Click here for your GREEN OFFICE Tenant Guide, a voluntary initiative adapted for Hines tenant spaces, which measures and rewards the "greening" efforts in your lease space.
The program will help you identify and implement no-cost and low-cost alternatives to operating in a standard indoor office environment. Scored on a scale of 100, you can evaluate your space in seven categories. When a specific strategy or improvement has been implemented from those categories, "Leaf Credits" are earned, which are weighted differently according to their relative sustainable value. If your office achieves 70 Leaf Credits and submits the attached form, it is then designated as a GREEN OFFICE.
We encourage you to establish a "green team" to conduct cost-benefit analyses for opportunities that require nominal cost to achieve a credit. Then a plan can be created for implementing those opportunities and measuring the results with an over-riding goal of reducing our collective environmental footprint and energy consumption.
Hines rolled out a similar program internally in December of 2008 and has since designated over 140 Hines GREEN OFFICES in the United States and Europe.
"Hines GREEN OFFICE expresses the sustainable approach we have used in our development and management services for decades. Encouraging tenants to make greener choices is just as important as designing healthy, productive and environmentally friendly space. We are pleased to offer this service to our tenants." - Hines President and CEO Jeffrey C. Hines
Energy Efficiency
If every office product purchased in the U.S. this year was ENERGY STAR qualified, Americans would save $200 million in annual energy costs while preventing almost 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases. Source: ENERGY STAR
What type of office lighting is used in your workspace? Does your office have occupancy lighting sensors? What settings are your computer and printer on? Do you work on ENERGY STAR® qualified electronics? How can you adjust your blinds to work with natural solar conditions?
People & Atmosphere
96 percent of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found in a large office building following construction resulted from the materials used to construct and furnish the building including flooring (hard surface & carpet) and paints. Source: GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Does your office use human friendly paints, adhesives, sealants and carpeting? Does your employer sponsor any sustainability-related community engagement projects on annual basis? Does your employer communicate sustainability-related initiatives to employees on a regular basis?
Travel & Commuting
Drivers spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work - 25% more time than most workers spend on vacation. Commuting resources help employees reduce costs, personal stress, traffic, accidents and air pollution. Source: TREK
Do you use alternative transportation like bicycles, vanpools or trains? Do you track your own business travel and the related cost and emissions? Do you use virtual meeting technology for conferences?
Reduce Re-use & Recycle
A ton of paper made from 100 percent recycled paper saves the equivalent of 4,100 kilowatt-hours of energy, 7,000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, and 3 cubic yards of landfill (as compared to new paper). The average employee uses approximately 10,000 sheets of paper in the office every 12 months. Source: GREEN SEAL
What kind of office paper do you use for printing? Is it made from recycled materials or responsibly harvested forests? Do you use disposable cups or reusable glasses and mugs? Do you have recycling bins at your desk? Do your restroom facilities use low-flow flush valves and aerators?
Cleaning
One-third of the cleaning products used today are reported to include ingredients that have negative impacts on air quality and health. Source: GREEN SEAL
Are your cleaning products harmful to breath? Do your cleaning materials contain post-consumer content? Are they made with bleaches and dyes? Are they certified by a third-party like Environmental Choice?
Remodeling & Construction
Approximately 2.44 million tons of old carpet are landfilled every year, which, if laid flat would more than cover New York City. Source: GREEN SEAL
Are you remodeling your office space? How many partitions are designed into the space? How much natural daylight reaches the building core? Are your workspaces modular and movable? Do your paints and carpets contain low levels of volatile organic compounds?
If you are interested in participating in this voluntary program, please contact your Hines Property Management Office.
