ONEPLANET is a Morguard Sustainability Initiative.
We want to demonstrate our responsibility to the community by launching an innovative program that highlights our commitment to sustainability.
We are hard at work to revise, optimize and run the most efficient shopping centers possible.
In an effort to continue to support our sustainability initiatives, we have a number of key projects that were completed in 2019/2020.
The washrooms were renovated from top to bottom. In the first quarter of 2020 upgrades included: new tiles, stalls, and energy-efficient toilets, sinks, and lighting. All interior lighting throughout the common area was improved with LED lights. Decreasing our energy footprint.
In 2019/2020, we integrated some green initiatives to make our centre more environmentally friendly. Some of these initiatives include:
Interior Lighting Retrofit
We replaced 589 pot light fixtures from 36-watt PLC to 12-watt LED. We had also replaced over 700 32W T8 with a 2.75-watt LED strip. The payback on these two systems is 3.28 years with energy saving in the 40% savings range and have increased mall lighting level in the process.
Exterior Lighting Retrofit
We replaced 31 1000-watt HPS lamps with 62 160-watt LED fixtures using the same pole. We are now saving approximately 780 watts per pole and have increased the overall lighting by 50%. The payback was approximately 3.8 years.
Recycling & Diversion Program
Bonnie Doon has completed its first full recycling station where we encourage customers to source separate all waste in the Food Court. We have also started a full grease capture program with Redux service where they come in monthly to clean out all the food services traps. We have started a program where we go to each food tenant and clean out their deep fryer and capture all cooking oil in more of an environmental manner.
HVAC
There is a planned annual replacement program in place at the centre to replace the original R22 HVAC units to a more efficient 410A unit. This would result in increased cooling, greater energy efficiency, and the elimination of HCFC.
General Operation
The outside maintenance equipment such as the sweeper, tractor, and maintenance trucks have or plan to be replaced with more energy-efficient models. Some of the specifics include a shift to diesel-powered vehicles from gasoline and the replacement of the site vehicle from a 6 cylinder to 4-cylinder smaller site truck. Our cleaning contractor uses only green cleaning products and conforms to the ISO 9000 guidelines.
Washroom Fixtures Retrofit
All the washroom fixtures in the centre washrooms have been replaced with energy-efficient toilets, sinks, hand dryers, etc
IT ALL ADDS UP
Together, with employees, tenants and investors, we achieved the following results in 2020:
- 5.8% reduction in energy use, enough to power 1,756 homes for a year
- 7.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to eliminating the annual GHG emissions from over 3,519 passenger vehicles
- 9.4% reduction in water usage, equivalent to 189 Olympic swimming pools
- 5,600 metric tons of waste diverted from landfill, equivalent to 552 garbage trucks of waste
- 14 LEED-certified green buildings in operation with 3 properties currently in the certification process
- 60 properties currently certified through BOMA BEST with 7 properties currently in the certification process
- 8 consecutive years of recognition as one of Canada's Safest Employers
- Morguard was also the recipient of 24 Green Building awards in 2020, ranging from industry to client-specific acknowledgments
Read more on Morguard’s 2035 long-term objectives.
DID YOU KNOW?
The world produces more than 400 million tons of plastics every year.
66% of bird species across North America are threatened due to climate change.
About 1.9 kilograms of non-recyclable solid waste is produced by each Canadian every day.
Up to 95% of textiles going to landfill each year could be recycled.
Canada's climate is warming twice as fast as the global average.
One-third of all crop production requires insect pollination.
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is a strategic priority for Morguard. Our approach to Responsible Property Investment (RPI) is a best practice in the Canadian real estate industry. Incorporating environmental, social and governance indicators into property business and capital plans, provides investors with critical insights and allows Morguard to manage and operate efficient buildings. With a direct correlation between RPI and investment performance, this process results in value creation and operational excellence.
Click Here to read the Bonnie Doon Sustainability Newsletter Spring 2022 Edition
