Some of you
are already familiar with the BOMA BEST® environmental certification program
for buildings. Our teams are often asked to help clients such as Ivanhoé
Cambridge or Allied acquire this mark of responsible, respectful environmental
management for their buildings. Building certification is based on a score and
remains valid for three years. During that time, the owner and the manager
commit at the very least to implement the program’s best practices. The level
of certification obtained depends on the building’s performance in key areas of
environmental management such as energy, water, air quality, and procurement. But
what about tenants like us, who would also like to show their commitment to the
environment? How can we act when we have very little control over some of these
indicators?
Well BOMA
Canada has a solution. In 2016, the association introduced a new certification program:
BOMA BEST® Sustainable Workplaces, designed just for tenants. Instead of being
based on a score, this accessible, flexible certification requires that
candidates adopt a realistic environmental policy and implement it at the
appropriate time. To be certified does not require having control over the
building. Instead, the program determines what a tenant can and cannot control,
what is already being done or what is planned in future. The company sets its
own objectives and strives to upgrade them as progress is made. This policy
must set out the actions to be taken once the company gains some control over
its energy and water use, indoor environmental quality, recycling, materials
purchasing, and so forth. For example, a tenant may commit to efforts to
increase access to natural light for interior offices or to use healthier
materials and more environmentally friendly furniture when the time comes to
renovate its offices. Thus, regardless of the condition or location of the
office, the program sets a starting point for measuring environmental performance
in the short term, and ensuring continuous improvement.
Why are we
describing this program to you?
Contributor:
Marie-Claude Cabana
Senior Marketing and Communications Advisor
