Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Cushman & Wakefield-Orlando embarks on environmental initiatives

ORLANDO, FL-– As the first real estate services firm in the country to commit to environmental Best Practices under a formal agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) Cushman & Wakefield sent a powerful message that they mean business when it comes to greening commercial real estate practices.

The Orlando branch of C&W is keeping step with this national policy by instituting a number of green initiatives to enhance energy efficiency, improve resource management, and reduce the carbon footprint of their offices.

C&W-Orlando has initiated three local sustainability projects:

1. Sponsoring associates who wish to seek the U.S. Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Professional Accreditation;
2. Identify and transition into new sustainable offices;
3. Forming a local "Green Team" responsible for compliance with corporate sustainability goals, as well as initiating creative sustainability practices for the Orlando office.

Already, the LEED sponsorship program has produced results. C&W Industrial Director Lee Morris (top left photo) received LEED AP certification through this program, earning his designation late last month.

"LEED practice is just good business practice," says Morris. "Optimizing efficiencies builds stronger, more profitable businesses, with the end result being less waste and higher sustainability."

While many view sustainability practices as something to achieve after the economy improves, Morris says that now really is a great time to identify ways to improve your business’ efficiency.

"We’re in the process of establishing baselines for our clients which has allowed us to identify a lot of ‘low hanging fruit’ providing immediate, low-cost value. As the economy improves, we can evolve these efficiencies into initiatives that are higher-cost, with a higher return on investment," Morris said.


Other C&W-Orlando associates scheduled to complete their accreditation include Project Manager Tracy Thom-Palumbo who works with clients on construction, renovation and build-outs. Office Associate Betsy Owens and Portfolio Manager Michael Agnew also plan to seek LEED certification.

Contact: Brook Hines, Tel: 407-541-4401, brook.hines@cushwake.com

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