We often talk about how to make little changes to make in our everyday lives to become more sustainable. We have discussed everything from what type of green roof to buy to using bamboo medicine. However, it is nice to find that big companies are making big changes to help make the earth a better place to live.
At the beginning of January, The Empire State Building (an iconic structure AND a 2.85 million square foot office building) announced that it is purchasing 100% wind power from Green Mountain Energy Company. Green Mountain Energy is one of the nation’s leading retail providers of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions. In addition, they have managed to reduce nearly 40% of the watts and BTU usage by retro-fitting the building to be more energy efficient. The purchase is mindboggling – for the next two years, they will purchase nearly 55 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually! This will eliminate 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year! To help you envision how much carbon dioxide that equals, it is the equivalent of:
- Every house in New York State turning off all of their lights for a week
- 40 million fewer cab rides
- Planting 150,000 trees (which is more than 6 times the current number of trees in Central Park)
The purchase is more than double the amount of renewable power than any other customer in New York City is currently buying. It also exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Green Power Partnership requirements. Based on EPA’s current rankings, New York City’s most recognizable building is expected to rank No. 18 on EPA’s national Top 100% Green Power Purchaser List. The list represents green power purchasers that are buying green power to meet 100% of their U.S. organization-wide electricity use. It is a great reference to look over before you make any purchases.
The Empire State Building will purchase renewable energy in the form of wind Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), an accepted way to address the greenhouse gas emissions of electricity consumption. Purchasing RECs in the same quantity as the Empire State Building‘s electricity consumption ensures that the amount of energy used by the building is added to the U.S. power grid from renewable sources and supports the further development of these projects.
Management will also be educating the building’s tenants and visitors about the benefits of choosing renewable energy and being greener by recycling, buying organic clothes, and other ways to become more sustainable. This past July, they unveiled a $2 million interactive, multi-media sustainability exhibit within the second floor visitor’s center. It showcased their $20 million energy retrofit project that was announced by President Bill Clinton and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The goal is to educate the millions of people who visit the building every year on the positive global impact of both energy efficient building and sustainable living practices.
For more eco-friendly tips for your home, make sure you check out our Green Is Grand section! Remember that the changes at the Empire State Building offer simple and replicable (on a much smaller scale, of course) ideas for other landlords to follow as they strive to be more energy efficient, cleaner and greener.
If the Empire State Building can do it, what you are waiting for?
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