Glenborough - Sustainability Initiative

Sustainability Program

Good environmental stewardship is everyone's business.

As a company, we are dedicated to pursuing programs and practices that demonstrate responsible leadership and our determination to preserve and enhance a sustainable work environment for our tenants, employees and visitors. We are committed to partnering with our employees, contractors, tenants and service providers to create successful results in sustainability throughout our management portfolio.

A Bias Toward Action...Right Now

Plenty of organizations these days have a "green vision." Few put it into action every day. Fewer still have been following sustainable building practices since long before the topic gained international awareness. Glenborough, a recipient of NAREIT’s Leader in the Light Award, is one of these organizations.

Our approach to environmental sustainability begins with a comprehensive company-wide sustainability management plan that incorporates energy management, waste management, water conservation implementing operational best practices and cost-saving upgrades. It continues with a forward-thinking construction diversion policy that directs construction and demolition debris from landfills and incinerators, redirects recyclables and channels reusable materials to appropriate sites. Our procurement policy favors suppliers with strong sustainability programs and products. Likewise, our building management processes use sustainable cleaning products and materials as part of our Green Cleaning Program.

Glenborough has successfully reduced consumption of lighting, heating and cooling at night by introducing day cleaning services while improving and personalizing the level of services it provides to its tenants. The day cleaning program has proven to provide average-sized office towers energy savings of up to 8 percent per year. It also improves tenant satisfaction by making cleaning staff available during peak working hours, providing building occupants with the service they request when they request it. We are showcasing day cleaning services in our Corporate Headquarters building in San Mateo. By making the switch in that building alone, we are reducing building energy usage by over 111,000 kilowatts annually while reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 77 metric tons per year. In total, operational costs have been reduced by over $.40 sf while also improving the building janitorial “cleanliness score” by 23%.

We are proud to recognize the important role played by all of our building staff, suppliers, strategic partners and tenants in our ongoing environmental awareness initiatives and efforts. Here are some of the other ways Glenborough and its tenants “lead by example” in the building management and leasing industry.

ENERGY STAR Top Performer
Glenborough—for the second straight year—was dubbed a “Top Performer” in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR program. The rigorous ENERGY STAR commercial building assessment process rates the energy performance of commercial and industrial facilities on a 1-100 scale. Those achieving a score of 75 or higher are eligible to display the ENERGY STAR label, indicating that they are among the top 25% of facilities in the country for energy performance. Commercial buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR use 40 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide than typical similar buildings—distinguishing their developers, managers and tenants as committed to reducing greenhouse gas emission and its impacts. Glenborough, LLC has achieved an average ENERGY STAR rating of above 80 across its entire portfolio of buildings. Among its California properties alone, Glenborough has achieved an impressive average ENERGY STAR rating of 84, with 96% of its California properties receiving the ENERGY STAR designation. Nationwide, over 90% of Glenborough's portfolio has been recognized with the ENERGY STAR label.

EPA's The National Building Competition
Glenborough’s 1525 Wilson Boulevard property in Arlington, VA was recognized as the “Top Finisher” in the office building category in the first-ever EPA National Building Competition. The competition challenged teams from fourteen buildings across the country to measure their energy use and work off the waste with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.1525 Wilson Boulevard reduced their energy use by over 2,300,000 kilowatts or 28 percent in just one year, saved over $250,000 on their energy bills, and reduced over 1,200 metric tons of CO2 emissions, equal to the electricity use of 148 homes for a year.

BOMA 7-Point Green Challenge
Glenborough has accepted the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) 7-Point Green Challenge to improve energy performance and pursue a portfolio-wide 30% use reduction.. The plan challenges members to reduce use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources, and waste production. It also encourages coordinated efforts with building management, ownership, and tenants to achieve specific goals regarding energy consumption and water usage, education to building operations professionals, regular energy audits, extended equipment life through better maintenance and leadership to positively impact the communities in which they live and work.

US Green Building Council
Glenborough is a member of this visionary organization dedicated to expanding sustainable building practices. Best known for developing and certifying buildings under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program, USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that work to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, healthy places to live and work. Members includes building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.

The Aventine, a Class A office property, located in La Jolla, California, has been awarded LEED® Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The Aventine is one of only three 20 plus year old multi-tenant office buildings in the United States that has earned the prestigious LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest level of LEED Certification. Constructed in 1990, the Aventine is comprised of an eleven story tower and an adjacent six-story building. Having an EPA ENERGY STAR rating of “100,” which is the top rating given by he ENERGY STAR, the Aventine achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other operational best practices. By using less energy and water, LEED certified building save money for businesses and taxpayers; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

Flex Your Power
Glenborough has effectively implemented more than 50 Energy Efficient Retrofit Projects in California improving the efficiency at several of its California properties. At 28 properties alone, Glenborough's energy efficiency upgrades have eliminated nearly 10 million kilowatt-hours of energy usage, reduced CO2 greenhouse gas emissions by over 2.5 million pounds and saved more than $1.5 million per year for the company and its tenants. In recognition of these industry-leading efforts, Glenborough earned California's "Flex Your Power" award in recognition of its leadership in energy efficiency—one of only 46 awardees selected from hundreds of applicants for the award.