Southern California Green Real Estate Blog

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GRAND PRIZE…AGAIN

By Jodi Summers

Bravo to all of you greening your properties. According to our friends at the environmental protection agency, approximately 3,900 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star rating in 2009, representing annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Impressively, nearly 9,000 buildings across the nation have earned the Energy Star for superior energy efficiency during the past 11 years.

A standing ovation for our beloved Los Angeles. The EPA ranked us as first on its annual list of metro areas with the most energy-efficient buildings. We led the field with 293 buildings labeled Energy Star in 2009, up from the 262 that qualified the city as No. 1 in 2008.

Kudos also go to our nation’s capitol. Washington, DC, ranked fourth place in 2008, is now in second, with 204 Energy Star buildings, up from 136 the previous year.

Energy Star is a voluntary labeling program run by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. In order to qualify, a building or manufacturing plant must score in the top 25 percent based , on the agency’s National Energy Performance Rating System and use less energy, reduce operating expenses and cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Roll the credits - the top 25 cities with the most energy star labeled buildings in 2009 are:

1. Los Angeles, CA

2. Washington, DC

3. San Francisco, CA

4. Denver, CO

5. Chicago, IL

6. Houston, TX

7. Lakeland, FL

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

9. Atlanta, GA

10. New York, NY

11. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

12. Portland, OR

13. Boston, MA

14. Seattle, WA

15. Detroit, MI

16. Sacramento, CA

17. San Diego, CA

18. Austin, TX

19. Miami, FL

20. Phoenix, AZ

21. Ogden, UT

22. Charlotte, NC

23. Indianapolis, IN

24. Des Moines, IA/Fort Collins, CO/Philadelphia, PA

25. Louisville, KY

**

http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/03/23/la-takes-top-spot-epa-green-building-rankings

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=624F645516667EF93A09A56906607F8E&ref=100&iid=174&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://gateway.costar.com/imageviewer/GetImage.aspx?webimage=EPA+Energy+Star.JPG

http://lakelandflforeclosures.com/images/lakelandatnight.jpg

http://www.staronetickets.com/images/Seattle.jpg

http://away.com/images/outside/200808/ogden-ut.jpg

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles28462.jpg

MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING PROGRAM

MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING PROGRAM

by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation

edited by Jodi Summers

Here is a straight forward guide to what to recycle in the blue bins, courtesy of the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Department. Please read it, it will make you smarter.

HOW TO RECYCLE

• Please rinse all cans, bottles and plastics before recycling. Crush aluminum cans to save space in the bin.

• Put recyclable items into the blue recycling bin or store them in a bag or container. Do not tie or close the bag.

• Empty the container or bag into the blue recycling bin. Reuse the bag or container or recycle it, if it’s recyclable.

YES – WHAT TO RECYCLE

Brown paper bags

Cans/Metal, aluminum, steel & tin

Cardboard (flattened and put next to the bin)

Cereal boxes

Colored paper

Glass bottles & containers

Magazines

Metal coat hangers

Mixed paper

Newspaper

Office paper

Plastic containers

Plastic grocery bags

Styrofoam

Unwanted mail

For a complete list of accepted items visit www.larecycles.org

NO – DON’T RECYCLE THESE THINGS

Anti-freeze

Appliances & electronics

Batteries

Broken glass

Ceramic mugs

Cleaning products

Clothing

Construction debris

Food-soiled paper (eg. pizza boxes)

Food waste

Furniture

Gardening pots

Glass mirrors

Light bulbs

Medical waste (eg. syringes, bandages, tissues, cotton swabs)

Motor oil

Paint

Pressurized cans

Trash

Waxed cardboard & paper (eg. milk cartons)

Yard trimmings

For additional program information visit the Multi-Family Residential Recycling website at www.larecycles.org or Email us at multifamily@lacity.org. Call the Hotline at 800-773-2489 or 3-1-1

THAT’S IT! IT’S EASY!

**

http://www.larecycles.org/pdf/Resorce_Card_english.pdf

REAL ESTATE PRICES ARE STILL UP THIS MILLENIUM IN LOS ANGELES

REAL ESTATE PRICES ARE STILL UP THIS MILLENIIUM IN LOS ANGELES

by Jodi Summers

A recent report on Forbes.com citing the 10 Best and 10 Worst U.S. Housing Markets noted that in Los Angeles, if you bought in 2000, paid your mortgage on time and are still in your home, you’ve seen a 71.5% price appreciation.

Up north, San Francisco’s prices are up 30.12% from 2000. It still has the potential for a further fall, given the 31% drop for 2008.

Forbes analyzed monthly declines and year-over-year declines in home prices to determine where prices were falling fastest and where those drops were picking up momentum. They noted, “It’s not a good thing for San Diego that prices from November 2008 to December 2008 fell 2.13%, but as prices declined by 2.29% from October to November, and 2.44% from September to October, the speed with which prices are falling is slowing.”

The information is based on an S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, which measured metro home prices in 20 cities through December 2008.

Info courtesy of:

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/24/housing-cities-ten-lifestyle-real-Estate_home_prices.html?partner=alerts

THE GREENEST CITIES IN THE WORLD

THE GREENEST CITIES IN THE WORLD

Edited by Jodi Summers

We like lists, it means a lot of research has been done. Today’s dynamic list is from Reader’s Digest;
 they have come up with a list of world's greenest, most livable cities. To compile this list, they have an
alyzed data from two top sources covering 141 nations. We’ll give you the top 26 greenest cities
(as 26 happens to be San Francisco), the rest you can find @
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/best-places-to-live-green/article45734.html

1. Stockholm, Sweden

2. Oslo, Norway

3. Munich, Germany

4. Paris, France

5. Frankfurt, Germany

6. Stuttgart, Germany

7. Lyon, France

8. Dusseldorf, Germany

9. Nantes, France

10. Copenhagen, Denmark

11. Geneva, Switzerland

12. Zurich, Switzerland

13. Glasgow, United Kingdom

14. Barcelona, Spain

15. New York, United States

16. Brussels, Belgium

17. Hamburg, Germany

18. Hong Kong, PR China

19. Newcastle, United Kingdom

20. Tokyo, Japan

21. Helsinki, Finland

22. Washington, D.C., United States

23. Chicago, United States

24. Vancouver, Canada

25. Dortmund, Germany

26. San Francisco, United States

**

Sources:

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/04/0406_liveable_cities/image/7_frankfurt.jpg

http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/best-places-to-live-green/article45734.html

http://www.primetravels.com/PackageImages/699/Stockholm-Sweden_03-360a032607.jpg

http://highendfood.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/frankfurt_skyline.jpg

http://mamofrizzi.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tb_copenhagen_denmark.jpg

http://www.bertgulick.com/images/05/copenhagen-denmark.jpg

http://www.iho-ohi.org/wp-content/brussels-belgium.jpg

http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01253/Hotspots%20in%20Europe/BrusselsCityImage.jpg

http://wallpapers.free-review.net/63__Shibuya_Tokyo_Japan.htm

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3771/eiffeltower2cparis2cfrawo0.jpg

http://www.spa.ucla.edu/up/webfiles/tokyo-shinjuku-45_4.jpg

http://paaia.org/galleries/default-image/san-francisco.jpg

http://www.namss.org/images/AC2008/SanFrancisco.jpg

THINK GREEN - REAL ESTATE IS STRONGER NEAR METROPOLITAN AREAS

By Jodi Summers

The statistics are in – properties closer to cities with thriving economies and mass transit will outperform outer-ring suburbs and “exurban areas,” where high gas prices are making long car commutes prohibitively expensive and rising energy costs mean higher utility bills. We’re thinking and spending green.

This information comes courtesy of a report released by the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The study interviewed more than 600 real estate experts, including investors, developers, lenders and real estate brokers.

The report, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2009, projects that the worst of the national housing downturn may be over, with the bottom of the market being confirmed by the end of this year.

The report is focused on commercial real estate such as commercial, office, industrial and apartment properties, but includes an overview of housing markets and how they may be affected by macroeconomic trends and changing regional conditions. Some interesting observations:

· Seattle, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles are expected to be the top five markets for investment in commercial property in 2009.

· Wall Street layoffs and office vacancies will help Seattle and San Francisco to reclaim top rankings for commercial investment from New York.

· The thriving energy industry is expected to boost commercial investment prospects for “long-forlorn” Texas markets, but Midwest factory towns are expected to lose even more ground,

· “24 hour cities” like New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., should also benefit from mass transit systems that can free residents from car dependence.

But, gains in the attractiveness of 24-hour cities could be “squandered” if cutbacks in police, fire and sanitation result in less safe and appealing environments. Falling property values and the economic slowdown are expected to cut into tax revenues, forcing cities to reduce services.

“Nothing would undermine 24-hour dynamics more quickly than rising crime rates,” the report warned.

· “24 hour cities” like New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., should also benefit from mass transit systems that can free residents from car dependence.

But, gains in the attractiveness of 24-hour cities could be “squandered” if cutbacks in police, fire and sanitation result in less safe and appealing environments. Falling property values and the economic slowdown are expected to cut into tax revenues, forcing cities to reduce services.

“Nothing would undermine 24-hour dynamics more quickly than rising crime rates,” the report warned.

http://www.ulisf.org/imgManager/1000000877/Cover%20-%20EmergingTrends2009.jpg

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http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ERJ3VTs4Tho/STMgbiE4PcI/AAAAAAAADOE/Os15Z_s-TBI/s400/iStock_000002504258XSmall.jpg

http://exitrealestate540.com/files/2008/12/thefutureroadsign.jpg

CALGREEN – > CALIFORNIA NOW HAS THE COUNTRY’S GREENEST BUILDING STANDARD

By Jodi Summers

Bravo to us! California has adopted the greenest building standards in the United States…and the world.

The new code, called Calgreen, goes into effect next January 2011. It requires all builders to:

v Install plumbing that cuts indoor water use.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said the new building code would require developers to slash water use in their buildings by 20%, using more efficient toilets, shower heads and faucets.

v Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling.

v Use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings

v Buildings will be given certificates of occupancy occupied only after strict energy standards were verified.

In addition, for non residential buildings:

v Install separate water meters for different uses.

v Mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.

v It allows local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose.

“California should be proud… These are simple, cost-effective green practices. …” notes Tom Sheehy, acting secretary of the state Consumer Services Agency and chair of the California Building Standards Commission, which approved the standards. “This is (something) no other state in the country has done - integrating green construction practices into the very fabric of the construction code.”

While California’s largest metropolitan areas have adopted their own green building standards, these new regulations will be particularly useful for smaller jurisdictions that have been unable to develop their own green construction guidelines.

This is a positive alternative to LEED construction standards. Sites Sandra Boyle, an executive vice president of Glenborough, a developer, “The cost for owners to go through this rating system is astronomical — in a very challenging commercial real estate market.”

“You will have a whole bunch of cities that never would have included this in their building doing it, and doing it in a way that won’t kill the economy,” observes Matthew Hargrove, a vice president with the California Business Properties Association. “Outside the coastal areas it will be helpful - like in West Sacramento, where they looked into creating a green building code but balked because it’s cumbersome to develop and they didn’t have the resources.”

Buildings currently account for about one-quarter of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. These new standards are applauded as an important step in helping California meet its goal in reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020.

**

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL#ixzz0dJ9grkaW

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-building11-2010jan11,0,1841989.story <!– /* Font

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/WA/Kohler-DualFlush-BR08-lg.jpg

LOS ANGELES IS A BETTER PLACE THAN PARIS TO BUY GREEN INVESTMENT REAL ESTATE

LOS ANGELES IS A BETTER PLACE THAN PARIS TO BUY GREEN INVESTMENT REAL ESTATE

by Jodi Summers

Sacre bleu! Los Angeles is a better real estate…according to Forbes.com.  In a recent top 10 article called World’s Best Places For Real Estate Buys, Ten cities investors will target in 2009 our beloved Los Angeles was #7 – after  San Francisco and before Paris.

Washington D.C. topped the list this year, thanks to the proposed $1 trillion swell of government spending. As Forbes notes, “At present, D.C. has the lowest unemployment rate in the country–4.1%, compared to the 7.2% national average. With President Obama’s stimulus package recommending $1 trillion in new spending, it’s unlikely government jobs–and those they support–will be leaving the District anytime soon.”

Not many investors were looking at L.A. in 2008, as we were hammered by the subprime crisis and a massive volume of foreclosures. As we all know, our perceived property poverty curtailed spending and our whole local economy limped along. We were 19^th on the 2008 Forbes World’s Best Places For Real Estate Buys, so this 12-point rise is a huge boost for real estate morale.

As far as green development goes, the Los Angeles Green Building ordinance –is being heralded as “the most far reaching plan of any big city in America to promote green building practices in the private sector.”  The ordinance intends reduce the City’s carbon emissions by more than 80,000 tons by 2012, the equivalent of taking 15,000 cars off the road – a bolder objective than any other major city in the country. (Now if they’d only find a way get 15,000 cars off the road.) 

“It’s all about perception,” notes a local investor. “If people perceive Los Angeles is a good value, then it becomes a good value, and prices grow strong.”

Good news for local property owners - sales surged 102%in the residential sector, according to Radar Logic, a derivatives firm, and Forbes notes that this wave “has that market hinting at a bottom.”

The 2009 Top 10 Best Places For Real Estate Buys

1. Washington, D.C.

2. London, U.K.

3. New York, N.Y.

4. Tokyo, Japan

5. Shanghai, China

6. San Francisco, Calif.

7. Los Angeles, Calif.

8. Paris, France

9. Houston, Texas

10. Singapore

Please note Forbes’ rankings come from the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate, a research association that tracks where member investors are finding the best opportunities around the world.

Get the whole story @ http.//www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/investment-obama-realestate-forbeslife-cx_mw_0121realestate.html?partner=alerts

http://mightyminnow.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/washington-dc.jpg

http://www.pointernet.pds.hu/touristinfo/free_wallpapers_2/France_Paris_Night.jpeg

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

By Jodi Summers

Yeah for us! Los is the most Energy Star efficient city in the United States!

This information comes courtesy of our government. The latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) index of the 25 U.S. cities with the most Energy Star buildings. Los Angeles leads the list with more than 260 buildings encompassing 74 million square feet, or about as much floor space as 27 Empire State buildings.

“We’re setting the green standard in LA. Reducing our carbon footprint by 35 percent below 1990 levels is the most ambitious goal set by a major American city,” stated Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The goal for the city’s GREEN LA imitative is to reduce Los Angeles’ greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target is greatest reduction target of any large U.S. city. The core of GREEN LA is increasing the city’s use of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2020.

San Francisco, Houston, Washington, DC, and Dallas-Fort Worth round out the top five.

“Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” noted EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. “They are saving energy, saving money and protecting our environment.”

The EPA noted that Energy Star buildings in just the top five cities have saved more than $315 million in energy costs.

The list did have some surprises. Big East Coast hubs did not fare well, with just two — Washington, DC, and Atlanta — placing in the top 10. In fact, the total number of Energy Star buildings in New York (#12), Boston (11), Philadelphia (17) and Miami (23) was less than the number in Los Angeles, EPA reported.

Also being savvy enough to make the list were several smaller, Midwestern cities where energy tends to be cheaper, such as Grand Rapids, MI, and Madison, WI.

Details courtesy of http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=0F9ACA2C00BDA94C9DB4DED0A6B19C9B&ref=100&iid=123&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2007/2007-05-15-01.asp

http://www.daylife.com/topic/Antonio_Villaraigosa

THE GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO BUY + INSTALL GREEN ROOFS ON YOUR REAL ESTATE

THE GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO BUY + INSTALL GREEN ROOFS ON YOUR REAL ESTATE

by Jodi Summers

Green is still good. The latest government motivation is toward green roof installations.

Among the benefits of the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S.320) introduced by Sen. Maria E. Cantwell (D-Wash.) is to provide financial incentives for homeowners or commercial building owners which chose to install green roofs on their buildings.

A green (or sod) roof features of vegetation-usually drought-tolerant plants, or shrubs-that is planted in a growth medium. The roof generally involves a multilayer system of waterproof and root-repellent membranes, a drainage system, filter cloth, and lightweight soil.

Sedums are a suggest plant, as the 400+ varieties range from annuals and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves.

Green roofs have been around for thousands of years. One of the first notable appearances of green roofs occurred in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon around 500 BC. The site is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The thrust of the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 is to create green-collar jobs and revitalize the economy through clean energy investments.

Section 506 of the bill, offers property owners a 30 percent tax credit for qualified green roof expenses. The tax credit applies to both new and retrofit projects, but it requires that at least 50 percent of the roof area be covered with vegetation.

“This is a watershed moment for the green roof industry,” observes Steven W. Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, which worked with the American Society of Landscape Architects to help Sen. Cantwell’s office draft the section of the bill that is focused on the green roof incentive. “This bill will deliver an enormous number of green collar jobs, not just today, but also in five years from now, while also saving energy, improving stormwater management, cooling cities, cleansing the air, and

beautifying our rooftops.”

Modern green roofs trends began in Germany in the 1960s; today, it is estimated that about 10% of all German roofs have been “greened.” Several European Countries have very active associations promoting green roofs including Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Sweden and the UK. The City of Linz in Austria has been paying developers to install green roofs since 1983 and in Switzerland it has been a Federal law since the late 1990s. In the UK their up-take has been slow but a number of cities have developed policies to encourage their use, notably in London and Sheffield.

Green roof advocates note a variety of benefits for property owners, including added insulation and cooling. It has been found that they can retain up to 75% of rainwater, gradually releasing it back into the atmosphere via condensation and transpiration, while retaining pollutants in their soil.

“If you install enough in an area, it cools the area, which saves money in energy costs and limits greenhouse gas,” offers Peck.

Cities like Los Angeles can truly benefit from the cooling effect, as green roofs reduce the “heat island effect,” a situation in which traditional building materials such as asphalt roofs in a city-absorb sunlight and radiate it back into the atmosphere as heat, making cities at least 4 degrees Celsius (7 °F) hotter than surrounding areas.

The new California Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park has a green roof that provides 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of native vegetation designed as a habitat for indigenous species, including the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly. According to the Academy’s fact sheet on the building, the building consumes 30-35% less energy than required by code.

Green roofs have also been found to dramatically improve a roof’s insulation value. A study conducted by Environment Canada found a 26% reduction in summer cooling needs and a 26% reduction in winter heat losses when a green roof is used. In addition, greening a roof is expected to lengthen a roof’s lifespan by two or three times, according to Penn State University’s Green Roof Research Center.

Another upside of green roofs is added local employment, as green roof installations tend to be local projects. “For every dollar spent, the $2 or $3 generated goes toward creating jobs where the roof is installed,” he boasts.

Sen. Cantwell noted this benefit as well in a statement introducing the bill. “In these times of economic uncertainty, growing the green economy and investing in clean energy technologies is the key to job growth and breaking the United States’ debilitating dependence on foreign oil,” she said. “While installing a green roof may seem like a small step, these upgrades save energy, filter and absorb pollution, and store carbon. As individuals and businesses continue to look for ways to combat high energy costs and improve the health of their neighborhoods and environment, providing green roof incentives just makes sense.”

Builder magazine reports that, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities has launched a new, multi-disciplinary Green Roof Professional (GRP) program–much like U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Professional Accreditation-and will administer the first exam at its annual conference this June in Atlanta. Under the program, an individual can become GRP-accredited to provide green roof design, products, and installation services to meet the new demands that potentially could be generated from this bill.

American landscape architects and a Canadian nonprofit green roof industry association says that the United States could see a surge in green roof installations if a provision in a recently introduced Senate stimulus bill becomes law.

Information from:

http://www.builderonline.com/green-building/financial-incentives-in-stimulus

http://egrfaculty.villanova.edu/public/Civil_Environmental/WREE/VUSP_Web_Folder/GR_web_folder/GR_paper_files/image002.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedum

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/iruss001/architecture/green_roof.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof

http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/calroof3.jpg

http://www.localecology.org/images/deyoung_casgreenroof.jpg

http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/green_roof.jpg

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CALIFORNIA’S FIRST EXISTING MULTITENANT OFFICE BUILDING GOES LEED

The first existing multitenant office building in California to achieve LEED certification from the US Green Building Council in Sant Francisco. The acclaimed building, located at 100 Pine, is a 35-story 440,500-sf Downtown office tower here owned by the Alaska Permanent Fund and its minority, operating partner, Unico Properties of Seattle.

The only other buildings in San Francisco to carry LEED-EB status are a pair of single-tenant headquarters buildings�Pacific Gas & Electric�s HQ at 245 Market St. and construction contractor Swinerton Inc.�s HQ at 260 Townsend St.

Built in 1972 of steel, concrete and glass based on the design of Hertz & Knowles, 100 Pine has known for its stingy water and energy use for some time. It was one of the first buildings in San Francisco to receive an Energy Star label and was voted Commercial Recycler of the Year for seven straight years starting in 2000 in a program sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

The sustainable measures employed at 100 Pine include:

• LEED-compliant Tenant Improvements (TIs): a commitment to green is emphasized by incorporating sustainability into its TI design and construction process. This allows a conversation with the customer about the environment to begin immediately.
• Energy Conservation: 100 Pine conducted an overhaul to its heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and added digital controls to make it more efficient.
• Energy Conservation: 100 Pine conducted an overhaul to its heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and added digital controls to make it more efficient.
• Water Efficiency: 100 Pine reduced the building�s water usage by approximately 50% by converting to �low flow� toilets. The HVAC upgrade also reduced water usage.
• Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products: The building replaced its cleaning chemicals, equipment and restroom paper products used by the janitorial staff with sustainable, environmentally preferred products which meet or exceed the CA EPA guidelines.
• Environmentally-Friendly Landscaping: 100 Pine worked with their landscaping company and shifted from annuals (which require continual change) to perennials and also uses only native, local plants that require less watering.
• Recycling: 100 Pine has been a leader in recycling for the past 10 years and has consistently been diverting 75% or more of its waste from landfill. Unico also has partnered with Green Citizen, a company that promotes “responsible” electronic recycling.
• Motion Sensors in Emergency Stairwells: Since emergency stairwells are rarely used, 100 Pine installed lights that operate with motion sensors instead of having these stairwells lit continually.

The whole story @ http://www.globest.com/news/1213_1214/sanfrancisco/172835-1.html?type=pf