54
SOCIAL
INTRODUCTION
SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLICIES AND TRANSPARENT REPORTING
APPENDICES
2023 Employee Community Engagement Activities This year, our colleagues sought active community engagement through targeted events that improve environmental sustainability and community health and support women and youth in the community. Here are a few of the organizations at which our team members volunteered.
Harlem Grown
Bottomless Closet
A nonprofit organization that provides mentorship opportunities to youth in Harlem through hands-on education on urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. This year, our employees composted, weeded, added mulch to the flower beds, harvested several species of organic gourmet mushrooms grown in a Harlem basement, and planted seedlings. They had an essential role in the gardening process and learned about the incredible 24/7/365 hydroponic gardens in Harlem while preparing substrate. ESRT hosted 40 high-school-aged students at the Empire State Building for an interactive career panel with University Settlement, a historic NYC nonprofit that offers a full range of support from early childhood education and youth development to older adult programs, housing protection, art programs, and mental health care for all. In addition, ESRT donated refurbished laptops to University Settlement, with the goal to empower and provide IT technical support and equipment to elderly and nontechnical New Yorkers. A nonprofit organization that supports young women and gender expansive youth of color throughout NYC toward healthy and successful futures through free, innovative year-round programming and mentoring. Our sustainability team partnered with Stacks & Joules to lead a STEM curriculum for students to learn about building systems and energy efficiency, and how to decarbonize the Lower Eastside Girls Club building. Our Director of Energy and Sustainability volunteers in local NYC and national universities to teach students about the interdisciplinary nature of environmental sustainability, economics, data science, engineering, and policy to prepare them to make the techno-economic case for the development and implementation of beneficial initiatives in their careers. Some universities visited in 2023 include New York University, University of Virginia, Columbia University, Stanford University, and Cornell University.
The Bottomless Closet experience empowers women to feel confident and prepared to tackle interviews, start new jobs, and begin their journeys to self-sufficiency. ESRT provided financial assistance to resumé and interview preparation programs as well as collected donations of clothing, shoes, bags, and purses that can be used for interviews. We host a clothing drive for men’s professional clothing, to help homeless New Yorkers succeed in job interviews. Bowery Mission works with New Yorkers to overcome homelessness and marginalization with programs that provide meals, shelter, clothing, and community programs that offer vocational training, housing connections, counseling, and addiction recovery. Annually, we partner with the New York Blood Center to host multiple on- site blood drive events for employees and tenants who can donate. Our employees gave blood this year, enough to save at least 66 lives! 14 To assist with meal donations, we partnered with St. Francis Pantry, and ESRT colleagues made nearly 5,000 sandwiches in our breakroom. ESRT additionally donated funds to support this organization. Employees volunteered to plant native flowers and clean Mill River Park, a nonprofit that works to create a vibrant green space in the central park in Stamford, CT. A nonprofit that provides opportunities for Americans to express their gratitude to our military and first responders. Employees made 550 paracord lanyards, which can hold up to 550 Ibs. of weight. A paracord lanyard can be used to hang an IV bag, secure camouflage nets to trees or vehicles, build a makeshift shelter, or make a sling or splint.
Bowery Mission
University Settlement
Blood Drives
St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters Mill River Park Collaborative
The Lower Eastside Girls Club
Education
Operation Gratitude
14 https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/how-blood-donations-help/blood-needs-blood-supply.html
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST: 2023 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
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