by Brianna Crandall — May 11, 2016 — The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada recently introduced BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplaces, a tool designed to lead any organization to an environmentally sustainable workplace.
BOMA Canada, the voice of the Canadian commercial real estate industry, has over 3,200 members who oversee in excess of 2.1 billion square feet of commercial real estate across the country. BOMA BEST is a unique, voluntary, national program designed to assess environmental performance and management of existing buildings across Canada.
According to BOMA Canada, many of its partners have begun the greening process, but they lacked a comprehensive plan — “a blueprint to build healthy, vibrant workplaces.” BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplaces will not only validate what organizations have already done, it will give them a roadmap to improve key performance indicators.
The standardized framework requires organizations to benchmark, monitor, and set goals in seven areas over which tenants typically have some measure of control: energy, water, waste, e-waste, construction and renovation, procurement practices, business and employee travel, and indoor air quality (IAQ).
In order to assure the program’s success, five organizations including Bentall Kennedy and East Port Properties, as well as some of East Port Properties’ tenants, completed a pilot program and were asked to provide their feedback. This included their thoughts about the process, results, and any recommendations for improvement.
BOMA Canada says it quickly discovered that many of the tenants of the pilot program, who had a green mandate, were already doing much of the work required to earn certification. What was missing was a blueprint that gave them the ability to record what had already been done and set a plan for continuous improvement.
The Sustainable Workplaces program is available to all types of workplaces. The introductory yearly cost to certify a workplace is $375 per office plus $1 per full-time-equivalent (FTE) employee. Charities and nonprofits receive a 50% discount.
To learn more about BOMA BEST Sustainable Workplaces, visit the BOMA BEST Web site.
