5 Ways to ‘Green’ Your Office

RISMEDIA, August 11, 2008-CresaPartners, an international corporate real estate advisory firm in Melville, recently launched a Green Initiative and has taken a special interest in helping tenants “go green.” They exclusively represent tenants and space users and are frequently advising their clients on the many different ways to green their offices.”When we are representing tenants on a relocation, there are many things we can do to ensure we help them minimize their environmental footprint,” says Ralph Benzakein, vice president of CresaPartners, one of the only LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) Brokers in the area. According to the company, as members of the U.S. Green Building Council, CresaPartners has developed the expertise to advise tenants on creating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified tenant space, even in non-LEED buildings.

Whether you are moving offices or just looking to make your current space more green, here are some steps you can take:

1. Forget the Bottle

Switch from bottled water to tap water and stop contributing to the overflow of plastic bottle waste. Today, only about 23% of plastic bottles are recycled. “Tap water is safe to drink, or you can use a water filtration system and fill up a reusable glass or bottle instead,” says Benzakein.

2. Use ‘Real’ Dishes

Instead of using paper plates, cups and silverware in your office kitchen, buy reusable utensils and dishes. “Food tastes better on real dishes anyway,” says Benzakein. If there is no place to wash dishes in your space, consider biodegradable plates, cups and utensils.

3. Open a Window

It sounds simple enough, but opening a window and turning off the AC can save an office hundreds of dollars in electricity costs and will also conserve energy. “Fresh air is almost always better than re-circulated air,” says Benzakein. Natural air flow can also lead to healthier and more productive employees. Many offices today are built with non-operable windows. “Better filtration systems in your existing HVAC system can also have excellent results,” says Benzakein.

4. A Room With a View

If you are redesigning the layout of an office, one thing to keep in mind is giving as many employees as possible access to a window or outside light. “If you can’t give every employee a window office, build offices that have large glass vision panels and put the offices on the inside perimeter of your building. Then use lower height cubicles in the open area so everyone can have a view to outdoors,” Benzakein suggests. Also, natural light is always better than fluorescent lights but if that is not possible, then consider switching to energy saving bulbs.

5. Carpool

Carpooling is another great way to become more environmentally friendly. Offering employee incentives, like gas cards or reimbursements to employees who either carpool or take mass transit it a great way to boost employee morale while cutting back on carbon dioxide emissions, says Benzakein.

For more ways to make your office a green place to work, e-mail rbenzakein@cresapartners.com.

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