Hines extends its Green Office program

Hines has expanded its internal green office program, HinesGO, to a new audience, 4,300 office tenants occupying more than 120 million Hines-managed s/f in over 100 cities in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Panama, Brazil, China and Russia. Originally designed to enhance the sustainable features and operation of the space the firm itself occupies, the program has been adapted for Hines' tenant base in more than 650 office buildings around the world. Green Office complements the LEED Green Building Rating System and the Energy Star "Bring Your Green to Work" programs, drawing on Hines' 52 years of sustainable expertise attained through the development, management and acquisition of more than 1,100 properties. "Encouraging our tenants and their employees to make greener choices will pay off in environmental dividends, as well as in energy savings. Our own employees have embraced the program; and our tenants have been asking for advice. We hope this is only the beginning of an ongoing dialog of how we can all share responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Hines president and CEO Jeff Hines. Green Office is promoted through a tenant guide, distributed by building managers, which encourages tenants to identify and implement no-cost and low-cost alternatives to operating in a standard indoor office environment. Scored on a scale of 100, offices are evaluated in seven categories: Energy Efficiency, People & Atmosphere; Travel & Commuting; Reduce, Reuse & Recycle; Cleaning; Remodeling & Construction; and LEED. When a specific strategy or improvement has been implemented, participating tenants earn "Leaf Credits." If an office achieves 70 Leaf Credits, it is then designated as a Green Office. The program encourages tenants to conduct cost-benefit analyses for improvements that can be achieved at nominal cost. For example, with the installation of occupancy light sensors, the HinesGO scorecard indicates there might be some upfront investment, which will likely be returned through reduced operating expenses. Hines is a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, with more than 98 projects, representing approximately 65 million s/f that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED programs. Hines has also labelled more than 130 buildings, representing approximately 76 million s/f, in the Energy Star program.