Source: Sustainable Energy Guide 2012
admin Establishing a Baseline, Tips and Tricks

Green leases are lease agreements that ensure building owners and tenants work together to maintain a new or existing building’s green third-party certification through operations and management practices. A green lease is unique in that it prohibits the tenant from using the office or retail space in any way that conflicts with the landlord’s sustainability practices (including any third-party certification system). The landlord may prepare an Operations and Maintenance Manual for the building and require the tenant to comply with it.

Green lease agreements could include the following:

Reducing energy and water use

• Tenant space is sub-metered for electricity use.
• Compact fluorescent lights, occupancy sensors and other lighting improvements have been installed where appropriate.
• Interior lights throughout the building, except exit lights, are turned off at night.
• Appliances, computers and other technologies are Energy Star–certified.
• All faucets have aerators and showerheads that are low-flow (2.5 gallons per minute or less).
• Energy and water consumption is tracked and reported to tenants.
• If a lawn is present, it is not watered.

Avoiding toxic chemicals

• Cleaning supplies are certified by Green Seal or meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment standard.
• Janitorial service is committed to purchasing nontoxic cleaning materials and training staff on how to use them.
• Only organic fertilizers and pesticides are utilized for landscaping.

Recycling

• Recycling containers have been provided for newspapers and magazines.
• Containers for glass/plastic bottles and cans are provided.
• Fluorescent lights, batteries, old paint, and scrap metal are recycled.
• Appliances, computers and other technologies are recycled and/or refurbished when possible.

Many organizations in recent years have been working to provide green lease guidelines to assist building owners and tenants agree on terms for building operations and maintenance. Some of the best guides are listed below.

Resources

• BOMA International sells a guide to writing a green commercial lease.
• California Sustainability Alliance provides a “Green Leases Toolkit.”
• Green-buildings.com produced a micro-site devoted to issues relating to green leases. It includes guides to rethinking the traditional triple-net lease, “five must-have items” in an effective green lease and the specific lease provisions tenants and perspective tenants should consider when negotiating a green lease.
• Real Property Association of Canada offers a standard green lease for single building projects.