Sustainability
While the White House works to roll back national energy savings efforts, many state legislatures and governors are establishing the transition to clean energy and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as their top priority. According to the 2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), U.S. states are taking the lead in clean energy initiatives and adopting ambitious goals and energy-saving rules for buildings, appliances, and vehicles.
We are seeing rising sea levels, increases in heat waves, dramatic glacier melt, and a longer more extreme wildfire season all due to climate change. In Boston, July 2019 was not only the hottest July recorded, but the hottest month on record. That same month the U.K. experienced their highest temperature ever recorded and this was after setting records during the previous month in June 2019.
Sustainable building practices are on the rise and that’s good news because buildings account for almost 40 percent of all carbon emissions. LEED, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. It is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, and is available for virtually all building, community, and home project types. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.
Like many higher education institutions, Humber College is committed to sustainability. But at Humber, they take that commitment to the highest level. The Toronto College instills sustainability across every facet of the school and has had numerous accomplishments from their projects and partnerships that link community engagement and academics. One impressive result is that Humber has been named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for four consecutive years (2016-2019).
We have highlighted the benefits of green building standards in previous blogs including The WELL Building Standard: The Future of Modern Design and Going Green with LEED. Now, a report from the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) makes the business case for green buildings that contain health and wellbeing features such as enhanced fresh air ventilation, an increase of daylight penetration and the use of biophilic design elements. Findings cited in the report include reduced employee absenteeism, minimized operating costs and employees that felt more productive and healthier after these features were added.
The WELL Building StandardTM (WELLTM) is aimed at advancing building concepts that help people work, live, perform and feel their best. It is an evidence-based, science-backed rating system that puts people at the center of design decisions by measuring, certifying and monitoring aspects of the built environment as they impact occupants. WELL is considered the future of modern design.
Green office buildings in the U.S. are defined as those that hold either an EPA ENERGY STAR® label, U.S. Green Building Council LEED® certification or both. ENERGY STAR is a US government-backed organization that helps businesses determine cost-effective approaches to primarily managing energy use in their buildings. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party green building certification program and the globally recognized standard for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings and neighborhoods. It is the most widely used green building rating system in the world.
The commercial real estate (CRE) industry is ever-evolving with new technologies, regulations, and workplace issues all influencing change. Here is an overview of five CRE trends that we believe strongly impact the market. Smart lighting plays a vital role in each.
