First green buildings, now green leases?
August 19, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Green Office, Special Report
Get ready for green lease negotiations, whether you’re the commercial tenant or building owner.
The goal is to encourage energy and water use reductions to create a green office environment.
But there are many obstacles to achieving the elusive “green office” goal in landlord/tenant arrangements because there are so many variables to controlling overhead costs like electric and water bills.
To help businesses navigate these troubled waters, the California Sustainability Alliance has just published its Green Leases Toolkit, version 2.0. The toolkit helps commercial landlords and tenants:
- educate their organizations about green office and green building practices
- develop their own green leasing policies and requirements
- measure and compare green attributes of different buildings, and
- develop specific green lease language.
Right now the green lease idea is voluntary, but it may not be long before state governments start mandating the idea to help them meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction promises.
Like so many things, California’s pushing ahead aggressively to reduce its collective carbon footprint and encourage more economical water and electricity use. Secondary goals include reducing stormwater runoff and commuting times for workers.
For example, the Green Leases Toolkit helps businesses select appliances based on their energy efficiency, as rated by EPA’s Energy Star program.
One of the early adopters to the Green Lease idea is Thomas Properties Group, which is building California’s The MetroStudio@Lankershim. The developers are using the toolkit to adopt green building standards and earn kudos from EPA’s Green Building program. The company has set goals to reduce:
- water use by 30%
- construction waste that goes to landfills by 90%
- stormwater runoff by increasing infiltration into groundwater, and
- carbon emissions by 40% to 50%.
Click here for details about MetroStudio’s green office plans. A list of Thomas Properties Group’s projects with the Alliance is here.
The Alliance’s Green Lease Toolkit is here.
Tags: California sustainability Alliance, enegy efficiency, green buildings, green lease, Green Office, stormwater, Thomas Properties Group
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August 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am
As long as electric charges remain included in commercial and residential leases, there will be no incentive in reducing consumption. Lights will stay on 24/7 and air conditioners will remain set at the lowest temperature tolerable, even when the buildings stand empty!
August 20th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I have a better idea – let California fall into the ocean and take the enviro-whackos with it. All these things are is a tax on productivity and a way for the government to make money. Good riddance to the state.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Just one more path, leading to another orifice for lawyers and the government to stick their hands in and scoop out the money and control they so desperately want.
Most of the people I know, given a little education, will do what is right on their own if you simply teach them correct principles on the issue. Why then would you want to go stick your nose (or the ever more incompetent governments) in their business? Freedom sucks only when you have given it all away.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
When will all you wake up and smell the coffee! Leaving your lights and a/c running 24/7 just because its included in the rent is really showing concern for the environment and your own future generations. Oh, but you’re probably so self-centered that all you care about is yourself and now. Do everyone a favor and move into the cave you came from. Do you have any idea how much is spent just on leaving your computer locked instead of turned off each night? Of course you don’t! We waste 2 billion dollars each year because of it!
August 20th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
being in the construction field this whole GREEN notion is just a nother way to drive up building costs our market is competitive enough without trying to reinvent the wheel we need to get tough on energy efficient methods,yes but let’s get those pansy ass polititions out of our business we have enough complex issues already,but that is another topic entirely.