We are truly honored to serve the Better Buildings Alliance Commercial Real Estate Steering Committee by exploring barriers of decarbonization and sharing best practices on how to overcome them.
Read about the contributions of many organizations in the 2023 Better Buildings Initiative Progress Report.
Over 1 billion individuals in 193+ countries mobilize for action every Earth Day. World climate leaders, grassroots activists, nonprofit innovators, thought leaders, industry leaders, artists, musicians, influencers, and leaders of tomorrow are all involved.
“Invest In Our Planet” is Earth Day’s 2023 theme, and in recognition of Earth Week, here are 52 daily actions and tips to make a difference every week (and day) of the year.
Also, we also encourage you to explore Green Seal’s certified products, facilities, and companies. For more than 30 years, they have accelerated market adoption of products and services that are safer for people and the planet and are uniquely positioned to help shift our economy from toxic to sustainable.
https://www.imt.org/news/partner-spotlight-corporate-sustainability-services/
The growing interest in ESG more broadly, to include high-performance, sustainable, healthier, safer, and more resilient buildings allows us to help organizations define for themselves what ESG and better buildings actually look like. Because companies, communities, portfolios, and buildings are all unique, we see integration of sustainability/ESG best practices as an opportunity to not only create value but also have a meaningful impact environmentally, socially and financially.
Mainly we’re helping our client navigate the complexity, particularly given that the level of change has been staggering. Our clients appreciate our ability to not just provide insights, perspective, and expertise, but also expediency. We help them move more nimbly, more quickly and yet do so with more confidence to work towards and achieve their goals.
Collaboration is critical. One thing I love about the sustainability/efficiency/ESG space is that people are more than willing to share knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices – and this collaboration makes all the difference. It’s the ability to connect with other leaders and partner with other organizations that allows us to scale and better serve our clients – too it’s what makes our work so rewarding and fun!
Public policy, disclosure framework evolution and regulatory related changes are front and center for us and our clients. Too, how these changes connect with decarbonization and our clients’ interest in carbon neutrality, has gone from “not interested” three years ago to “completely engaged” now. The SEC’s proposed rule changes (and even additional rules being considered), the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD)… there are too many to name and for most of our clients, these present challenges with “how to understand and digest” and more importantly understand the right way to address and prepare for these changes.
Better understanding of what climate related physical and transition risks actually are and mean for real estate investors, owners and operators. It’s one thing to know there are growing risks, and even to have software solutions to assess those risks, but it’s quite another thing to know how to respond to the information and integrate into both business processes, execution, and properties themselves to garner greater resilience.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., July 14, 2022 – Corporate Sustainability Strategies (CSS) has joined the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), a nonprofit that collaborates with building owners, tenants, governments, and others to promote energy efficiency in buildings.
“CSS is honored to be an IMT Ally Partner,” said Brenna Walraven, President and CEO, CSS. “Investors are increasingly requiring greater environmental, social, governance and resilience (ESG+R) transparency and performance benchmarking. We look forward to collaborating with IMT and bringing greater awareness of building performance standards (BPS) to address building efficiency as a means to reduce carbon emissions, and better community health, resilience, and economic opportunity.”
A BPS policy can include multiple standards, each targeted to increase performance for a different type and/or aspect of a building. These can include energy, gas and water use, as well as emissions and peak energy demand. These targets become stricter over time, driving continuous, long-term improvement in building stock. BPS complements and makes building energy codes accountable; the two work in tandem to improve building performance.
“ESG practices fall squarely into ‘the right thing to do’ category for not only a company’s ESG+R obligations but for their bottom lines,” Walraven said.
Resources
The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) is a national nonprofit organization focused on increasing energy efficiency in buildings to save money, drive economic growth and job creation, reduce harmful pollution, and tackle climate change. For more information, visit imt.org.
Corporate Sustainability Strategies is commercial real estate sustainability consulting firm. Services are client-centric, focused on driving enhanced financial returns by designing and implementing cost effective ESG+R strategies. For more information, visit corporatesustainabilitystrategies.com.
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Today, 1 billion individuals in over 192 countries mobilize for action every Earth Day. World climate leaders, grassroots activists, nonprofit innovators, thought leaders, industry leaders, artists, musicians, influencers, and leaders of tomorrow are all involved.
On April 22, 2022, EarthDay.org is hosting its Earth Day Live digital event – Nature in the Race to Zero. The global show begins at 8AM Eastern Time.
#InvestInOurPlanet is Earth Day’s 2022 theme, which examines the need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to keep the global temperature below 1,5°C.
In celebration of Earth Day’s 52nd Anniversary, here are 52 daily actions and tips to make a difference, every day of the year.
For more information on Earth Day visit www.earthday.org.
“Most stakeholders – from shareholders, to employees, to customers, to communities, and regulators – now expect companies to play a role in decarbonizing the global economy. Few things will impact capital allocation decisions – and thereby the long-term value of your company – more than how effectively you navigate the global energy transition in the years ahead.”
~ Larry Fink, CEO, BlackRock, 2022 Letter to CEOs
We’ve all been impacted by global, national, and local changes and challenges, yet we’ve found a way to be and stay connected to loved ones, clients, and community – demonstrating amazing resilience.
As we all look to the future, we hope our collective resilience has served our life experiences and professional growth in ways that make us better, happier, and that we can give back, have an impact, and always do our best.
We wish you a holiday season and a new year filled with hope, peace, and joy.
With gratitude,
Brenna S. Walraven + The Corporate Sustainability Strategies Team
Bridge Over Troubled Waters | CSU Fullerton, Center for Healthy Neighborhoods | Feeding America | Green Seal | Human Rights Campaign | Impact Giving | Lotus Campaign to End Homelessness | Monrovia High School Girls Volleyball | Urban Land Institute Foundation