EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST: 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
This year our employees sought active community engagement through volunteerism through participation in events such as: • Harlem Grown: A non-profit organization that provides mentorship opportunities to youth in Harlem, NY through hands-on education on urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. • The Billion Oyster Project: A non-profit organization focused on the incorporation of volunteer efforts and education in biodiversity restoration of the degraded New York Harbor. • Start Small Think Big: A nonprofit that helps transform underserved entrepreneurs’ businesses with high potential and limited access to necessary resources into thriving businesses by providing pro bono legal, financial and marketing services. Individuals within the accounting department contributed to this initiative by providing bookkeeping and forecasting guidance to local entrepreneurs. During a short span of time, volunteers learned about the entrepreneurs’ specific businesses and provided practical advice and insights derived from their professional expertise. • Read to Lead: A nonprofit that introduces kids in underserved communities to technology that fosters literacy and teaches leadership and career skills at an early age. Employees participated in virtual career fair to provide insight on careers in commercial real estate. • NYC Parks: Employees have volunteered through NYC Park Partnerships to assist with community clean-ups in areas such as St. Nicholas Park, Coleman Playground, and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. • Blood Drives: Annually, we partner with the New York Blood Center to host an onsite blood drive event for employees who are able to donate. • Gallop: Employees assisted instructors during therapeutic horse-riding lessons. • Animal Haven: We partnered with a local animal shelter in our community to assist animals in need. • St. Francis Pantry: To assist with meal donations, we partnered with St. Francis Pantry to have 2100 sandwiches made/donated for those in need. Employees made sandwiches in our breakroom in our 111 W 33 rd Street office and contributed $1.25 per sandwich made, a total of $2,625. • Toys for Tots Drive: During the holiday season, both employees and tenants were encouraged to donate unused toys in our 111 W 33 rd Street location for children and families in need. Our diverse summer intern class was given first-hand exposure to the real estate industry and a chance to get to know both fellow interns and ESRT colleagues (including senior management). The internship offered real-life experience working on ESRT projects through shadowing and on the job training and an opportunity to work in our portfolio of properties. The interns were tasked with a group project to generate recommendations on how tenants can feel safe and confident in their return to the office. Recommendations were presented to Senior Management Team at the conclusion of the program. The interns also hosted a volunteer event to beautify a street in Harlem in partnership with NYCares. We acknowledged the stellar performance of our summer interns and congratulated them in the spotlight of our August 2021 HR Muscle newsletter.
The Empire State Building lights up 365 days a year, and many of the lightings are directly related to social and charitable causes. Its lights turned blue on October 13 th , 2021, to highlight more than 36,000 buildings that have earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification. On August 30 th , 2021, the Empire State Building displayed red lights to honor our partnership with the Broadway League, mark the “This is Broadway” campaign, and the return of Broadway theatre. The building produced a light show in sync with the score of the 45 th annual Macy’s Fireworks show, hosted at the building to celebrate Independence Day as it launched thousands of fireworks from the building’s 72 nd , 86 th , and 103 rd floors, and lit up in dramatic red, white, and blue flourishes on the evenings of July 3 rd and 4 th . In honor of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the iconic tower lights rotated through the colors of the flags of 206 countries throughout the night of July 23 rd . The building also illuminated the skies on October 11 th , 2021, with colors of green, red, and white in honor of Indigenous/Italian Heritage Day. The annual Empire State Building Run-Up event challenges runners around the world to race up its famed 86 flights and 1,567 stairs, noted by some as the ultimate endurance test. After cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was resumed on October 26 th , 2021, presented by Turkish Airlines and powered by the Challenged Athletes foundation. To honor this event, the Empire State building displayed red and white lights.
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