CaGBC launches ‘Disclosure Challenge’ to champion building data transparency
Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) launched the CaGBC Disclosure Challenge initiative to support and champion the importance of data transparency in the Canadian real estate market and encourage broader uptake of benchmarking programs across the country
Read more GRESB Data Quality: Progress through platforms
In the quest to achieve data quality, sustainability and cost savings, it’s important to align, not compete, with global initiatives like the GRESB Data Quality Standard. While surface-level data from bills and meters show us symptoms of poor performance, impactful action requires deeper knowledge of the root cause. To reach that root cause, we need timely, accurate equipment performance data.
Read more Digital Infrastructure Part 1: Energy
The internet is big, and it is growing bigger. This is what happens on the internet every 60 seconds, and it is but a tiny snapshot of everything that happens. Our digital lives are becoming increasingly dependent on this network, but this is having an increasing physical impact too. Alongside the visible infrastructure that crisscross […]
Read more A Performance-Based Future for Real Asset ESG Reporting
During the past decade, GRESB has worked closely with institutional investors to create a global benchmark for the environmental, social, and government performance of real assets. This long-term effort has been rooted in the belief that information should be aggregated to the level of an investable entity — a company, fund, JV, or similar vehicle […]
Read more 2019: Trends in Sustainable Real Assets
2018 was an exciting year for sustainable real assets, as more assets were required to participate in benchmarking or disclosure. As a result, we shifted from talking about regulatory and compliance obligations and costs to sustainability as a value-add driver of cashflow and asset values. The federal government’s retreat only increased the focus on sustainable […]
Read more Towards zero – a targeted approach
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recent report gave a stark warning that current pledges from governments are not enough to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. In order to avoid this, we need to be aiming for a maximum of 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels. Current INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) to 2030 mean that […]
Read more How to have your company thrive in 2019 and beyond
We are living in a different era. Data is the new oil and companies are now increasingly awash in information being piped in from the internet, from email, from internal accounting, asset management, tenants, vendors, partners and other stakeholders in your business. That doesn’t even begin to consider the impending deluge of data that sensors […]
Read more The Role of Data in Reducing Risk and Driving Performance
In the fast-paced, seemingly ever-changing landscape of the real estate industry, in an effort to gain a competitive edge, organizations are continually striving to adopt the latest systems and practices. There is also an increasing focus on embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters at the core of business, to ensure that all development is sustainable. […]
Read more Real Estate Sustainability Performance (& Skydiving)
Skydiving can make you anxious. You may be reluctant to try it, you may not even entertain the thought of doing it. You’d certainly want to know that safety has been thoroughly planned, that you’re dealing with an experienced crew and a plane that actually works. Once you do it though, you’ll probably love it, […]
Read more What’s the purpose of knowing how much energy you are wasting if you can’t do anything about it?
Peter Drucker wrote, “What gets measured gets managed.” Thanks to advances and cost declines in sensor and communication technology, facilities are collecting more measurements than ever before. But to what end goal? Minimizing energy consumption and achieving performance targets has to respect the comfort of the tenants – turning out the lights while your $100k+/yr […]
Read more Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building – Performance certified project prioritizes carbon emissions as key metric
With its achievement of Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building – Performance certification in June 2018, Bentall Kennedy’s 100 Murray Street building in Ottawa highlights how any high-performing existing building can reach zero carbon emissions.
Read more Lessons Learned: How to Improve in 2019
Last year was the year of resilience. We looked not only at our buildings but also our people and our business as a whole. – Jeannie Renne-Malone, Prologis
Read more A New Focus on Water
Across the United States, and more broadly across the globe, water scarcity is expected to impact more than half the world’s population by 2030[1]. A 2014 study performed by the Government Accountability Office found that 40 out of 50 states in the United States are likely to experience a shortage of freshwater within the next […]
Read more What is Investment Grade ESG?
Investment Grade ESG. What makes your data “investment worthy”? What practices can you incorporate into your sustainability initiatives to become a leader in the movement? If you’re interested in these questions, and you missed the dynamic conversation with Ragnar Martens, Director IT & Analytics, GRESB and Matt Ellis, CEO, Measurabl, you can still watch below. […]
Read more Algonquin College – Where Education and Sustainability Combine for a Greener Future
When Algonquin College made a commitment to become a more sustainable institution for future generations, it turned to Siemens to help achieve its goals. For more than 25 years, Siemens and Algonquin College have partnered to work towards an ambitious goal of ensuring the college reaches a zero net carbon footprint by 2042. A perfect […]
Read more Carbon Shift: Why Energy is Fading as a Key Performance Indicator
One of the benefits of early participation in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment was that it helped real estate portfolios improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) -related policies and management systems.
Read more Net Zero and Science Based Targets- Connecting the Dots
I was recently asked how Science Based Targets are connected to Zero Carbon Buildings – hmmm, I thought, interesting question. Let’s start with the definitions.
Read more Net Zero Energy: Homes designed for the future
With rising energy bills a concern for any tenant, the ability to generate more income through living in a zero-energy home can offset any worries about investing on a smart design. Financing such a project is the trickiest part but it has now been proven that the benefits and returns provide a viable and […]
Read more Greenbuild Europe 2019 to be held in Amsterdam
The 2019 event will take place March 19 and 20 in the Netherlands. Mark your calendars: Greenbuild Europe 2019 will take place March 19–20 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Preconference workshops will be held March 18. Greenbuild Europe is the premier annual conference for European green building professionals. Attendees worldwide across a variety of industries—including architecture, engineering and […]
Read more evolv1 becomes Canada’s first Zero Carbon Building – Design certified project
The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has awarded Canada’s first-ever Zero Carbon Building – Design certification under the Zero Carbon Building Standard to the uniquely modern evolv1 urban office building in Waterloo, Ontario.
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