green economy

Opening Doors to Recycling Innovation

2016 May-June, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25" padding_bottom="25"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="22142" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra DeLuca [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] The invention of former New York City recycling head Ron Gonen, the Closed Loop Fund tackles how to reuse products and packages as part of the supply chain of the manufacturing process. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] In his office near New York City’s Union Square, Ron Gonen takes to a whiteboard for a quick geography lesson. His sketch of the United States, pinpointing major cities, is soon overwhelmed as he draws route after route showing how trash is trucked around the country looking for landfill space. “NYC garbage goes to landfills in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio,” Gonen, a former deputy commissioner of recycling and sustainability for New York City’s department of sanitation, says. “Toronto pays to send its garbage to Michigan. Sacramento sends its garbage to Utah.” [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="22144" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1462465126283{margin-bottom: 20px !important;}"] Co-founders Ron Gonen and Rob Kaplan. Photo: Neil Landino [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_bottom="10"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] These are just a few examples, he says, of an unfortunate ecosystem that not only trucks tons of recyclable waste to landfills across North America but one that eliminates local jobs as well. “The great thing...

Greenthink

2016 March-April, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21815" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] By Mary Grauerholz [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] Rick Fedrizzi’s new book explores how the country can reduce its carbon footprint while thriving economically. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] When Rick Fedrizzi’s name comes up in conversation, it is often about his experience at UTC Carrier Corporation, when he got a directive from the CEO to create a “green agenda” for the air conditioning and heating division of the company—a pivotal moment that began the journey toward creation of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). But the life path that unfurled for Fedrizzi, USGBC’s CEO and founding chair, began much earlier, at the feet of his father. Fedrizzi’s dad, Arigo Fedrizzi, worked with his Italian parents and sister as farm labor throughout central New York, living in poverty and growing their own food in the backyard. “They picked everything imaginable,” Fedrizzi says in a recent interview. “It’s a reality for many people throughout the world.” Arigo Fedrizzi, burdened in his young life, took comfort in nature in his parenting years. “Whenever he could break away,” Fedrizzi says, “we would walk in the woods, go frogging—catch and release—to smell the...

The Business of Being Green

2015 November-December, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="21072" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra DeLuca [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] [caption id="attachment_21086" align="alignright" width="550"] Disclosure requirements and energy audits make New York City a first-tier “green” city.[/caption] A look at green building adoption in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. Whether you get your hot dog from a cart in Manhattan, “drag it through the garden” in Chicago, or order one at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C., you are stopping for a snack in one of the nation’s green building apexes. “Each of these three cities is an example of a strong sustainable market,” says Dave Pogue, global director of Corporate Responsibility at CBRE, which published its “National Green Building Adoption Index” in June of this year. The index aims to measure the growth of green building certification—either EPA’s ENERGY STAR program or the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED—for the top 30 U.S. commercial markets over the past 9 years. But like their culinary offerings, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. have marked differences in how and why their real estate sectors have adopted sustainability. “Chicago is the most dynamic of the markets,” Pogue says. “It has really...

Major Leap Forward in Green Financing

2015 September-October, green economy

[vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="20573" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="10"][vc_column_text] By Alexandra DeLuca [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="25"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] [caption id="attachment_20578" align="alignright" width="700"] Multifamily housing such as the Station House shown here are benefitting from Fannie Mae’s Green Initiative program.[/caption] Fannie Mae rewards sustainable buildings with lower interest rates. The site of an old police station in Maplewood, New Jersey, has been transformed into a shining example of adaptive reuse and the real financial benefits of achieving a green building certification. Built on a once environmentally contaminated site, The Station House is a 50-unit, mid-rise, multifamily rental property that earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for its use of recycled materials, efficient water management, and green power. In April of this year, Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI) acquired the Station House property using Fannie Mae’s new lower interest rate on loans for properties with green building certifications, including LEED, ENERGY STAR®, Enterprise’s Green Communities Criteria, and five others. Multifamily owners may receive a reduction in the all-in interest rate of 10 basis points (for example 4.0 percent to 3.9 percent) for refinance, acquisition, or on a supplemental loan...

Keeping Pace

2015 May-June, green economy

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/3"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="19743" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Dan Overbey Unlocking the potential of the green economy through energy efficiency. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3" css=".vc_custom_1424103118408{margin-top: 15px !important;margin-bottom: 15px !important;}"][vc_single_image image="19759" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1430425377116{margin-top: 10px !important;}"]The lobby bar in the DusitD2 Constance Pasadena hotel in Pasadena, California, used a $6.8 million PACE bond to finance an energy upgrade.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] The residual effect of the recession has exposed the flaws in our current economic models. Domestically, the building design and construction industry has been disrupted, and as various sectors have struggled for recovery, many are taking a closer look at the broader notion of a “green economy,” one that simultaneously promotes environmental responsibility and economic growth. The potential of the green economy is staggering. According to a recent study by the Rockefeller Foundation and DB Climate Change Advisors, the United States is at the cusp of a $280 billion investment opportunity over the next decade—an opportunity that could yield more than $1 trillion in energy savings. If maximized, retrofits and building upgrades could generate over 3 million jobs and save the atmosphere from 600 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year. An environmentally conscious investment...

Sustainable Shopping

2015 March-April, green economy

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="19254" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Jeff Harder Shopping center developer, owner, and operator Regency becomes a pioneer in the United States’ green bond movement. More than seven years ago, when Regency Centers first announced a new emphasis on sustainability at its hundreds of shopping centers around the country, the publically traded real estate investment trust became an industry sustainability leader. Last spring, after living up to its early promises to go green, the 52-year-old company proved that it could be [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2" css=".vc_custom_1424103118408{margin-top: 15px !important;margin-bottom: 15px !important;}"][vc_single_image image="19256" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1428414268964{margin-top: 10px !important;}"]The 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods store, located in the Regency LEED Silver shopping center, Market at Colonnade, in North Raleigh, met rigorous building and energy efficiency standards during construction and received the company’s sixth LEED Gold certification in the United States.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] a pioneer once again by becoming just the second institution in the United States to issue $250 million in so-called green bonds, an investment vehicle that’s helping carry out projects at Regency’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED-certified shopping centers. And along the way, Regency has proved something else: Its pledge to go green is as firm as...

Transforming Markets

2015 January-February, green economy

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="18523" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text]By Jeff Harder Benchmarking sustainability is a win-win for global real estate investors. [dropcaps type='normal' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he sustainability performance of portfolios has been an area of increasing focus within the global real estate investment sphere. That’s not entirely surprising, considering the impacts buildings can have on the bottom line: Energy efficiency can lead to lower operating costs, vulnerability to extreme weather can mean financial disaster, and bill-paying tenants are increasingly demanding features that promote health and provide superior experience. “One way or another, green building information is relevant to investors,” says Chris Pyke, chief operating officer of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, also known as GRESB. “How they embed this information into their decision-making is an evolving process, but there’s a global consensus that this information should be on hand.” [caption id="attachment_18531" align="alignleft" width="600"] The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) applies sustainability metrics across real estate portfolios of residential and commercial buildings. [/caption] That’s where GRESB, an organization that merged with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) last October, comes in. GRESB applies sustainability metrics across real estate portfolios of multiple—and, in some...

Lighting the Way

2014 September-October, green economy, LEED impact

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="17498" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="17486" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_column_text] By Barbra Murray Entrepreneur Ajaita Shah brings sustainable energy to low-income households in India. [dropcaps type='normal' color='' background_color='' border_color='']A[/dropcaps]jaita Shah is dedicated to her work. She’s practically apologetic about taking one day off a week, Sunday, despite the necessity of downtime for humans. “I love what I do, I’m obsessed with what I do,” she says. She is the founder of Frontier Markets, the India-based sales and distribution company providing product solutions to facilitate the end of indoor pollution and related deaths. She is also president of the Frontier Innovations Foundation, Frontier Markets’ New York-based nonprofit arm that works primarily in India to help overcome obstacles to widespread clean-energy solutions through partnering with governments, businesses, and agencies around the world. And she’s only 30. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_single_image image="17494" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type="row" type="full_width" text_align="left" padding_top="15"][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]Her main pursuit at the moment is bringing light, literally and figuratively, to poor households in rural areas across India in the form of solar energy. Clean energy in India is not exactly an issue that is sweeping the global green community at present, so to say that Shah’s pursuit—bringing solar power to poor...

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