Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability in the Commercial Real Estate World By: Don Erb, University of Buffalo In the winter of 2020, I completed two brief videos for CRE Insight Journal relating to sustainability. The impact your company might have on the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability, articulated beautifully by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals was on my mind. Very simply summarized, the sustainable actions that people take personally and professionally have an impact locally, regionally, and nationally. Most importantly and often hidden is the effect that our collective actions have on planet Earth. For example, I recently had lobster in Boston at the BOMA International Convention a few weeks ago to celebrate my 40th Wedding Anniversary. Now, if the 60,000 inhabitants of Greenland were the only people eating lobster, the seas would be full of them because the supply would outnumber the demand. Unfortunately, the collective appetite for lobster by the planet’s inhabitants puts enormous pressure on the supply. What’s the point? Except for price, we don’t necessarily see the effect of overconsumption in our community but it is happening none the less. So it is with so many aspects of our life on Earth. As populations and demand continue to grow, the planet cannot keep up with what we are asking of her to supply.
also illustrates the fragility of the Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability with its interplay between social, economic, and environmental aspects (pillars). COVID has been a socio-environmental problem that the countries of the earth have had to combat with literally every tool known to humankind just to stay in business.
Some argue that climate change is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens through time and that we the inhabitants of mother Earth are just along for the ride, causing no negative effect that she can’t shrug off. We are seeing the effects in the form of weather events, record temperatures and topographical changes. All of which affect architecture, buildings and the people that work in them.
There are some wonderful examples of Sustainability Planning and Climate Action Planning available. The first two are directly from the CRE industry and great examples of an industry leader making impactful changes. Sustainability is a mindset, a way of life, and a lens in which organizations need to plan their future. What it is not is a tidy little package delivered to your home or business like an Uber Eats meal. You need to get started, get your hands dirty, experience trial and error and do it soon.
Commercial real estate professionals need to be aware of these circumstances and make proactive steps to protect their property and tenants. I see it this way. If I were on a busy two lane highway at night and a speeding truck was headed toward me, I guarantee I would not wait to see who was driving before I got out of the way. Neither should you. Neither should your company. Climate change must still be addressed, whether its natural or not.
A Few Certainties Some things are certain. First, the climate is changing, and weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe. According to the New York Post, nearly 1 in 3 Americans experienced a weather disaster this summer including October’s Bomb Cyclone in the Western United States. Second, what happens on one side of the world can and does effect what happens on the other side of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic not only illustrates that point but 30 Insight • Issue 4, 2021
Third, we, the inhabitants of the planet, can improve our future or we can be victims of it. We need to do this by creating personal and professional plans, and by leading by example for our networks and for our commercial real estate peers. The need to be sustainable has not gone away during COVID. Planet Earth has continued to change in virtually every category during the last 18 months.
Sustainability Planning and Climate Action Planning
The first example is Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Use the QR code below to find and download JLL’s 2020 Sustainability Report Sustainability (jll.com). This report details their sustainability strategy, goals, what has been done around the globe to hit their targets, and how COVID-19 accelerated their strategy. Their plan is great because it explains how they address several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Scan to Read Report
