Liberty Property Trust | Greater Philadelphia Green Business Program

Liberty Property Trust

Membership Level: Silver

Malvern, Pennsylvania
Number of Employees: 211
Company Website: http://www.libertyproperty.com/
Charter Member

Liberty Property Trust is committed to the sustainable design, development and operation of our real estate portfolio. As a leader in our industry, we strive to create work environments that limit resource consumption, improve building performance and promote human health and productivity. We recognize that every business decision has a potential impact on our environment, and we are committed to understanding and reducing these effects. We believe that high performance buildings and environmentally responsible business operations are not only good for the planet, they create value for our tenants, shareholders and employees.

How green is our business? Below is a list of Green Business Program checklist actions we've taken to reduce our impact on the environment.

Energy » General

Q: Conduct an informal internal energy audit of your facilities (assess and implement simple measures to reduce energy consumption).
Q: Have an outside firm conduct a formal energy audit of your facilities.

Energy » Office Equipment

Q: Establish purchasing policy to only purchase Energy Star or energy efficient equipment and appliances.
Q: Insulate all hot water pipes, hot water heaters and storage tanks.
Q: Set all office equipment to go to standby mode when not in use (e.g. energy saver buttons on copiers). Turn off equipment when not in use for long periods of time (end of workday).

Energy » HVAC

Q: Implement weatherizing policy and measures (I.e. weather stripping, caulking, sealing unused space, not heating/cooling unused space).
Q: Institute and/or maintain a written maintenance program: Inspect permanent filters every 3 months and clean permanent filters with mild detergents when necessary (change replaceable filters every three months); check the entire system for coolant and air leaks, clogs, and obstructions of air intake and vents; keep the condenser coils free of dust and lint; keeps the evaporator coils free of excessive frost.
Q: Program HVAC system to reduce operations when building is unoccupied or use occupancy sensors to adjust set points.

Energy » Lighting

Q: Install bypass/delay timers for off-hour lighting.
Q: Install occupancy sensors on lights in places of variable occupancy, such as restrooms, private offices, storage, etc.
Q: Keep lighting fixtures, diffusers and lamps clean so that they are lighting as effectively as possible (dirt can reduce lighting efficiency by up to 50%).
Q: Maintain (and adhere to) a written policy to turn off office lights when leaving for more than 15 minutes and post reminders.
Q: Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or LED lights. Use halogen lamps only for low wattage task and spot lighting.
Q: Replace magnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts and install T-8 or T-5 lamps.
Q: Replace standard fluorescent lights with low- or no-mercury fluorescent lights that are higher efficiency.
Q: Use daylight sensors in lighting systems.
Q: Use LED fixtures for all emergency/exit lighting.
Q: Use photocells for exterior lighting and/or areas with significant natural daylight.

Leadership and Education

Q: Designate a green office advocate or working committee.
Q: Actively encourage employees to adopt sustainable practices outside of work, and provide resources for doing so (such as discounted compact fluorescent (CF) light bulbs).
Q: Appoint management level sustainability officer.
Q: Assess and track your firm's/facility's (ies') Philadelphia region estimated baseline carbon footprint. (Use of the calculator provided by Pennsylvania Environmental Council is strongly encouraged; however, a member may assess its carbon footprint using the protocols identified below (see NOTE).)
Q: Develop and implement a written plan to reduce carbon footprint.
Q: Distribute an external green e-newsletter on at least a quarterly basis.
Q: Host regular green awareness events within the company.
Q: Post and maintain your current Greater Philadelphia Green Business Commitment Self-Certification Report (this checklist) on your external website.
Q: Promote sustainability initiative and forthcoming changes, strategies, and objectives within company on a regular basis to raise consciousness and add transparency of the initiative.

Operations & Procurement » Facilities / Janitorial

Q: Buy low or no VOC paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants for surface coating projects.
Q: Buy toilet paper, tissues and paper towels that have 35%-100% post-consumer recycled content.
Q: Reduce or eliminate the use of chemical pesticides by implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) program which utilizes planting locations, pest resistant plants, proper irrigation and cultivation procedures, biological controls and less toxic pesticides to prevent pest harborage. If using a pest control contractor, specify IPM techniques in contract.
Q: Use green cleaning techniques and products, including low-toxic, biodegradable cleaners, and properly dispose of expired materials.
Q: When renovating, use eco-friendly flooring, such as CRI green label plus carpeting, CRI green label carpet pads, and floorscore certified flooring (bamboo, natural linoleum, cork, etc.).
Q: When replacing furniture, phase in low-VOC furniture.

Operations & Procurement » General Practices

Q: Choose vendors who can articulate sustainable practices.
Q: Maintain (and adhere to) a sustainable purchasing policy (Energy Star equipment and appliances; recycled content, biodegradable paper products; energy-efficient, lowmercury lamps; plastic products; food products; building/renovation materials). Consider and favor products that are recycleable at the end of their useful life.
Q: Use local businesses for products and services whenever possible.

Operations & Procurement » Office

Q: Print materials with soy or other low-VOC inks.
Q: Purchase copy, computer or fax paper, letterhead, envelopes and business cards with at least 35% post consumer recycled ontent.
Q: When purchasing new printers, buy ones with duplex capability.

Transportation » Fleet

Q: Carefully plan delivery routes and errands to eliminate unnecessary trips.
Q: Convert company vehicles to lowemission/fuel efficient vehicles (hybrid and/or using natural gas, electricity or alternative fuels).
Q: Make 50% of company fleet zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) or ACEEE 40 or less rated.

Transportation » Commuter

Q: Encourage commuter alternatives by informing employees, customers and others who visit your office about various transportation options (post bicycle route maps, transit schedules, commuter ride sign-ups, etc. in a visible area for employees).
Q: Operate a car pooling message board for employees who drive.
Q: Sign up for commuter benefits such as TransitChek for employees.

Transportation » Business Travel

Q: Use teleconferencing to cut down on amount of business travel.

Waste Reduction & Recycling » Policies

Q: Conduct a waste audit of your facilities.
Q: Donate or exchange unwanted but usable items (furniture, supplies, electronics, scrap materials, computer disks, etc.) to schools, churches, hospitals, libraries, nonprofit organizations, museums, teacher resource organizations, etc.; or enroll in a waste exchange program.
Q: Make it easy for employees to recycle by placing clearly marked collection bins in convenient locations. Post signs and/or train employees regarding recycling policies and procedures in the office.

Waste Reduction & Recycling » Paper

Q: Encourage employees to read, highlight and comment on documents on the computer screen whenever possible.
Q: Institute written policy encouraging the use of the size reduction feature in photocopying (e.g. print two pages of book on one page).
Q: Maintain (and adhere to) a written policy of "green printing practices, including duplex printing, draft printing, and utilization of scrap paper.
Q: Minimize misprints by posting a diagram showing how to load special paper, such as letterhead.
Q: Purge your own mailing lists to eliminate duplication.
Q: Recycle (after full use/reuse) all paper products that your recycling vendor will accept.
Q: Recycle toner cartridges, cell phones and dry cell batteries.
Q: Return labels from duplicate mailings and subscriptions requesting all but one be removed.
Q: Write "refused" on unwanted first class mail and return to sender.
Q: Write to or call senders requesting removal from mailing list to reduce junk mail.

Waste Reduction & Recycling » Food & Beverage

Q: Recycle food and beverage containers (all glass, #1 & #2 plastic and aluminum containers).
Q: Supply water through a fountain, cooler or tap; eliminate bottled water.
Q: Use refillable containers of sugar, salt & pepper, half & half, etc. to avoid individual condiment packets.

Water Management » Interior

Q: Change window cleaning schedule from "periodic" to "as needed.
Q: Install low flow aerators with fl ow rates not to exceed 2.2 gpm for sink faucets and lavatory sinks and 2.5 gpm for kitchen sinks, and 2.5 gpm (or lower) low fl ow showerheads.
Q: Install low flow, self-closing faucets, either infrared or spring-loaded.
Q: Reduce water pressure to no higher than 70 psi by installing pressure-reducing valves with pressure gauge.
Q: Regularly check for and repair all leaks in your facility (toilet leaks can be detected in tank toilets with leak detecting tablets. Train your staff to monitor and respond immediately to leaking equipment.
Q: Replace all pre-1992 toilets with 1.6 gpf toilets. Provide additional urinals in men's restrooms & reduce number of toilets. Replace non-efficient toilets (>3.5 gpf) with ultra high efficiency toilets (< 1.2 gpf).
Q: Replace all urinals with models that fl ush at no more than 1.0 gpf. Replace non-efficient urinals with new ultra low-fl ow (<0.5 gpm) or install waterless urinals.
Q: Understand your water bill and review it monthly for indications of leaks, spikes or other problems.

Water Management » Exterior

Q: Clean concrete or asphalt surfaces by vacuuming or using equipment that collects and reuses dirty water.
Q: Ensure that your sprinkler and irrigation systems use water-saving best practices, including: optimizing spacing and avoiding runoff onto paved surfaces; using water efficient drip irrigation or soaker hoses where feasible; using water during non-daylight hours; using rain shutoff devices; regularly repairing all broken/defective valves; test systems 4x/year.
Q: Have a written maintenance procedure for all storm water retention and detention basins.
Q: If company owns any vehicles, routinely check for leaks and keep a spill kit handy to catch/collect spills from leaking company or employee vehicles.
Q: If you need to use water to clean concrete or asphalt surfaces, use "dry sweeping," water efficient "spray brooms," or low fl ow (<3 gpm) spray nozzles with automatic shut-off rather than a garden hose.
Q: Keep receiving, parking, landscaping and dumpster areas clean and free from litter, oil drips and debris and keep dumpsters covered when not in use.
Q: Plant gardens and ground cover that minimize water use and erosion: native or adapted, drought tolerant ground cover or shrubs instead of turf; permeable pavers; plant drought-tolerant turf if necessary; group plants with similar water requirements together on the same irrigation line ("hydrozoning"). If possible, plant and maintain a street tree or sidewalk garden with droughttolerant plants next to your business to allow for more natural absorption of water and less run-off.
Q: Regularly check and maintain storm drain openings and basins that are located on your property. Keep litter, debris and soil away from storm drains.