In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International released a list of 40 earth-friendly tips to help commercial real estate professionals optimize building performance. From recycling to energy management to sustainable landscaping, these tips provide low-cost solutions to green buildings and reduce operating costs.
"BOMA has a long-standing commitment to helping building owners and managers reduce energy use and implement environmentally-sound operational practices," said BOMA International chair James Peck, RPA, FMA, senior director of asset services, CB Richard Ellis. "These 40 tips will help commercial real estate professionals maximize energy efficiency, green their building operations and do right by the environment in a way that positively affects the bottom line."
Here are just ten of the 40 green tips that BOMA encouraged building owners and operators to adopt on Earth Day and every day:
1. Benchmark energy consumption through Energy Star Portfolio Manager
2. Install occupancy sensors
3. Landscape with perennial plants
4. Harvest rainwater for landscaping
5. Use recycled material in restroom paper products
6. Work with vendors who have recycling programs
7. Include sustainability tips in monthly newsletters
8. Install bicycle racks in the garage
9. Ensure that your janitorial service uses green cleaning products
10. Develop a preventative IAQ management program
BOMA's green platform includes initiatives like the 7-Point Challenge Market Transformation Plan, educational programming like the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program and the Sustainable Operations Series, the industry's first green lease guide, and the groundbreaking BOMA Energy Performance Contract model, which allows building owners to perform major energy retrofits to existing buildings by removing key barriers. BOMA is a four-time Energy Star award winner and in 2009 received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's highest honor, the Climate Protection Award.