Press Releases
Brookfield Hosts First Meeting of Greening Greater Toronto's "Greening Our Workplaces" Tenant Series
TORONTO, March 26, 2010 - Today Brookfield Properties hosted the inaugural meeting of Greening Greater Toronto's "Greening Our Workplaces" Tenant Series. The series is engaging the Toronto region's major tenants and landlords in a dialogue aimed at greater resource efficiency in commercial buildings.
Thirty representatives of Brookfield's tenants heard presentations from Greening Greater Toronto and Halsall Associates Ltd. on the business case for implementing energy reduction initiatives. Presentations identified some "quick wins" that can yield significant cost and energy reductions quickly, often with minimal investment. Some of the strategies mentioned include: energy use measurement, organizational changes, re-commissioning processes and retrofitting initiatives.
Brookfield strongly affirmed its commitment to partner with and support tenants in their efforts to reduce energy use. Brookfield described the energy efficiency measures it is taking at its First Canadian Place, Exchange Tower and Lombard Place properties. Major tenants BMO Financial Group and Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP also outlined retrofit initiatives they have undertaken, inspiring other tenants to take action to reduce their environmental footprints.
"In 2010, Brookfield Properties will continue to identify solutions and seek practices that reduce the carbon footprint of our business operations, including: pursuing LEED EB:OM certification for several properties across Canada, investigating renewable energy sources, and reducing overall energy consumption across our portfolio," said Stefan Dembinski, SVP Asset Management, Eastern Canada, Brookfield Properties. "In addition, we will continue to engage and work directly with our tenants, such as BMO and Gowlings, on joint energy and waste reduction plans; assisting in building a strategic framework to reduce the environmental impact of their operations."
"Commercial buildings account for 27 per cent of the Toronto region's carbon emissions," said Julia Deans, CEO of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, which initiated Greening Greater Toronto. "Simple organizational changes, using equipment differently and retrofitting can significantly reduce energy emissions, but the biggest impacts happen when commercial building owners and tenants cooperate. We hope that the 'Greening Our Workplaces' Tenant Series will inspire commercial building stakeholders to jointly achieve greater resource efficiency."
The "Greening Our Workplaces" Tenant Series will continue with four other meetings between major commercial building owners and their tenants. The series is part of Greening Greater Toronto's Commercial Building Energy Initiative which is aimed at breaking down the barriers to achieving greater resource efficiency in the GTA's existing commercial building stock.
- 30 -
About Greening Greater Toronto:
Greening Greater Toronto (www.greeninggreatertoronto.ca) is an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance (www.torontoalliance.ca), a coalition of thousands of civic leaders who develop and launch solutions to pressing social and economic challenges in the Toronto region. More than 170 partners from corporations, industry, government, and the non-profit sector have joined the Greening Greater Toronto initiative, which aims to make the Greater Toronto Area the greenest city region in North America. They and others are engaged in four initial programs to address the region's environmental challenges, including: driving a large-scale retrofit of Toronto region commercial buildings; creating a local emissions reduction fund; developing a green procurement initiative; and building a network of public education/demonstration centres.
About Brookfield Properties:
Brookfield Properties owns, develops and manages premier office properties. Its current portfolio is comprised of interests in 110 properties totaling 75 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa, making it one of the largest owners of commercial real estate in North America. Landmark assets include the World Financial Center in Manhattan, Brookfield Place in Toronto, Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles and Bankers Hall in Calgary. The company's common shares trade on the NYSE and TSX under the symbol BPO. For more information, visit www.brookfieldproperties.com.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Geller
Communications and Events Officer, Toronto City Summit Alliance
rebecca.geller@torontocitysummit.ca
(416) 992-4966 (cell)
(416) 309-4480 x509 (work)
Thirty representatives of Brookfield's tenants heard presentations from Greening Greater Toronto and Halsall Associates Ltd. on the business case for implementing energy reduction initiatives. Presentations identified some "quick wins" that can yield significant cost and energy reductions quickly, often with minimal investment. Some of the strategies mentioned include: energy use measurement, organizational changes, re-commissioning processes and retrofitting initiatives.
Brookfield strongly affirmed its commitment to partner with and support tenants in their efforts to reduce energy use. Brookfield described the energy efficiency measures it is taking at its First Canadian Place, Exchange Tower and Lombard Place properties. Major tenants BMO Financial Group and Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP also outlined retrofit initiatives they have undertaken, inspiring other tenants to take action to reduce their environmental footprints.
"In 2010, Brookfield Properties will continue to identify solutions and seek practices that reduce the carbon footprint of our business operations, including: pursuing LEED EB:OM certification for several properties across Canada, investigating renewable energy sources, and reducing overall energy consumption across our portfolio," said Stefan Dembinski, SVP Asset Management, Eastern Canada, Brookfield Properties. "In addition, we will continue to engage and work directly with our tenants, such as BMO and Gowlings, on joint energy and waste reduction plans; assisting in building a strategic framework to reduce the environmental impact of their operations."
"Commercial buildings account for 27 per cent of the Toronto region's carbon emissions," said Julia Deans, CEO of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, which initiated Greening Greater Toronto. "Simple organizational changes, using equipment differently and retrofitting can significantly reduce energy emissions, but the biggest impacts happen when commercial building owners and tenants cooperate. We hope that the 'Greening Our Workplaces' Tenant Series will inspire commercial building stakeholders to jointly achieve greater resource efficiency."
The "Greening Our Workplaces" Tenant Series will continue with four other meetings between major commercial building owners and their tenants. The series is part of Greening Greater Toronto's Commercial Building Energy Initiative which is aimed at breaking down the barriers to achieving greater resource efficiency in the GTA's existing commercial building stock.
- 30 -
About Greening Greater Toronto:
Greening Greater Toronto (www.greeninggreatertoronto.ca) is an initiative of the Toronto City Summit Alliance (www.torontoalliance.ca), a coalition of thousands of civic leaders who develop and launch solutions to pressing social and economic challenges in the Toronto region. More than 170 partners from corporations, industry, government, and the non-profit sector have joined the Greening Greater Toronto initiative, which aims to make the Greater Toronto Area the greenest city region in North America. They and others are engaged in four initial programs to address the region's environmental challenges, including: driving a large-scale retrofit of Toronto region commercial buildings; creating a local emissions reduction fund; developing a green procurement initiative; and building a network of public education/demonstration centres.
About Brookfield Properties:
Brookfield Properties owns, develops and manages premier office properties. Its current portfolio is comprised of interests in 110 properties totaling 75 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa, making it one of the largest owners of commercial real estate in North America. Landmark assets include the World Financial Center in Manhattan, Brookfield Place in Toronto, Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles and Bankers Hall in Calgary. The company's common shares trade on the NYSE and TSX under the symbol BPO. For more information, visit www.brookfieldproperties.com.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Geller
Communications and Events Officer, Toronto City Summit Alliance
rebecca.geller@torontocitysummit.ca
(416) 992-4966 (cell)
(416) 309-4480 x509 (work)
[ Current ] [ Archives ]