Anna Dengler, Great Forest’s director of sustainability came away from The Urban Green Expo (September 22-23, 2009) with some great insights. She shares them with us here:
The Urban Green Expo was brimming with advice, from “Measure your Carbon Footprint” to “Start Taking Action with Energy Retrofits.” These are important steps toward sustainability, to be sure. However, one of the most important ideas came from Rohit Aggarwala, director of the NYC Mayor’s office of long-term planning and sustainability. In his opening keynote address he argued that green leases has arguably the most important role in promoting energy efficiency projects. When the efficiency incentives are in the right place, stipulated in a lease, building managers and tenants will make the necessary changes to benefit their own bottom line as well as reduce their energy use. All properties in New York will likely incorporate some form of a green lease over the next few years.
Let Great Forest help your building learn about green leases and how to create one.
I think Amory Lovins, chairman and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute, said it best in his closing keynote. His point was unmistakable – rethink everything. Start from your desired result and go back through the steps that will get you there by looking at ways to make efficiency changes. I believe that is at the heart of sustainability – look at things from a new perspective and find what is really important.