This post answers a question posed by @jonat82 in a Twitter conversation:
How do you convince your property managers that greening the building is a financially sound investment?
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet argument for this one. Like the majority of small businesses you probably lease your facilities. If you do, you’ll find that some greening strategies require the cooperation of your landlord.
You may also find that your landlord does not yet see the financial benefits to making efficiency-related capital improvements because, in a typical commercial lease the landlord pays for improvements but the tenants, who pay the utility bills, reap the benefits of the savings.
Don’t give up hope.The inclusion of environmental criteria into relevant lease clauses, such as requiring Energy Star appliances or providing recycling services, are becoming more commonplace. So, the best time to talk to your landlord about greening is when you are signing or renegotiating your lease.
If it is not time to sign a new lease, however, you can steer your landlord to Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and their “Guide to Writing a Commercial Real Estate Lease, Including Green Lease Language” (a.k.a. “The BOMA Green Lease Guide”). It provides landlords with ideas on how to incentivize (allow) tenants to reduce the consumption of energy, water and materials; reduce waste; improve recycling; and choose energy efficient and environmentally friendly products, furnishings and office equipment.
The thing is, your landlord will likely want the right to pass through capital costs that result in lower operating costs for you. That may not be such a bad way to green your business: In the end, you’ll be greener and you won’t have to bear the upfront costs.
Photo: James D’Addio
About Jennifer Kaplan
