payback period of less than one year and increased asset value by $1.5 million.

Data centers: short-cycling of conditioned air July 19, 2011 Ravi Bhattaram, LEED AP – Senior Associate Director Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency (DCiE) depends more on efficient air-conditioning than any other support infrastructure, but what is the key to enhancing air-conditioning efficiencies? Ensuring every CFM of conditioned air that comes out of Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC) or Air-Handler Units (AHU) returns back to each respective unit only after circulating through the rack equipment. The following are conditioned air short-cycling possibilities to pursue :

1. Racks - Blank all openings with blanking plates

2. Between racks - Blank all openings between racks

3. Above the racks - Blanking these openings can be challenging because the space is cramped with data and power cables. Use fire-rated flexible polycarbonate sheets (strip curtains) in the form of six-inch ribbons with proper support design to seal the openings.

4. Aisles - Isolate walking aisles from the designated cold/hot aisles. Use fire-rated flexible polycarbonate sheets in the form of six-inch ribbons with proper support design to seal the openings.

5. False floor and ceiling tiles - Ensure proper sealing

6. Cable entry ports - Ensure proper sealing Efficient air management reduces the bypass of cooling air around rack intakes, minimizes recirculation of hot exhaust back into rack intakes and eliminates mixing of the cooling air supplied to equipment and the hot air rejected from the equipment. Other related benefits include:

Lower operating costs

Reduced heat-related electronic component failure

Higher DC rack power density (watts/SM)

Higher DC infrastructure efficiency

Improved Delta-T A word of caution: hot/cold aisle containment should be fire-rated and should not block fire sprinklers and other fire suppression systems. Refer to the U.S. Federal Energy Management Program for additional resources and guides to improving efficiencies.

Reduce your site impact with porous pavers July 14, 2011 Alex Truchot – Senior Environmental Health and Safety Manager Porous pavers, including pervious concrete and porous asphalt, are very effective and economical materials that have a positive impact on the environment. Use of pervious concrete

 

is recognized as a Best Management Practice by the U.S. EPA for providing pollution control, storm water management and sustainable development. Environmental and economic benefits include:

Storm water quality treatment cost elimination or reduction

Parking lot lifespan extension of 10 times compared to asphalt lot

Relatively low maintenance

Benefit for trees and landscaping

LEED credits (pervious concrete and permeable concrete pavers) Although porous pavers have been around for years, their use has been limited. With the help of an experienced contractor, you can install porous pavers at your property to reap significant cost savings and environmental benefits. For more information, check out our white paper.

Updates on energy modeling July 12, 2011 Nancy Capadona, LEED Green Associate – General Manager Could your building use a nip and tuck, or will it need more radical reconstruction to become as energy efficient as its contemporaries – not to mention the new generation of green buildings? The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an independent, nonprofit “think-and-do tank,” advocates energy modeling of buildings to identify potential energy savings for significant impact. However, there is a need to increase the effectiveness of the modeling process. Recently RMI took a major step toward long-term vision for the energy modeling community with its summit. Stakeholders learned how to use modeling more effectively to make a compelling financial case for low-energy buildings, identify best practices and address challenges. This was the first time key stakeholders from all aspects of the energy modeling field came together to address barriers and opportunities. For more information on this and other initiatives, visit The Rocky Mountain Institute.

Use federal grants for green initiatives July 7, 2011 Lisa Churchill, LEED AP – Senior Real Estate Manager Environmental awareness has gained significant momentum in recent years, and many owners and managers are making strides to reform their business processes to meet green standards. Now federal and state grants are available to support such initiatives. One example is “The Energize Phoenix Project” in Arizona. The program, generated by the U.S. Department of Energy and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, includes a $25 million award to directly support and encourage sustainability investments along the Phoenix light rail corridor. CBRE currently manages over 2 million RSF along the corridor, and the first fund dollars are benefiting a Class A office building at 3300 N. Central Ave. for a complete chiller replacement and redesign of the building’s central plant. As CBRE works to promote and support sustainability initiatives, we encourage you to seek opportunities to realize both savings and environmental achievements for your properties by capitalizing on grants in your area.

 

Seattle launches energy benchmarking program July 6, 2011 Maria Olagunju – Real Estate Manager The City of Seattle sent letters to more than 800 large commercial property owners and managers informing them of a new citywide program designed to help owners and managers assess and improve building energy efficiency. Under the new program, all commercial and multi-family residential buildings larger than 10,000 SF must be measured or benchmarked in U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. Building energy ratings will also be provided to the City and to prospective buyers, tenants and lenders upon request during real estate transactions. Energy benchmarking is becoming a common practice among many large property owners and managers working to lower building operating costs and make buildings more competitive in the real estate market. Numerous studies show that energy-efficient buildings—in particular those with green certifications—out-compete inefficient buildings in terms of higher rental and sales prices, and building occupancy levels. At the historic Dexter Horton building in downtown Seattle, we have been benchmarking and rating the building’s energy performance for several years. The Dexter Horton building is most widely known as a historic, landmark building in the core of downtown Seattle, but what makes it truly remarkable is its green appeal. The building’s owner, LaSalle Investment Management, and CBRE have partnered in ensuring Dexter Horton operates at a level almost unheard of for a 90-year-old building. This 15-story, 370,000 SF building has been closely monitored by Garin North, CBRE Real Estate Manager, and CBRE’s building engineering team, comprised of Andrea Benvenuto, Engineering Director, and Andrew van Zwyndregt, Operating Engineer, for any opportunity to capitalize on energy efficiency measures. Their leadership on this effort has led to broad recognition of energy efficiency within the City of Seattle, LEED® certification and an ENERGY STAR rating worth noting—96 points!

Shortly after taking over management responsibilities at Dexter, CBRE’s team started monitoring all utilities in the building including electrical, water and steam consumption. Each has been reduced by 34%, 32% and 39% respectively. Electrical and water reductions were largely created by implementing HVAC zone load monitoring and control, variable frequency drives on the cooling tower, lighting controls, chemical-free water treatment and low-flow devices in the restrooms. Steam consumption was reduced by installing high-efficiency steam heat exchangers and digitally controlled modulating valves.

Additionally the team worked to achieve increased efficiencies by participating in City of Seattle-sponsored initiatives. Most recently, motion sensors were installed in the common areas. Through the City of Seattle’s program, the building earned a substantial rebate making this investment extremely attractive to all parties. Overall LaSalle Investment and CBRE hope to increase the building’s desirability to tenants through lower operating costs. So far, this strategy has worked well. The building is currently 88% occupied. As tenants become more and more concerned with their environmental impact, it is our hope that they will look for buildings with green appeal like Dexter Horton.

 

For more information on Seattle’s benchmarking regulations and other energy mandates nationwide, check out CBRE’s Guide to State and Local Energy Performance Regulations.

Optimal efficiencies reduce energy use June 30, 2011 Bill Wood – Chief Engineer Energy can represent up to 40% of operating costs for commercial office buildings. To optimize efficiencies, there are a few methods to reset supply fan duct static in buildings with HVAC Direct Digital Controls (DDCs):

Reset cooling loop output

Adjust damper position

Calculate the required CF and reset using a mass air flow sensor The intent is to supply just enough air to satisfy the building without wasting energy. A typical DDC Variable Air Volume (VAV) that is properly sized and balanced can be supplied with as little as 0.4 inches of duct static. Resetting to a lower setpoint drastically reduces energy usage while still supplying enough air for the building. However, it’s critical to begin with a baseline energy performance rating before making any changes to calculate savings accurately.

CBRE achieves 10,000 mark in sustainability training June 27, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing Today CBRE announced it had surpassed 10,000 attendees in the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP), a major industry milestone. The timing of this announcement works out well with the focus this week on the BOMA 2011 Conference in Washington, DC. Our own Melissa Jones spoke at the conference about USGBC® LEED® recertification, an increasingly pressing issue for buildings that were previously certified.

But first things first – or should I say, more than 10,000. That’s how many attendees CBRE has sent through BEEP training so far, representing about 40% of all the coursework taken. This is an exceptional number, given that BEEP is widely regarded as the leading sustainability training program for commercial real estate professionals.

Speaking on behalf of CBRE, we are proud of our partnership with BOMA International, which combined with another valued CBRE partner, EPA ENERGY STAR®, to develop the sustainability training. BEEP educates industry professionals on how to reduce energy consumption and costs with proven no- and low-cost strategies for optimizing equipment, people and practices. This is precisely the approach CBRE takes in its efforts to influence behavioral-based, lasting performance improvements in the buildings we manage. I particularly liked hearing what Jean Lupinacci, Chief of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Buildings, said about the changes taking place throughout the industry: “Thousands of real estate professionals now demand the delivery of low-cost solutions to reduce energy use across large portfolios of commercial buildings. Leaders like BOMA and CBRE are showing how the commercial real estate industry is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and positioning companies to improve their financial value through strategic improvements in energy efficiency.”

 

While 10,000 attendees in BEEP is a significant number, CBRE is forging further ahead by making BEEP a required training standard for all CBRE Asset Services real estate managers and building engineering staff. Given the size of our organization, this will help further seed the industry with bright, well-educated building leaders who see the value of sustainability as both a responsible social choice and beneficial to their property’s operational performance. Click here to read more about this significant milestone, and be sure to contact lisa.colicchio@cbre.com if you’re interested in learning more about BEEP or how to take part.

Congratulations! Your building has earned LEED® June 23, 2011 for Existing Buildings certification – now what? Melissa Jones, LEED AP – Program Manager If your building was one of the first properties certified in the LEED® for Existing Buildings rating system, you are quickly approaching the certification’s five-year expiration date. Are you prepared for recertification? Find out at the BOMA Conference in Washington, DC! On June 27 at 2:00 p.m., I’ll be teaming up with Lauren Riggs from the U.S. Green Building Council® and Christopher Davis from the Green Building Certification Institute to discuss strategies for maintaining your building’s eligibility, including costs, real-world examples and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn everything you need to know about recertification. Click here for more information and make sure to stop by our CBRE booth in the Green Pavilion and ENERGY STAR® Showcase at the conference. Plus, you can also email Melissa.Jones@cbre.com anytime to exchange ideas on recertification. See you soon in Washington!

CBRE introduces industry-first compact U.S. June 22, 2011 guide to energy performance regulations Heidi Sanchez – Marketing Manager In the last decade, energy performance rating and disclosure has become a global trend aimed at prompting investment in energy performance improvements and stimulating demand for energy-efficient buildings. Already an established practice in the European Union, energy disclosure sprouted in the U.S. last year and is spreading across the country in the form of innovative policies that rate building energy performance and make the data public. Some of the largest real estate markets in the country, including New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, have passed disclosure mandates that will impact buildings of all types and sizes, and several other states and cities are considering similar legislation.

Since states and cities have adopted local energy mandates to suit their needs, energy reporting requirements vary extensively by jurisdiction. To capture this assortment of requirements, CB Richard Ellis teamed up with the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, green building and environmental protection in the U.S. and abroad, to develop the industry’s first quick reference Guide to State and Local Energy Performance Regulations. The guide

 

provides a summary of energy reporting requirements, as well as helpful links, for mandates in these jurisdictions:

Austin

California

District of Columbia

New York City

San Francisco

Seattle

Washington Use the guide as your go-to resource for navigating energy regulations, and check for updates on cbre.com/envirometrics as new cities and states set requirements for energy performance reporting.

Pulling the plug on electrical usage June 16, 2011 Brooke Maura, LEED AP – Real Estate Manager

In the U.S., commercial building space consumes a staggering 18% of the country’s energy consumption, including 36% generated from electricity usage. Experts say we can slash use in many buildings with relatively simple and often low-cost measures. We have the tools and resources to save energy and owners’ and tenants’ money.

The top 5 recommendations:

1. Change the culture: Show tenants what small changes can accomplish and how they relate to energy use and costs. Remove space heaters and unplug unused appliances.

2. Just shut down: Turn off computers and equipment when not in use.

3. Set it right: Optimize the HVAC and lighting controls start and stop times.

4. Go retro: Conduct a retro-commissioning of the operating systems to audit performance.

5. Let the sun shine: Use natural light and encourage tenants to do the same. For more helpful tips, click here.

Shining the light on product phase-outs June 14, 2011 Ann Spain, LEED AP – Real Estate Manager New minimum energy efficiency standards for lighting are being phased in, and many common types of lamps and ballasts will be discontinued over the next several years. These changes have been scheduled to take effect between 2009 and 2014. The largest impacts will be on standard incandescent lamps of 40-205 watts, T12 fluorescent lamps, 8-foot single-pin T8 fluorescents and magnetic ballasts. Dates when the most commonly used equipment will no longer be made here or imported to the U.S.:

 

January 2009 Single-pin fluorescent 8-foot slim line (old style T8s) 65 watts or less, and 8- foot high-output lamps of any wattage.

January 1, 2012 100- and 150-watt incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps with a CRI below 80.

January 1, 2013 75-watt incandescent lamps.

January 1, 2014 40- and 60-watt incandescent lamps. Don’t be left in the dark! Check here for more details on lamp and ballast phase-outs.

Are you really recycling? June 10, 2011 Hunter Marr, LEED AP – General Manager Do you think you’re done with recycling when your program is launched? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Because it takes a team effort to get your recycling program off the ground, simply having a program in place is not enough for it to be successful. In an average office building 90% of the waste stream is recyclable, but many programs fail to break a 30% diversion rate. That difference adds up to almost one ton of trash per person heading to the landfill each year. Training and awareness are key factors in increasing your building’s diversion rates. Educate your tenants and janitorial vendor on recyclable materials and the differences between each container. Conducting a waste stream audit before and six months after your training is a great way to document your success. For more information on developing and maintaining a successful program, check out CBRE’s Waste Audit Guide.

Reserve your seat at the table on June 16 June 7, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing You’ve heard the term “greenwash” – a word used to describe people or organizations that put a marketing spin on their efforts to present themselves as sustainable. Swap that out for straight talk, and you get “Valuing Sustainable Real Estate” – a clear-thinking, unabridged roundtable discussion on the true value of green in today’s real estate market, and why the benefits of sustainability are often overlooked by lenders, appraisers and investors.

I like that our 90-minute seminar on Thursday, June 16, is bringing together leading experts who deal with different aspects of property valuation on a daily basis. There’s no “wash” in his talk when Nils Kok takes the mic. The landmark work he has done in evaluating the microeconomics of energy efficiency in buildings, as well as the scientific studies he’s led at both Maastricht University and the University of California, Berkeley, has made

Nils a much sought-after speaker (e.g., The United Nations, Urban Land Institute and Harvard Business School, among others) and a leading reference on institutional property investment. Also on board for June 16 is James Finlay of Wells Fargo Bank. Besides his role as a primary appraisal manager for LEEDâ-certified and high-performance real estate collateral, James has unique insight into investing in green at Wells Fargo Bank, which to date has extended more

 

than $3.25 billion to green/high-performance real estate. We’re eager to hear his views on appraisal and criteria for loan qualification. Finally, Tim Runde of Carneghi-Blum & Partners has more than 20 years of commercial real estate appraisal experience covering a wide variety of property types. Tim is one of the few people to hold both MAI and LEED APâ designations and speaks with equal fluency on topics of green and real estate development issues. Sound educational? We think so. And with our own Dave Pogue teaming up with Norm Miller, Ph.D. (Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate) and John Clapp, Ph.D (University of Connecticut) as moderators, “Valuing Sustainable Real Estate” promises to cut through some of the clutter surrounding the value of green and get at the heart of the issues. Click here to register (talk about value – it’s free!) and mark the morning of June 16 for a straightforward discussion on green. Questions? Drop me a line at hal.myers@cbre.com.

Get control of your electrical expenses June 2, 2011 Dan Simpson, LEED AP – Asset Services Director The California Energy Commission recently announced the release of its latest report on lighting controls entitled “Lighting the way to Demand Response.” The $3.7 million study was funded by the California Energy Commission through its Public Interest Energy Research Program (PIER). Research was jointly developed by Southern California Edison (SCE) and the California Lighting

Technology Center (CLTC) and looked to explore the most cost-effective ways to reduce peak electrical demand through the implementation of lighting controls systems. The program featured nine technical projects and a cross-cutting market connection project. One of the more technical projects included the integration of lighting controls with utility demand response signals.

With increased pricing of electricity during higher demand periods, lighting controls are becoming a favorable trend for owners, as well as tenants and building managers. The study noted that lighting control systems can reduce demand by more than 35% without a noticeable effect on the building’s occupants. The study, which included demand response controls, was coordinated by SCE personnel who initiated test commands from an offsite location for four scenarios: immediate, hour of, later same day and next business day. All three of the installed systems were able to respond successfully to the requirements of demand response operation. Although all three of the systems tested operated adequately once installed and correctly commissioned, the installation and commissioning of several of the systems required unplanned repeat visits by the installers to ensure the systems were operating in the manner designed. This suggests complex installation and calibration. Additionally, the premium over and above standard lighting control systems could pose a barrier to market adoption. While the implementation and adoption of lighting control systems are in their early stages, it appears that the price point for market entry will become a viable alternative to standard lighting systems as more manufacturers offer additional choices. This and the peak-demand rate strategies of utility providers will make the adoption of lighting control systems an area of consideration for tenants, owners and building managers in the coming years.

 

What’s in your neighborhood? Amenities May 31, 2011 may be closer than they appear! Jessica Morris, LEED AP – Real Estate Manager

Do you know how walk-able your neighborhood is? Could you survive without a car? Thanks to Walk Score, now you can find out! Walk Score ranks a neighborhood on a 100-point scale based on its walkability. The ranking system takes into account distance to schools, grocery stores, public transit, restaurants and more. The site also provides features for developing commuting routes and exploring.

Why do walkable neighborhoods matter? Not only does cutting down on vehicle use reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs seven pounds less than someone living in a sprawling neighborhood! Additionally, walkability helps boost property values and increase community involvement of residents. So use this tool to market your property, search for the ideal location for your next home or explore what’s within reach in your current neighborhood. Type in your building address and see how your neighborhood ranks.

Travel responsibly this Memorial Day May 26, 2011 Victor Spivak – Real Estate Manager Headed out of town for Memorial Day? Make sure to minimize your environmental impact by observing these sustainable travel practices:

Print only necessary travel documents

Reduce use of towels and linens

Turn off lights and HVAC when leaving the hotel room

Consider staying in an environmentally friendly hotel to promote sustainability

Bring refillable water bottles For more tips on making sustainability a part of all your summer vacation plans, pack our 101 Tips for Travel and don’t forget to share them with family and friends. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Medical office buildings get healthier with LEED® May 19, 2011

Lori Granberg – Asset Services Associate Director

Shortly after the U.S. Green Building Council® launched LEED® for Healthcare, we learned that 1101 Madison Tower in Seattle was the first healthcare facility to earn LEED for Existing Buildings Silver certification. Although health and wellness are its primary aims, the healthcare industry surprisingly has fewer sustainable facilities than other property segments. Even in lower-intensity, non-hospital healthcare

 

facilities, the nature of patient care requires higher utility usage, longer operating hours, more frequent air changes and other demands on the facility and its workers. For 1101 Madison Tower, the journey to LEED began with earning the ENERGY STAR® label in 2005. At that time, the property was one of only seven medical office buildings in the country to be awarded a label. Even today, only 89 have earned the ENERGY STAR. The small number of buildings in this property type is representative of the additional challenges they face. To overcome these hurdles, CBRE and the owner of 1101 Madison Tower enhanced operational efficiencies through lighting and building equipment retrofits, sub-metering, occupancy and reset schedules and retro-commissioning. Our team continued the property’s quest toward LEED over the next several years by implementing recycling and other sustainability programs, such as green cleaning, purchasing and maintenance practices. Engaging tenants in these efforts was critical to our success. The final result was a LEED score of 45, two points above what was needed to attain Silver certification. Through our efforts at 1101 Madison, we hope that more healthcare facility operators will be encouraged to pursue their sustainability goals. To learn more, click here.

Carrots and sticks May 16, 2011 Jeremy Benkin, LEED AP – Director of Procurement The role of voluntary standards in transforming markets is certainly well established. Several great examples of successful voluntary programs can probably be found in your own life. Look around your home… do you see an ENERGY STAR® label anywhere? Equally prevalent are voluntary standards that don’t change any behaviors. Remember the voluntary watering days for your lawn? There is no denying that sometimes markets are not capable of adopting change without external market forces. In the case of water rationing, it took enforcement and rate hikes for many parts of the U.S. to realize the shortage. Recently, President Obama announced the Better Buildings Initiative (BBI). This program will apply federal resources to voluntary standards in the U.S. commercial real estate market, building upon the tremendous work already been done by the U.S. Green Building Council® LEED® rating systems and EPA ENERGY STAR programs.

Change in the market is already measurable and the BBI will accelerate the adoption of smart operational practices. Contained in BBI are targeted programs to incentivize energy-efficient retrofits, promote workforce training and even make our building codes more effective. CBRE has been able to validate the returns for investors who are voluntarily greening their portfolios through a landmark green building

study. This study looks back over a period of two years at both the rental rates and occupancy of approximately 150 green buildings, along with the attitudes of their occupants. This may mean that the market transformation sought has happened. Increasingly, we see educated consumers asking about sustainable attributes of buildings and investors seeking a deeper understanding of environmental performance during due diligence. So perhaps it is time to use the stick on the laggards and move that carrot further out again.

 

Water bills evaporate with xeriscape May 12, 2011 Karen Rivera – Real Estate Manager To lower water use at commercial properties, the city of Albuquerque offers rebates for installing low-flow aerators, toilets, urinals and xeriscape, a type of landscape that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. A recent xeriscape project at a 1980s, CBRE-managed office building aimed to reduce turf area on a steep slope by 40% while maintaining curb appeal. Working with our landscape contractor, a plan was submitted to the City for rebate eligibility. The xeriscape included removal of over 15,000 SF of turf, adding 220 new native plants, decorative rockscape and replacing the irrigation system with drip. The project took 45 days, cost $23,000 and received a rebate of $9,000. Landscape expense was reduced by $2,400 annually, and water savings is $3,500 or 40%, with a payback in 2.2 years. With summer season approaching, this is a good time to partner with your landscape contractor for water conservation opportunities. For more information on sustainable landscaping, click here.

Don’t flush savings down the drain May 10, 2011 Jerry Neill – Senior Real Estate Manager As the strain grows on water resources, low-flush and low-flow fixtures are a good starting point in reducing restroom water requirements. How much savings comes with these units?

Pre-1992 water closets require 4–7 gallons per flush, while current models only use 1.6 gallons.

Pre-1992 urinals require 3.5–5 gallons per flush, while current models use only 1 gallon per flush.

Pre-1992 faucets typically use 5–7 gallons per minute, and newer units use 0.5 gallons per minute.

Unit replacement costs can vary with the model selected. Low-flush water closets start at $150 per unit, while low-flush urinals start at $300. Depending on building occupancy and frequency of restroom use, facility managers can expect a short payback of one to two years for fixture replacement. So not only do these upgrades make economic sense, but they’re truly the responsible thing to do. If you’ve upgraded to low-flush and low-flow fixtures in your building, what savings have you achieved?

Green moves May 2, 2011 Erik Larsen – Project Manager Making corporate moves in a sustainable manner in not about big ideas…. it’s about the process of operational improvement. When CBRE first took over the move business for Microsoft, we implemented a program designed to provide continuous incremental improvement over the full term of a contract.

 

Here at Microsoft, CBRE has applied The Accelerated Improvement Workshop (AIW), first used in Japan by Toyota on their assembly lines, to our move processes. It is a ground-level, operational program built to provide short-range, incremental increases in operational excellence. By putting the project in the hands of the coordinators who determine target goals and report results to management, AIW empowers the right kind of

improvements and offers tremendous visibility for coordinators to upper management. But how does a “manufacturing improvement” program actually drive sustainable move results outside of the factory environment? Focusing on “big picture” green solutions often ended in projects that were either too expensive or too difficult to achieve. AIW is about incremental improvement, with move materials savings, printer savings, ink savings, reduced truck trips, plastic crates, etc., as an organic product of the program itself. That isn’t to say that big ideas should be avoided. Partnering with our move vendor, Corporate Moving Systems (CMS), CBRE was able to convert all Microsoft’s moving trucks to biodiesel and save roughly 4.3 million pounds of CO2 a year. There’s an ethos to the AIW programs that we run at Microsoft—no improvement is too small to capture. That mentality, drilled through every layer of the program, shows up in our results. We view $5,000/year savings on the same plane as $500,000/year savings. This also applies to our green move results, where CBRE proudly reports 1,000 pounds of CO2 saved a year from a simple improvement like reformatting a document to fit more nameplates onto a single sheet of transparency. It’s important to note that the success of many AIW initiatives wouldn’t be possible without the support of our move vendor and our client, Microsoft. CBRE is fortunate to work with a company like Microsoft that is extremely dedicated to being green. That trickle-down mentality lands in our laps and gives us the impetus to look for environmentally conscious savings that support the sustainability needs of the modern workforce. For more information on CBRE’s Move Management services, click here.

Earth Day a “huge” success April 30, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing Earth Day brings out the green in people, and most surely the best! Take a look at the pictures to the right from Dallas, Texas, and you’ll see building occupants, vendors and CBRE employees at our managed properties actively engaged in the benefits of sustainability. The word “sustainability” has two important meanings. Certainly, it’s about each of us practicing more efficient and environmentally sensitive behaviors in our daily lives. But it’s also about sustaining these behaviors over time. At CBRE, we view living and working more efficiently as a year-round commitment, as witnessed by our support of Earth Hour’s “go beyond the hour” campaign and our own event continuum, which promotes activities our employees can participate in all year long. For Earth Day 2011, many of our managed properties leveraged CBRE’s popular “Turn Over a New Leaf” campaign, which inspires people to make a personal commitment to reducing their carbon footprint through a variety of recommended best practices. This was about immediate action as well, with thousands of tenants helping to plant trees, learning about organic gardening and turf management, viewing the latest innovations in lighting technology, donating materials for recycling programs and having fun with contests and giveaways.

 

As always, CBRE vendors were an important part of Earth Day activities. For example, Valley Crest Landscaping gave away 100 native Texas trees along with tips for sustainability landscaping in celebration of CBRE’s 100th LEED EB certification. According to Michael Hensley, Business Developer for Valley Crest, “The event was a HUGE success and very well received. Thank you so much for asking us to partner with CBRE.” It was our pleasure, Michael, as Valley Crest helped to bring the idea of a new leaf to life! Drop us a comment and share your own personal Earth Day event or activity. It’s the best way to keep the ideas growing for next year and, of course, every day in between.

Eco-friendly cars: perception vs. reality April 28, 2011 Kurt Sarchet – General Manager Environmentally friendly vehicles were a major theme at many of CBRE’s Earth Day celebrations this year. From hybrids and electric cars to diesel vehicles, there are many viable automobile options available to today’s green consumer.

Diesel vehicles are not new in the U.S., yet they represent only roughly 2.5% of the market compared with 50% in Europe. In 2009, newer diesel engines offered 25%-30% better fuel economy and a cheaper price point than hybrids. Consumers are beginning to view diesel as another clean option to their transportation needs, but perception remains a drawback. Diesels have an image as environmentally unfriendly – loud, dirty, smoky –

whereas hybrids and electric cars are perceived as quieter, cleaner and cheaper options. Electric cars are less expensive and cost less to run at $0.03 per mile versus the 25 mpg internal combustion engine at $0.12 per mile. Hybrids fall somewhere between those ranges. Charging stations make the use of electric vehicles possible. At CBRE-managed Seattle Municipal Tower owned by the City of Seattle, 26 electric vehicle charging stations will be installed this summer to encourage the use of electric vehicles. While the cost will be approximately $10,000 for each, prices can range from $5,000 to $20,000, depending on proximity to the power source. No matter what type of vehicle you choose, make sure to lay any preconceived notions aside to determine the best option for your needs and budget. For more information on eco-friendly cars or electric vehicle charging station, drop me a line at kurt.sarchet@cbre.com.

Be an energy star April 21, 2011 Lisa Colicchio, LEED AP – Director of Operations

With Earth Day approaching, many of you may be wondering what you can do to help protect our environment. You might feel like you’ve already done everything you can, or maybe the prospect of making your home more energy efficient seems daunting. Fortunately, no matter where you are on the spectrum, ENERGY STAR®

can help.

 

This Earth Day the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing “ENERGY STARs Across America”—a nationwide, grassroots effort to help families learn about energy-saving actions they can take in their homes and communities that will help protect the climate. There are lots of ways to get involved:

Join the 2.7 million Americans who have taken the ENERGY STAR Pledge at www.energystar.gov/changetheworld

Find energy efficiency events near you with EPA’s ENERGY STARs Across America map. These events—featuring everything from light bulb exchanges to community service projects—provide opportunities for the whole family to learn about ENERGY STAR and energy efficiency in a fun and engaging way.

Enter the Be an ENERGY STAR Video Challenge. Pick up your video camera and document how you save energy in your home, school, workplace and community. Selected videos will be featured on energystar.gov and ENERGY STAR social media sites. This fall ENERGY STAR’s online audience will vote for their favorite videos to be showcased in ENERGY STAR’s Energy Awareness Month video in October. Enter the challenge here.

Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 33 million vehicles. These are pretty impressive statistics, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make 2011 even bigger and better! How will you get involved and make an impact?

Seize the day on April 22 April 18, 2011 Heidi Sanchez – Marketing Manager

Earth Day offers a great opportunity to turn over a new leaf! Start your celebration today with the tips below and complete My Standards of Sustainability to commit to living and working more efficiently the whole year long.

Monday Replace all household light bulbs with CFLs.

Tuesday Unplug electronics and appliances that are not in use.

Wednesday Look for opportunities everywhere to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Thursday Share a ride, take public transportation or bike to work.

Earth Day Use CBRE’s carbon calculator to measure your footprint and learn ways to reduce your daily consumption.

The power of big numbers April 15, 2011 Dave Pogue, LEED AP – Global Director of Sustainability

As the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm, CBRE manages more than 3 BSF of property and corporate facilities globally, and we advise the owners and occupiers of billions more square feet. This size and visible presence, supported by affiliations with U.S. Green Building Council®, EPA ENERGY STAR®, The Climate Group, WWF and others, have connected millions of people to the positive message of environmental stewardship and influenced change on a large scale

through the power of numbers. To date, CBRE has:

 

Earned ENERGY STAR labels for more than 250 buildings, significantly greater than any

other commercial real estate firm.

Certified 100 buildings in the LEED® for Existing Buildings rating system and achieved a 99% success rate on all LEED EB points submitted.

Engaged in nearly 5% of the total stock of LEED certified projects worldwide.

Provided dedicated LEED training to offer clients nearly 500 LEED Professionals.

Hosted nearly 10,000 attendees in weekly CBRE-BOMA BEEP (Building Energy and Efficiency Program) training sessions.

Influenced more than 400 MSF and 1.5 million occupants to turn the lights out for Earth Hour 2011.

Through these building-related programs and events, we offer occupants access to practices they can use in their daily lives, such as innovative recycling methods, more efficient commuting options and the opportunity to make a personal commitment through My Standards of Sustainability. After all, positive activities anywhere can influence outcomes everywhere. To learn more about our efforts, click here.

CBRE achieves 100th LEED® EB certification April 7, 2011 Gary Thomas, LEED AP – Director of Sustainability Programs

CBRE’s Sustainability Programs Group recently attained its 100th LEED for Existing Buildings certification. Achieving the LEED EB designation, the internationally recognized and preeminent green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council®, is a decisive sustainability

commitment made by commercial building owners and a testament to the integrity of the sustainable operations and maintenance practices employed at those properties. Buildings included in the first 100 range from 100,000 SF to 1.8 MSF in major markets throughout the United States, including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas. CBRE’s LEED EB experts have achieved a 99% success rate on all credit points submitted to the USGBC for the 45 MSF of client properties certified. The number of LEED EB certifications has grown from less than 200 buildings at the end of 2008 to more than 1,000 presently, with LEED EB registrations now exceeding 6,000. These numbers may be small relative to the vast quantity of projects that are potential candidates, but the positive environmental impacts created and maintained by each LEED-certified project are exceptional in their own right. The CBRE Sustainability Programs Group has completed LEED EB assessments on over 500 projects internationally and expects to have 200 certified buildings by the end of 2011. Click here to learn more about my thoughts on LEED.

 

Earth Day, every day April 6, 2011 Lisa Colicchio, LEED AP – Director of Operations

We made CBRE history by influencing a record-breaking 414 MSF of our managed properties around the world to turn out the lights for Earth Hour 2011. Now we have an opportunity to go “beyond the hour” by celebrating Earth Day on April 22.

This year we invite you to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh and genuine commitment to behavioral change over the long-term. Seize the opportunity of Earth Day 2011 to demonstrate your personal pledge by completing My Standards of Sustainability—customizable guidelines for living and working more efficiently every day of the year. Access the standards template, sign it and submit here. How will you turn over a new leaf on Earth Day? Share your commitment with us!

Building sustainability into construction April 6, 2011 Bob Traeger – General Manager Did you know that the overall green building market is estimated to double by 2013 to $96 billion? To support a better understanding of sustainable workplace principles, the U.S. General Services Administration has developed a web-based “Sustainable Facilities Tool” at www.sftool.org. This 3-D software is designed to help you plan the environmental and human health aspects of smaller projects. It aids in comparison and selection of specific strategies, and with careful planning, even small projects can achieve significant sustainability goals. Sustainable design, construction, operation and renovation are best thought of as an integrated process, rather than separate practices. The process involves new ways of designing, constructing and operating our buildings and facilities, making the Sustainable Facilities Tool invaluable to real estate professionals. For more information, contact me at bob.traeger@cbre.com.

Use this fast app to calculate savings April 4, 2011 Diana Hernandez – Senior Real Estate Manager Imagine a quick and easy way to calculate lighting retrofit savings, with no spreadsheets or calculators! A division of Hubbell Lighting, Precision-Paragon (P2) has created a free web application to do the work for building managers based on the assumption that a typical commercial building uses about 40% of electricity for lighting. The website is simple to use—select the facility type, building square footage, cost per kilowatt hour for electricity and annual hours of operation. What do you get in return? Project costs, energy savings and payback information. If you’re curious how your property’s completed lighting retrofit impacted the environment, the application also can calculate those details. Visit Environmental Leader to test the web application and learn more.

 

This is just one of the many tools available to calculate the impact an effective sustainability strategy can have on the environment and the bottom line. What are you using to measure the success of your sustainability efforts?

CBRE co-authors USGBC® operations guide March 30, 2011 Jeremy Benkin, LEED AP – Director of Procurement

In 2007, CBRE became the first major commercial real estate firm to establish an environmental commitment. That same year we also developed a dedicated team to aggregate and disseminate best practices in environmental management to our client service teams. Four years later, CBRE continues to raise the green building standard with real solutions that drive change in the properties we manage. In 2011, our employees’ efforts have resulted in a managed portfolio that:

Represents more than 10% of all EPA ENERGY STAR® labeled office buildings in the United States.

Reduced its energy intensity by more than 7%, providing enough savings to power a mid-sized US city for an entire year.

Comprises more than 150 buildings certified under the LEED® for Existing Buildings rating system. Combined, these buildings reduced carbon emissions by more than 40,000 metric tons annually—more carbon than we emit ourselves globally through our own operations.

This industry leadership provided us with a unique opportunity to share our collective knowledge with the marketplace. In November 2010, the U.S. Green Building Council® published The Green Operations Guide to assist owners and managers of multi-tenant properties in taking the first steps toward reducing the environmental impact of their commercial real estate. The guide was a collaborative effort with Jerry Yudelson, Steven Winter Associates and CBRE. Almost a year in the making, the finished product contains success stories and real-world experiences from our own portfolio, as well as copies of sustainability policies, procedures and plans. To learn more about ways to green your portfolio, contact me at jeremy.benkin@cbre.com.

From Earth Hour to Earth Day, and beyond March 30, 2011 Dave Pogue, LEED AP – Global Director of Sustainability

I recently wrote about our opportunity to inform and positively influence a wide audience of people in our managed properties. An excellent example of this came last weekend through our significant participation in Earth Hour. CBRE not only influenced 414 million square feet of properties around the world to turn off their non-essential lights and electronics in support of the hour, but helped make an estimated 1.6 million people who occupy those buildings aware of the importance of conservation and the role buildings have on energy use and carbon emissions.

The Earth Hour theme of “go beyond the hour” gives CBRE the perfect starting point in our year-long program aimed at resource conservation and business efficiencies. As the world’s

 

largest real estate services provider, we view Earth Hour, Earth Day and a host of other events as an important opportunity to inform and influence CBRE’s larger global constituency. How might you be going beyond the hour in 2011?

Countdown to Earth Hour… March 24, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing Actually, we’re counting up – all the way to 409 million! That’s the number of square feet of CBRE-managed property committed to participating in Earth Hour at 8:30 p.m., Saturday, March 26. You can see our current tally at cbre.com/earthhour, or catch a larger view at Earth Hour.org. In fact, our friends at Earth Hour have suggested this could be the biggest Earth Hour yet, and we’re pleased to be a significant global supporter. A record 128 countries and millions of people joined the global display of climate action last year. We hope you’ll be one in 2011, and “go beyond the hour” the rest of the year.

Beyond the hour, starting today March 22, 2011 Fred Ehlers – Operations Manager Building owners and real estate managers are well-positioned to introduce procedures, upgrades and services that enable tenants to reduce environmental impact and improve building performance. This is true for Earth Hour, but also for managing toward greater efficiencies throughout the year. Here are just a few ways to “go beyond the hour” starting today:

Turn off non-essential lights during the day

Install energy saving devices

Convert to on-demand services for Saturday HVAC

Provide and encourage recycling services for tenants

Install rainwater harvesting devices for irrigation A few adjustments to your managerial perspective and the concept of performance efficiencies works! For example, CBRE put these tips to the test at a vacant industrial building we manage in Hayward, California. To attract prospective tenants, we installed occupancy sensors and completed a lighting retrofit that replaced T-12 fixtures with T-5s. These simple

changes helped the property achieve an annual energy savings of $8,500.00 and a reduction of 56,334 kWh. That’s equivalent to sequestering carbon from 1,037 trees, and a great example of how going beyond the hour can make an impact. How are you managing toward greater building efficiencies? Post a comment here and share your best practices!

 

Excelling at energy management March 15, 2011 Jeremy Benkin, LEED AP – Director of Procurement

On Monday the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced recipients of the ENERGY STAR® Award for Sustained Excellence. As the global leader in real estate services, CBRE is proud to be among other respected real estate services providers in achieving

ENERGY STAR’s highest honor in 2011. As part of our environmental commitment, we have made energy efficiency the cornerstone of our sustainability efforts. In 2010, our focus on energy efficiency resulted in enough energy savings to power the homes of a mid-sized American city for an entire year. More significant than the metrics generated by our efforts is the substantial impact CBRE has made on changing behavior through education and awareness. For several years, we have provided team members in CBRE’s Asset Services division with training that focuses on responsible actions to curb energy usage. We have introduced programs asking our tenants to “give back” unused hours of building operations indicated in their leases. We have measured, tracked and rewarded positive performance. Together, we have changed the way our buildings operate. CBRE has created a new social norm of conservation that goes beyond the envelope of our buildings. In 2011, we are seeing beyond the building and into our communities. The behaviors engendered in the workplace can assist in building better cities and towns. Thank you to our staff, our tenants and our contractors for continuing to pursue efficiency, and to the U.S. EPA for recognizing these important efforts.

You’re right on time for Earth Hour 2011 March 14, 2011 Hal Myers – Senior Director of Marketing

If you haven’t heard about Earth Hour, you may be in the dark. That would be a good thing, come 8:30 p.m. on March 26th. That’s when millions of people around the world will be turning off non-essential lights and electric devices to bring awareness to the issue of climate change. Organized by WWF and billed as the world’s largest public action for the environment, Earth Hour wraps around

the world with the coming of dusk, starting in Fiji and ending up in Hawaii. It’s a fairly dramatic event to witness each year, but where does it really begin? The light went on (or, rather, off) in Australia about five years ago, when like-minded citizens got together to bring attention to the issue of climate change and the role each of us plays. Since that first Earth Hour in 2007, participation has grown to nearly five million supporters in more than 100 countries, including 89 national capitals and nine of the world’s 10 most populated cities. CBRE has been a proud part of that growth since the beginning, helping to reduce the impact of commercial buildings as carbon emitters. Last year we set an Earth Hour record by encouraging more than 250 million square feet of managed space to participate. This year we aim to go beyond that record and secure a commitment from more than 300 million square feet. In fact, “go beyond the hour” is the global theme for Earth Hour 2011, and it’s a concept we have embraced as an organization with our commitment to carbon neutrality. Importantly, we

 

view energy efficiency, and the daily behaviors that reduce resource consumption, as critical to supporting our clients’ sustainability efforts. CBRE’s Standards of Sustainability, in particular, offer a first and powerful tool for clients to use in improving their buildings’ performance. We also go beyond the hour by making employees and building occupants aware of green-related activities and events during the year. Our next big event in the U.S. is Earth Day on April 22, and we look forward to a significant turnout at the CBRE-managed properties taking part. But first, mark March 26 on your calendar – then get ready to flip the switch with the rest of world at 8:30 p.m. It may go dark for an hour… but together we’ll be sending a powerful signal.

The power of positive influence February 21, 2011 Dave Pogue, LEED AP – Global Director of Sustainability In 2007 CB Richard Ellis became the first company in our sector to adopt a companywide environmental policy that included the goal of becoming carbon neutral. I am pleased to report that we will fulfill that pledge, as promised. CBRE is currently finalizing its 2010 global carbon footprint, and negotiating several carbon offset projects that are both socially responsible and in line with internationally accepted standards in the carbon market. We expect to finalize this process by midyear 2011. With the highest concentration of CBRE offices and related carbon output, our Americas region has been instrumental in reducing our company’s carbon output. Key initiatives include:

Establishing operational sustainability standards

Installing electricity sub-metering in key U.S. offices

Developing green leasing standards for our occupied space

Promoting a greener CBRE culture We also launched our Toward a Greener Tomorrow Certification program to promote efficiency standards in U.S. CBRE offices over 5,000 square feet. This proprietary program is aligned with USGBC’s LEED® and EPA’s ENERGY STAR® programs, and is the foundation of our environmental management system in the U.S. Market appetite for sustainability practices is strong and CBRE leads the industry in converting that appetite into accomplishment. A few quick facts:

CBRE manages more than 10% of all EPA ENERGY STAR labeled office buildings in the U.S., currently more than 250.

In a single year, we were able to reduce energy intensity across a 125 MSF office management portfolio by more than 7% – enough to power a mid-size U.S. city for an entire year.

In our U.S. management portfolio, CBRE manages more than 150 buildings – roughly 58 MSF – certified in the LEED EB program, nearly 100 of which have been certified by our internal team. These 150 buildings have reduced carbon emissions by more than 40,000 metric tons – more than we emit ourselves globally through our own operations.

Our efforts in these areas have enabled us to earn the EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award every year since 2007.

 

To learn more about CBRE’s sustainability services, please visit CBRE Sustainability.

Setting a higher standard in 2011 February 21, 2011 Lisa Colicchio, LEED AP – Director of Operations CBRE maintains “Standards of Sustainability” that are an integral part of our overall platform of global mandates. This year’s standards reflect industry changes while maintaining emphasis on

benchmarking properties in ENERGY STAR® through regular updates of building utilities each month. Standards are available for both Office and Industrial/Retail properties, and help improve building performance while achieving criteria for potential LEED® certification.

Many tools are available to assist you in greening your properties. Is sustainability training on your list for 2011? We offer weekly BOMA BEEP classes, which focus on benchmarking in ENERGY STAR to improve energy performance. CBRE will soon exceed 10,000 BOMA BEEP training sessions, and we view this educational initiative as an important cornerstone of the standards. Want to learn more about LEED certification or obtain a Green Associate credential from U.S. Green Building Council®? Learn how here. For more information on these and other resources, contact me at lisa.colicchio@cbre.com.

AB 1103 makes buildings accountable February 21, 2011 Heidi Sanchez – Marketing Manager

In November 2008, the California Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 1103 requiring non-residential building owners to disclose energy benchmarking data during real estate transactions. The regulations require commercial property owners within California to disclose the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager Statement of Energy Performance and the California Energy Performance Disclosure Report when entire properties

are sold, leased or financed. For non-residential buildings measuring more than 50,000 SF, disclosure must commence on January 1, 2012. Smaller buildings will be required to comply beginning in July 2012. As with any other system to track cash flow, expenses or assets, benchmarking building energy use is not only a critical component of energy management best practices, but a mechanism to help make investment decisions about controlling energy use and costs. Benchmarking allows building operators to:

Prioritize investments in a building portfolio – Applied across a portfolio of buildings, benchmarking provides the foundation for superior energy management decisions, ranging from identifying the top performers to prioritizing the best candidates for upgrades.

Determine potential savings – By comparing to a “target score,” benchmarking can suggest the energy savings potential of raising efficiency to, or above, average.

Monitor changes – Scoring a building over a period of time can help evaluate the effectiveness of changes in equipment or management.

Demonstrate proactive management of energy issues – Having a building’s energy consumption data summarized and documented helps answer questions about energy use from upper management, outside vendors, investors or local government agencies.

 

Receive positive publicity – Being able to document a building’s improved energy efficiency or reduced energy consumption provides a basis to communicate an environmental commitment. Many other regions are enacting benchmarking and disclosure legislation similar to California’s AB 1103. See what your city or state is doing here.

New standards shed light on LED technologies February 21, 2011 Georgi Zatloka – Real Estate Services Administrator Thanks to the FTC’s light bulb labeling mandate, comparing light bulb products, and better understanding the energy and economic efficiencies of new lighting technologies, just got a whole lot easier. Planned for implementation in mid 2011, the mandate requires two components to be printed on the bulb product box:

Label showing lumen brightness and estimated energy cost per year

Lighting Facts (similar to nutrition information labels), including bulb life, color temperature (warm or cool appearance), energy usages in watts and presence of mercury

This new standard will not only be useful in comparing traditional incandescent bulbs to CFLs currently on the market, but will provide pertinent, standardized data on emerging LED technologies. Drop me a line at georgi.zatloka@cbre.com if you’d like to learn more.