BEYOND GREEN

Not too long ago, many people believed that environmentally friendly offices were a luxury reserved for idealists with money to burn. To an extent, that perception continues today even as the price of building green continues to fall and the economic benefit of conservation skyrockets with the cost of energy.

While it’s true that some people are willing to cut into their bottom lines to help the planet, everyone can agree that making money in an environmentally responsible manner is the best possible outcome. Fortunately, the days of paying outlandish premiums for sustainability are gone. More and more, builders and property owners are discovering that energy conservation and other sustainable practices are an economic advantage in the short term—and an economic necessity in the long term.

Experience has taught me that the earlier in the building process you implement green features, the more financial return you’ll get on your investment. It’s always easier to design and construct a sustainable building than to retrofit an existing structure. If you happen to be in the market to build a new office building, the possibilities for saving real money by eco-friendly conservation techniques are endless. A carefully designed office can reduce energy consumption and increase employee productivity.

Gregory Kats, founding principal of national clean technology deployment and strategy firm Capital E, has compiled a report that describes the cost advantages of building green. The report includes a detailed review of 60 buildings certified in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the standard by which sustainable buildings are measured. As it turns out, LEED-certified buildings are, on average, 25 to 30 percent more energy efficient than their conventional counterparts. As the cost of energy continues to climb, the rate at which energy-saving designs and practices pay for themselves will continue to accelerate.

In addition, since people spend the vast majority of their time indoors—and a significant amount in work environments—the office air quality can affect employee productivity and healthcare costs. Kats found that proper ventilation can increase employee productivity by 1.8 percent. Proper illumination can do even more; comfortable lighting can increase productivity by more than 7 percent.

If you’re not in the market to build, but instead are looking to relocate to a green-friendly space, then the savings begins in the first month of occupancy. One of the most dramatic ways to cut your greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce or eliminate your daily commute. Fortunately, there are communities designed for such a purpose. Sullivan Square, for example, is building a city-within-a-city in which residents will be able to set up offices, shop, and enjoy all the amenities of a city within walking distance to their lofts. As the price of gasoline threatens to reach $4 per gallon, the economic benefit of reducing drive time becomes more and more urgent.

Not only does Sullivan Square reduce gasoline costs by taking away the need for commuting, but the complex is also designed to make maximum use of natural resources. The site’s water reclamation system reuses 45 million gallons of gray water per year to cool the air conditioning coils and irrigate the lawns. The system conserves Southern Nevada’s most precious resource—water—while eliminating the homeowners association’s water bill.

Finally, Sullivan is LEED-certified, so tenants’ energy consumption and energy bills will be minimal. Sullivan Square is built with a total conservation philosophy, which saves its tenants money while extending the viability of our planet.

Of course, relocating is a drastic step. Many people are not looking for a new office, but rather, to save money while reinventing their existing offices as ecologically sustainable workplaces. There are plenty of ways to do that.

It seems like everyone’s talking about the spiral-shaped fluorescent light bulbs. They are certainly a worthy investment, offering vastly increased illumination per watt than their incandescent counterparts. In addition, equipping your indoor lights with motion detectors can eliminate the waste associated with illuminating an empty room.

Another waste-reduction technique is to place a water cooler in the office. A water cooler is far cheaper than the equivalent volume of bottled water, and you don’t have to deal with all those plastic bottles. Besides, a water cooler is a time-honored way to encourage social interaction and to build camaraderie among employees.

Finally, offices can cut their paper usage to nearly zero by conducting paperless communications and transactions. This could be as simple as replacing memos with e-mails, or as complex as investing in laptops for every employee. Viridian Group, the exclusive broker for Sullivan Square, has implemented a paperless office. Every phase of every Real Estate transaction is conducted digitally. For every 100 transactions, a 20-foot stack of paper is conserved. All of the files are stored on a network, which is much more convenient to access than a bulky file cabinet.

As the costs of water and energy continue to climb, conserving our resources and reducing our carbon imprint are becoming increasingly important. Sustainable designs and practices ensure that our grandchildren will have a clean planet to call home. Sustainability also helps a business to remain competitive and profitable. When good morality motivates profit, the result is capitalism at its finest.

The author would like to thank First American Title Company in the Howard Hughes Center for their contribution to this article.

Green Tip of the Month: How to save money while “greening up” your home

There are lots of ways to improve your home’s relationship with the environment without breaking the bank. Many of these techniques are old-fashioned, and the initial investment quickly pays for itself in energy conservation. For instance, make sure you have plenty of insulation and a ceiling fan in every room. Insulation protects your home from both the Nevada sun and the chilly desert nights. A ceiling fan can significantly reduce the need for air conditioning. Make sure your doors and windows are well-sealed. Finally, since most unwanted heat enters and escapes through windows, replacing your old windows with double-paned glass is a highly profitable investment. For more tips, visit http://www.lowimpactliving.com/.

Dale Rowse is the owner and president of Viridian Group. He is responsible for the strategic and long-range planning of Viridian Group, a full-service brokerage firm specializing in high-rise residential and commercial Real Estate. Prior to founding Viridian Group, Dale was licensed at RE/MAX CENTRAL, where he received numerous awards and recognitions for his sales production. Dale received his Real Estate license in 2003 after graduating from the Southern Nevada School of Real Estate. He also attended Real Property Law courses at UNLV, completing the class with a perfect 4.0. Dale can be reached by calling (702) 733-1130 or visit Viridian’s Web site at www.ViridianGroup.com.