MINNEAPOLIS-NorthMarq, based here, has created a sustainability team to tackle green issues across the 400 properties it manages. Chuck Palm, an energy management expert at the company, will lead the team.
Palm tells GlobeSt.com that the team is really an expansion of the firm’s green efforts. He says he’s already worked with various firms to reduce energy consumption, including helping Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota reduce its energy use by more than 11% in 2009, and helping Deluxe reduce its energy use by more than 30% in the past three years. The company has been working with sustainability programs already, such as earning the Energy Star label for nearly 40 buildings across the country and achieving LEED designations for three million square feet of office and industrial buildings.
He says the team is dedicated to implementing sustainable practices and reducing the environmental impact of the facilities it manages. That commitment includes developing a comprehensive sustainability action plan for every NorthMarq-managed property, Palm says. Other efforts include development of a unified sustainability database, systemizing the process to make a building LEED qualified, and standardizing green practices within the company, he says.
“Sustainability is big news, with the most recent example the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico,” Palm says. “Everyone is joining in on sustainability, even tenants’ customers, where a certain percentage make purchasing decisions based on if the tenant has proof of making a positive impact on the environment.”
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