Abundance Blog
News and ideas from Paladino's team of industry leaders.
What property owners should do now that ENERGY STAR may have pulled back
By Darren Bruce
When the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last August that it was going to update its ENERGY STAR rating system, the reaction was positive overall. After all, the 26-year-old rating system, which generates scores of one to 100 to…
Five changes to GRESB that every participating company should know about
In 2017, 850 property companies and funds, jointly representing more than $3.7T in assets under management, participated in the GRESB Real Estate Assessment. And more than 70 institutional and retail investors use GRESB data and analytical tools to engage with…
ENERGY STAR scoring is about to change
ENERGY STAR compares a building’s energy performance to that of similar buildings nationwide, and buildings have become more energy efficient in recent years. This is good news! It also means that if you benchmark properties in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager,…
Revolutionizing the standard green lease
By Kim Pexton
What is a green lease and why are they useful? The DOE Better Buildings Initiative has made a bold statement calling 2018 the “Year of the Lease”. As more building owners, managers, and tenants incorporate environmental stewardship and sustainability into…
Let’s discuss the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High-Rise Program
By Brian Walker
The Multifamily Residential Market Economy In a construction market that has been slowly recovering since the end of The Great Recession, multifamily housing has been the brightest star. The demand for rental housing has been on a steady climb since…
Energy models in the era of the virtual workforce
I’ve worked on energy models for everything from local schools and libraries to towering hotels and multifamily high rise. The bigger the building or the more innovative the design, the more important it is to get an energy model. Energy…
Two Liberty Center goes for the Gold—and wins
Two Liberty Center, an Arlington, Virginia, mixed-use development with office space, residences, and retail, has been committed to sustainability since its opening in 2007. The property has achieved ENERGY STAR certification; was awarded the 2010 Award for Excellence by the…
Federal environmental oversight is good for business
(source) The current administration wants to shrink the role of the federal government, turning oversight and control over to the states in many cases. This dialing back of federal oversight affects building owner authority, financing regulations, and environmental regulations. Where…
Funding Sustainability – Green Bonds on the Rise
Funding. It’s one of the most common struggles when trying to move a sustainability project forward. Fortunately, a new form of capital for companies committed to environmental-related projects is on the scene - Green Bonds. What Makes a Bond Green?…
Lessons Learned from Paladino's LEED v4 Gold Rating
By Brad Pease and Megan Snyder
Just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Paladino and Company, our headquarters office in Seattle has become the first LEED v4 certified project in the Northwest. We achieved a Gold rating using the LEED Commercial interiors program. It…