BOMA rises to Bloomberg's green challenge at Action Day.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a Proclamation--and a challenge--while applauding BOMA/NY's Annual Energy Awareness (Action!) Day, held April 18, 2007, calling for the Association to take a leadership role in rallying its members to reduce greenhouse gases.

The Mayor stated his case, saying, "The energy consumed by New York's roughly 950,000 buildings is responsible for almost 80% of the greenhouse gases our city produces.... BOMA/NY's members represent nearly 400 million square feet of office space ... which empowers them to play a significant role in our city's efforts to reduce carbon emissions. We hope that today's conference encourages them to incorporate more environmentally sustainable elements into the buildings they manage."

The Mayor's words greeted a conference already geared for action, which started when the word Action! was added to this year's conference to ramp up the level of immediacy and can-do applicability of the presentations.

Held four days prior to the Mayor's Earth Day announcement of his far-ranging environmental vision, PlaNYC2030, the BOMA/NY conference featured a preview of that plan; case studies on achieving LEED for existing buildings, steam usage and how to use NYSERDA funding to fund energy-saving projects; updates on technology, the energy market and green power; and a trade show.

BOMA/NY was already meeting the challenge by powering a "green" conference--12,000 kWh of clean, renewable, wind-generated energy was purchased for the New York City grid by conference participant ES Partners, Inc. to cover the conference's energy consumption. The green purchase prevented more than 15,603 lbs of CO2 emissions from being deposited in the atmosphere-the equivalent to planting 1,061 continued trees or reducing one car's driving mileage by 13,533 miles in one year.

Keynote Speaker Brian Schwagerl, director of Real Estate and Facilities Planning for the Hearst Corporation, also picked up the challenge while delivering his insider's view on creating New York's only doubly-certified Gold LEED building.

He called on BOMA/NY to embrace the environmental movement, demonstrating through his talk how the impossible becomes possible.

When Schwagerl was put in charge of finding new facilities for Hearst, he immediately doubled the size of his team--from one to two. And since that time, "I always surrounded myself with the best."

His company was distributed among 12 locations and the ultimate solution he says, was the toughest route, but ultimately the most rewarding. Though Hearst had the pick of the city, including what became the Time Warner Center, its old headquarters had "always called out for a tower to be built above it." The intention was not green from the start, but due in part to Schwagerl's observations of the success of green buildings in Europe and the information he received from industry groups like BOMA/NY, the case was made to the Hearst Board to go green.

Through benchmarking its own facilities, analyzing the competition and studying office of the future analyses, Hearst grew greener. Schwagerl and what had now grown to a team, kept pushing and questioning how they could build the most sustainable tower while keeping the project financially feasible. Timing was also key--the tower was among the first to receive NYSERDA grants, which it used for green consulting talent. In turn, it became a showcase for NYSERDA support.

Questions kept being asked, explained Schwagerl, and innovation was the result. "For example, bicycle racks receive LEED credits--but bicycles are not practical in Manhattan." An urban equivalent compromise was struck--Hearst sunk $15 million into renovating the adjacent subway, even though, he points out, "we were turned down twice before getting approved."

Imaginative solutions and ingenuity blossomed and the tower became a way for Hearst to live its green commitment--from IAQ and HVAC, to the organic menu and sustainable materials of its Cafe, where food waste is mulched. Furnishings use recycled materials, finishes are low VOCS paints and coverings, lighting controls and water-reducing fixtures are used throughout, high performance glass dramatically reduces sun-load while enhancing light flow to the interior, and 80% of the construction materials were recycled.

Construction waste is the #1 bulk waste product in America, Schwagerl reminded the audience, and the real estate industry can make a major difference by recycling appropriately.

While much has been written about "Icefall", the indoor water sculpture that falls from a height of three stories, it almost did not come to be. Initially, a towering media wall was planned to represent Hearst's position as a communications powerhouse. But the green commitment won out and it is now not only the world's largest sustainable art project, it provides cooling and helps control humidification. Hearst's bottom line is not only green, it is black--its innovations ultimately resulted in a building that uses 25% less electricity than a competitive skyscraper.

It is the first carbon-neutral project in New York City, said Schwagerl, and became so without sacrificing light, air, comfort and spectacular views. And everyone at Hearst enjoys those views due to low-height systems furniture, a diagrid frame allowing far greater visual access, and designing corner spaces as conference rooms and breakout areas, as opposed to traditional private offices.

Working green, added Schwagerl, has been welcomed by the Hearst employees, a mostly female, young demographic.

Building green is no longer an option; it is a necessity to meet the greatest challenge our Earth has faced, Schwagerl explained, pointing out that it is also an opportunity, as a greener building is more valuable and financial viable; the additional 1.5% in costs is decreasing as sustainability becomes the norm.

Ironically, "people talk about the cost of going green--but no one asks about the other major new cost of our era--security. Build green," he concluded. "It makes us succeed as winners."