YR&G Corporate Sustainability New York Denver Chicago
Sustainability Consulting, Education and Analysis T 303.952.5000 Firm Overview YR&G provides technical and strategic sustainability consulting services to organizations, buildings, and communities across the U.S. and internationally. We believe that the most sustainable outcomes occur at the intersection of people and technology, and we use this principle to guide our clients and projects to realize their highest potential. Through a combination of modeling, analysis, benchmarking, research, creative visioning, alignment, and education, we facilitate an integrated process and enable results through informed decisions. YR&G takes a multidisciplinary approach, linking the skills and knowledge of our core team of professionals - architects and engineers, teachers and business strategists, biologists and building scientists - to provide a broad and technically rigorous approach with a focused lens of sustainability. YR&G is organized into four key teams that work collaboratively to support a wide range of projects and client types. These teams include: Building Design + Construction We support project teams across the spectrum of development projects to optimize building design and construction practices. Services include: Charrette facilitation & process, design and technology optimization Energy, daylight, comfort, & cost-benefit modeling Commissioning & M&V Education & training Certification coordination (LEED, Living Building Challenge, etc.) Building Performance + Operations We work with facility managers, building engineers, property owners, and corporate real estate personnel to improve building performance and implement best practices across operations through: Benchmarking & performance measurement Retro-commissioning, audits, & energy efficiency implementation support Building operations policy & plan development Education, training, & occupant engagement Certification coordination (LEED-EBOM, etc.) Community + Neighborhood Development We support new and existing communities to become hubs of living and economic vitality including through: Community alignment & integrative charrettes Site energy & infrastructure analysis Master plan design support Energy & water resource mapping & analysis Green building guidelines Certification coordination (Green Communities, LEED-ND, etc.) Corporate Sustainability We learn the culture and market of each organization we work with to develop a comprehensive approach for managing sustainability initiatives, and supporting the implementation of those initiatives. Services include: Strategy & framework development Measurement, benchmarking, data collection, & reporting Portfolio green building guidelines & certification coordination (LEED volume, etc.) Education & training Sustainability marketing, media & branding YR&G was founded in 2006 and has offices in New York City, Chicago, and Denver. We are a Certified Women s Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) with the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and a Small Business Enterprise (SBE). New York Denver Chicago
Sustainability Consulting, Education and Analysis T 303.952.5000 Corporate Sustainability For companies and organizations, YR&G facilitates the development, adoption, and implementation of sustainability-related initiatives that are relevant and meaningful to specific company goals and industry expectations. Engaging all aspects of the business, from buildings and infrastructure, to management, procurement, reporting, internal and external messaging, human resources, and staff training we focus on establishing an appropriate strategic direction and associated action plan to drive key initiatives with measurable success in outcomes. To accomplish this we endeavor to understand the inner processes and culture of an organization, as well as relevant industry and market trends, drivers, vulnerabilities, or opportunity areas that can inform the content and direction of sustainability initiatives. We work with key internal players and stakeholders to establish appropriate goals, and facilitate critical alignment around those goals that is translated into an actionable roadmap for the company moving forward. Elements of the roadmap generally include a framework for internal initiatives such as design and planning criteria, corporate policies and processes, benchmarking, staff engagement, or more external initiatives such as reporting and third party certifications. Once these sustainability initiatives are underway, we help companies to leverage their accomplishments and intentions through education, communications, and marketing and PR efforts to help convey a consistent and meaningful story, internally and externally, and build community around the implemented initiatives in a way that is engaging and substantive. A selection of our relevant project experience is in the following pages. New York Denver Chicago
Select Corporate Sustainability Project Experience PCL Construction Starbucks Education and Training Starwood Corporate Sustainability Support Zappos Sustainability Support Citibank Building Portfolio Starbucks LEED Volume gyro Sustainability Support PepsiCo Sustainability Support UCAR / NCAR - Sustainability Management Plan HSBC Cheesecake Factory DirecTV
PCL Construction National Project Type Corporate PCL is the fifth largest general contractor in North America. Owned 100% by its employees, PCL has earned a spot on FORTUNE Magazine s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for eight consecutive years. To further its social commitments and positive work culture, as well as to reduce the company s environmental impact, PCL is developing a sustainability action plan to guide the company s operations. As an initial step in this process, the company is assessing impacts of the their office and construction operations. The impact areas will include waste, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions from building operations and construction activities. By undertaking this comprehensive assessment and implementation plan, PCL hopes to set an example for industry-wide best practices. YR&G Role YR&G is supporting PCL s efforts to understand, manage, and track sustainability impacts across the organization. After conducting research of industry-wide practices, YR&G worked directly with PCL s staff to develop the company s environmental impact assessment model and deliver a pilot environmental impact survey to five of the company s 31 locations throughout North America. The pilot survey outlines the company s impacts in different areas of its operations, including energy, water, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. Once the pilot survey is complete, YR&G will recommend specific environmental metrics to track across the company in the short and long-term. These metrics will be analyzed to develop a series of sustainability initiatives / best practices which will be translated into standard operating procedures across the company. Once the above steps are complete, YR&G will help PCL establish a protocol for ongoing performance tracking, data collection, and reporting. Systems and software for collecting and managing data (e.g. web-based information) and reporting capabilities A data tracking structure that indicates parties responsible for ongoing tracking, as well as well as a schedule for data maintenance An outline for ongoing reporting (internally, externally, or both)
Starbucks Green Building Education Global Project Type: Retail Stores Project Size: All new Starbucks (global) LEED: Various Owner: Starbucks Coffee Co. Starbucks Coffee Company established itself as a sustainability leader in the retail industry in 2009 by establishing a green building standard for all new Starbucks stores. As part of this effort, Starbucks joined the U.S. Green Building Council s LEED Volume Certification pilot program. The LEED Volume program allowed Starbucks to streamline green building efforts for all of its new stores around the world and step up its commitment to sustainability. YR&G Services Starbucks hired YR&G to facilitate and streamline its global rollout of the company s green building standards. YR&G worked with the Starbucks team to develop a comprehensive education program, and trained the team to deliver in-person and webbased trainings to employees and contractors around the world. YR&G also developed customized trainings for all of the major roles involved in the design and construction process for new Starbucks stores, including architects, engineers, contractors, store operators, and LEED managers. This green building education program was designed for English and non-english speaking employees and contractors in 46 different countries, making the training content highly visual, interactive, and experiential. YR&G also developed exercises, tracking tools, and sample documentation to support the trainings and green building implementation process. Guided the global rollout of the Starbucks LEED Volume / green building program for new stores Developed comprehensive green building / LEED implementation trainings for all major roles involved in the design and construction of new Starbucks stores Provided train-the-trainer trainings for the Starbucks green building team Developed highly visual trainings, exercises, tools, and LEED sample documentation for English and non-english speaking employees and contractors Supported the Starbucks goal to reduce new store energy use by 25%, water use by 40%, and provide 50% of modeled energy use with renewable energy
Starwood Element LEED Volume Support National Project Type Hotel Certification LEED-NC v2.2 (Silver & Gold) Owner LAPOUR Corporate Starwood Commissioning Synergy Engineering Starwood s Element Hotels became the first hotel brand to mandate that all properties pursue LEED certification and has since participated in the LEED Volume program to help streamline their sustainability efforts across the brand. The LEED Volume process resulted in a successful LEED Volume certification for the prototype design, the Lexington Element Hotel, located in Lexington, MA. YR&G Services Starwood hired YR&G to support their LEED Volume effort by providing design assistance and technical expertise for their prototype development, reviewing and coordinating documentation to comply with program requirements, responding to USGBC / GBCI review comments, and supporting the development of an education plan and quality control plan that would align with the company s existing internal processes and programs. YR&G was also involved in the Lexington project and utilized resources and tools developed under this project scope, as well as lessons learned and key requirements of the property as a base for Starwood s portfolio-wide program. Source Reduction Program Qualified for Energy Star label 90% Green Cleaning product purchases Indoor Air Quality Initiatives Education and Outreach to Local Green Building Community
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Global Project Type Existing Building Portfolio, Hotel, Marketing & Media LEED-EBOM, NC, Volume Various Owner Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Starwood is one of the world s largest hotel and leisure companies, with nearly 1,000 properties across North & South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. Starwood s sustainability program includes initiatives in energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste management, green building design, green house gas emissions, procurement, green cleaning, LEED Volume certification, and development of a corporate wide sustainability resource center providing an online hub for resources surrounding green building design, construction, and operations sustainability in Starwood hotels. YR&G Services YR&G provides strategic guidance and technical expertise to support the planning, development, and implementation of sustainability initiatives at the corporate level. This has included development of green design guidelines, corporate wide energy use reduction initiatives, LEED certification coordination (EBOM, NC and Volume), corporate wide environmental impact assessment and reporting, video communications, and sustainable operations resources and initiatives development. Coordinated LEED certification efforts at the flagship development of a new hotel brand, Element. The success of this effort led to a brand-wide commitment to LEED certification, which YR&G has continued to support through the development of tools and trainings, and Volume certification of the hotel prototype. Managed LEED certification efforts at the new corporate headquarters, which has received LEED XXX certification. Authored and analyzed a sustainability best practices benchmarking survey to establish baseline practices across the company s portfolio of hotels and identify leading practices Established a data collection and management system to allow for compilation of annual energy, water, and waste performance data for each hotel Calculating greenhouse gas emissions annually and developing content for each year s Carbon Disclosure Project report Facilitating stakeholder groups in establishing environmental priorities, adopting initiatives, allocating resources, and setting environmental impact reduction goals and the associated metrics and methodologies Comparing Starwood s initiatives, performance, and targets to peer organizations Global commitment to reduce energy consumption by 30% and water consumption by 20% by 2020 (based on 2008 baseline) in all owned, managed, and franchised properties Development of an online internal Sustainability Resources Center, which is used to communicate initiatives, provide initiatives, and track implementation and performance progress Developing a series of six short videos highlighting the sustainability attributes of the new corporate HQ to get staff excited about the move
Zappos Corporate Sustainability Support National Project Type Corporate The online shoe and apparel distribution company, Zappos, decided to add sustainability to their already impressive commitment to culture, staff well being, and customer service. Their challenge was figuring out exactly what sustainability meant for them and where to start. YR&G Role YR&G was brought on to provide leadership and guidance in the development of an overarching sustainability strategy for the company. This included facilitating a multi-day planning session to discuss current practices and key areas of impact, develop goals, and identify possible hurdles. From the session, YR&G developed a sustainability roadmap to drive Zappos ongoing sustainability efforts. The roadmap includes a baseline of current energy and water use, and waste production, and supports ongoing activities related to existing building operations, future building design guidelines, staff education and engagement, communications, and performance tracking and reporting. Aligned corporate sustainability goals with the company s existing culture Developed a baseline of current energy and water consumption to inform the design of a proposed new campus Established internal sustainability champions Supported employee outreach and engagement Developed a roadmap for moving forward, which is currently being implemented
Citibank Retail Branches National Project Type: Retail Architect: TSC Design, Nelson Contractor: StructureTone, Bovis Lend Lease Mechanical: WB Engineering EE Liden Associates Citibank is one of the leading global financial services companies committed to addressing climate change and implementing strategies to reduce energy dependence. In 2007, Citi dedicated a budget of $50 billion (through 2017) to address global climate change, including $10 billion to reduce its environmental footprint through procurement, energy use and other green building practices. YR&G Role YR&G supported the development of a corporate-wide green building initiative for Citibank s retail branches. YR&G worked with corporate staff as well as design and construction team representatives to develop green building standards and policies that incorporate strategies to support the company s sustainability goals. In addition to providing design assistance and technical expertise, YR&G worked with key Citibank representatives and project team members to develop quality assurance processes and an education plan to ensure thorough and uniform implementation of this new design standards and companywide policies. To further support organizational implementation, YR&G collaborated with Citibank to develop an internal documentation process and resources to ensure compliance with the program. These tools and resources were incorporated into Citibank s existing knowledge management system and process, allowing project teams to easily adapt to new requirements and processes. YR&G also provided documentation coordination and review, and overall support and feedback for continued program enhancement. Developed a data collection and knowledge management tool to allow for compilation of project specific metrics, tracking of process toward LEED goals and overall green building performance across the portfolio Worked with key organizational stakeholders to implement company-wide policies and programs including green cleaning, commissioning, 50% green power and at least 20% water use reduction at every participating branch Developed a series of six trainings which were recorded and translated into four languages to communicate Citi s specific requirements, approach, resources, tips and tools as they relate to the green building and LEED Volume requirements for the branch facilities Provided ongoing assistance to individual project teams to support streamlined integration of the green building program, including on-call support and documentation coordination and review Coordinated LEED certification for the initial group of 19 Citibank branches throughout North America