TOBY Award Recognizes Office Tower for Attention to Green Practices and Environmental Stewardship

Myrna Coronado is General Manager of 77 West Wacker Drive, recent winner of BOMA’s North Central Regional TOBY (The Office Building of the Year) Award for excellence in office building management and operations in the 500,000 to 1 Million Square Feet category. The building will now advance to the international level of the competition, with the winner to be announced July 24, 2007 in New York .

Coronado has been in commercial real estate for over 10 years and has worked for the building’s management company, Prime Group Realty Trust, since 1999. A long-time Green advocate, Coronado has brought that conviction to every building she has managed. She entered 77 West Wacker for the TOBY in hopes of raising environmental awareness among commercial office property managers. To date, three other Chicago structures ( NBC Tower , managed by Cushman & Wakefield ; 211 West Wacker Drive, managed by Ameritus; and 330 North Wabash , owned and operated by Prime Group Realty Trust) have followed her lead by adopting Green practices.

 

Ashkin Group : Tell me a little about your building and why it was recognized with the TOBY Award.

Coronado : The 77 West Wacker Building is a trophy Class A, 50-story, 950,000+ square foot office tower located in the central b usiness district of Chicago. I applied for the TOBY primarily because I wanted to showcase how our management team surpasses the baseline of good commercial property management by implementing greener practices and displaying civic concern and responsibility for wildlife, energy and environmental conservation. BOMA cited our creative recycling program, green cleaning initiatives, energy conservation efforts and occupant health programs among the primary reasons for the award. They also recognized us for our use of LEED guidelines to maximize operational efficiencies and minimize environmental impact related to energy and the atmosphere.

Ashkin Group : What made you decide to implement the program and how long did it take to achieve?

Coronado : Steve Ashkin advised the developers on green practices when 77 Wacker was originally being built, so about three years ago we invited The Ashkin Group back to perform an audit on how we could enhance our existing green practices. After the audit, the building implemented a Green Cleaning pilot program that reduced 12,965 pounds of volatile organic compounds by switching to low-VOC cleaning products. We also introduced High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuums, which catch many fine particulates such as pollen, mold spores, and dust. These efforts made clean air strategies part of the day-to-day building management policy and helped us be more responsible caretakers of the environment.

Ashkin Group: Can you describe some of the changes that you have made?

Coronado : One of the biggest and most cost-effective changes was the implementation of an active recycling program. In 2002, we were paying approximately $5,000 per month to have the building’s trash hauled. By implementing an active recycling program, we were able to actively separate the fiber from the wet trash on site. This practice reduced the trash hauling frequency and the tonnage fees associated with waste removal, reducing our operating expenses for waste removal expenses to $500 per month. In 2006, 77 West Wacker participated in “Clean Out Your Files Day,” a citywide workplace recycling competition connected with Earth Day and promoting workplace recycling. We won in the Business Category and were recognized by Mayor Richard M. Daley. The changes we made to our cleaning program improved worker safety, while reducing labor costs, chemical usage and risk.

Ashkin Group : What made you so successful in implementing these changes?

Coronado : It takes a strong level of commitment and leadership to implement a program such as ours. The other key to success is educating workers and tenants as to what recycling and a clean air program can accomplish and remind them of how it makes a difference every day. Over time, the tenants have come to appreciate the recycling program because it is simple and easy to maintain. The cleaning staff supports the clean-air program because they know more about harmful chemicals and how eliminating them from our environment can make a difference in their personal health and in the air we all breathe.

Ashkin Group : What benefits have you seen as a result of your Green Cleaning program?

Coronado : There has been a reduction in operating expenses and an increase in environmental consciousness among tenants. The tenants, management team and building staff have embraced the program and seem to have a harmonious sense of what they are doing everyday to help the environment. It seems so easy for companies and large corporations to pass the responsibility down the line, but we have been able to get management, workers and tenants to work together as a team and understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect our environment.

Ashkin Group : What advice would you give another building considering going Green?

Coronado : I have actually received many calls from property managers at other buildings. I tell them that they should start with “small steps,” that they have to be committed to the program and that it isn’t as difficult as they may think it is. I refer many of them to the Delta Institute and Recycling Services, Inc.

Ashkin Group : Do you have any plans in the future to expand on your green practices and if so, in what way?

Coronado : I recently served on a panel hosted by ShoreBank at DePaul University to discuss the opportunities available for greening your operations. The discussions ranged from procurement and maintenance to energy management and green design. All of the presenters were enthusiastic with real messages of success. We are all pioneers in this, so we get together from time to time to share ideas and to serve as resources for one another. As far as future plans to expand our green practices at 77 West Wacker, in January 2007 we successfully launched a plastics, glass and aluminum can recycling program. We are truly working for a greener tomorrow.