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Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB)
GRESB is the first effort of its kind on a global level to assess the sustainability of
real estate portfolios. While Cushman & Wakefield is not an investor and does not
report to GRESB, we are a Global Associate Member, demonstrating our belief
that industry benchmarking helps drive the global real estate market. In 2015, for
the second consecutive year, our New York City office hosted the GRESB global
survey results launch, which was attend by over 120 industry leaders.
U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Alliance
The Better Buildings Alliance is a U.S. Department of Energy effort to promote
energy efficiency in U.S. commercial buildings through collaboration with owners,
operators, and managers. The alliance asks members to commit to addressing
energy efficiency needs in their buildings, provides technical resources, and
connects peers. It has also played an integral role in achieving the Better
Buildings initiative of 20% energy savings by 2020. Eric Duchon, Director of
Sustainability at Cushman & Wakefield, served as Chair of the Commercial Real
Estate Sector’s Steering Committee in 2015. The committee shares best practices
and engages with technical experts to advance energy savings goals, and
represents 6.5 billion square feet of commercial real estate — equivalent to 40%
of all the floor space in the commercial real estate market.
City Energy Project
Cushman & Wakefield also lends support to the City Energy project, a joint
collaboration between the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and the
Institute for Market Transformation (IMT). The City Energy project supports the
belief that innovative, practical solutions that cut energy waste in buildings can
help reduce climate change risk. NRDC and IMT believe that the innovative
methods employed in pioneering communities at the forefront of sustainability
can be applied nationwide to create healthier and more sustainable cities. We
agree, and have supported municipal legislation (i.e. Atlanta) to require buildings
to measure energy performance via the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager system,
conduct audits, and practice retro-commissioning. We also believe that it is
critical to share large buildings’ energy use with the public, so that all owners and
occupants can easily see the relative energy performance of buildings.
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ENERGY & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT