14B — February 28 - March 12, 2020 — Environmental/Green Buildings — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marej.com
E nvironmental /G reen B uildings
hen the earth was created (nearly 4.5 billion years ago), el- By Lee E. Wasserman, LEW Corporation Lead-in-dust, the next Flint, MI scenariocomingtoacitynearyou! W
By Sam Shapiro, MBA, ABLE Services The evolution of sustainability on the business of real estate
At a recent business round- table hosted by the Wall Street Journal, the topic of business
and osprey. Five different species of bats now utilize the roof, as well as honey bees (300,000 have utilized roof hives) and arthro- pods." The Climate Mobilization Act is the largest single act to cut climate pollution of any city. In New York City, where millions of people reside and work, commercial and residen- tial buildings are the largest source of emissions, which is why they're at the center of the policy change. According to an April 18 press release from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, the legisla- tion will set emission caps with the goal of reducing emissions by 2030. Depending on the size and property assessments of the buildings, owners will be able to meet targets, ranging from a cut of emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 for larger buildings. Smaller buildings will reduce emissions in more modest measures. Buildings and the communi- ties where they operate have changed. Sustainability has changed too. Last decade we saw green cleaning and en- ergy conservation, this decade we will see an evolution with waste. Our country can no lon- ger ship its recycling abroad, and we are now forced to con- front the reality that we can’t rely on the old ways of doing things. We will be required to rethink how and what we can throw out if we have any desire to preserve our environment. Services have also evolved. It’s not simply enough to be a low-cost provider and expect to win business. Real estate pro- fessionals are looking at larger business trends, considering their stakeholders and are now tasked to evaluate their supply chain. Which suppliers in the ecosystem of commercial real estate will adapt to meet the new socially responsible criteria? I’ve seen surveys from both local and national real estate companies seek- ing information about labor practices, carbon footprint, sustainability policies, and diversity goals. Service providers will soon be required to help clients reach their sustainability and social responsibility goals. Vendors will be partners in continued on page 16B and wellbeing, while reducing crime.
to protect residents of NYC. At the same time, our coun- try’s largest housing authority (NYCHA), is under regulatory pressure from HUD to comply with its Lead-Safe Housing Rule, which requires lead-risk assessments in non-lead-based paint exempted subsidized apartments. NYCHA will be required to perform these lead risk assessments, which will require NYCHA to collect nu- merous dust wipe samples to determine if lead in dust hazards are present within approximately 138,000 units. Hiccup #2! The likely outcome: The NYCHA will comply with Federal obligations and per- form required lead risk assess- ments or risk assessment re- evaluations (without much of a choice). Literally, thousands of dust wipe samples will be collected & analyzed for lead- in-dust as part of this process. Lead levels will be compared to the EPA’s and NYC’s NEW & SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER Lead Dust Hazard standard(s). Per the regulations, and EPA/ HUD lead dust hazard iden- tification protocol, and if the average of the like kind wipes in a particular unit are above the Lead Dust Hazard identi- fication new standard of 10ug/ ft2 (EPA) or 5ug/ft2(NYC), ALL untested units will be considered as containing the same level of lead-in-dust and therefore, would be considered Dust Lead Hazardous units until proven otherwise. I believe this will likely occur for the following rea- sons: Lead Paint, Lead-in- Soil, and Lead-in-Dust is ALL over NYC. During the Winter, I worked on numerous projects in NYC. I collected a dust wipe from the stair tread of one of the plat- forms for the Grand Concourse (Creston Ave) to find out the lead dust levels were 50 times higher than the EPA’s Lead Dust Hazard standard (10ug/ ft2) and more than 100 times years. He now serves as chair of the McNees PAC and Co- Chairs the McNees Strategic Solutions Group. Walker is the CEO of Pa- cific Edge Diagnostics USA, a New Zealand-based cancer diagnostic company with U.S. headquarters in Hershey, PA. Walker is responsible for the North American subsidiary, having led its successful es-
greater than the city’s most recently announced level (5ug/ ft2)! The likelihood of a coming into contact with atmospheric or residual lead paint, soil, or dust, or other sources in NYC is extremely high. So, housing complies with the court’s orders and with HUD’s requirements. In doing so, because of the resi- dents’ insufficient cleaning, the clutter of units, and just being one of the oldest metropolitan areas in our country, lead-in- dust hazards will be identified! The media will see it, and will publicize it, and the city/its gov- erning body will be under NEW pressure to address this coun- try’s Lead-In-Dust exposure risk, putting substantial new pressures on ALL landlords. As a Solution rather than a Prob- lem Presenter (LEW coined), I suggested the following: • Installing easy-to-clean flooring materials • A consideration for lan- guage added to leases, not allowing for clutter/hoarding within units • Considering a cleaning service (in-house staff trained) when necessary • A resident loaner cleaning supplies program (HEPA vac, detergents, mops, etc.) • And finally, increasing the frequency of cleaning common areas, having foot mats upon entry, etc. There isn’t one simple magic solution to resolving the fol- lowing issues. I suggested re- maining proactive, discussing the reality that the impact of the lead dust hazard concern could impact your properties, identifying lead-based paint, dust, and soil risks and creat- ing a program to mitigate it to its lowest possible potential impact. Lee E. Wasserman, 29-year environmental industry expert | president of LEW Corporation, nationally recognized environmental consultants, trainers and remediators.
d e c i s i o n s was debated; should profit be the exclu- sive motiva- tor for deci- sion making? Or as some c o r p o r a t e leaders sug-
emental lead was a part of it! This very ma l l e a b l e , ductile, and heavy metal wa s f a b r i - c a t e d i n t o thousands of products and
Sam Shapiro
high as 150 to 170 degrees. In contrast, if you were to stand atop a green roof, the tempera- ture would be similar to that of going to a park and laying on the grass. Since the green roof at the Jacob Javits Center was installed, the internal temperature of the building has decreased by 6 degrees Fahrenheit and the yearly en- ergy consumption for heating and cooling has decreased by just over a 25%, which in 2016 translated to a savings of $3 million." The benefits of green roofing are all-around immense. How is it valuable to birds, bees, and other wildlife? Parker: "There is an increase in urban biodiversity by pro- viding a habitat for wildlife. According to its comprehensive 2017 Sustainability Report, the Javits Center roof has become a habitat for more than 25 bird species, including gulls, Euro- pean starlings, barn swallows, rock pigeons, American kestrels In this era of uncertainty, commercial real estate profes- sionals are not sitting idle. Owners and managers are tak- ing steps to mitigate the effects of changing weather patterns with design-based technolo- gies intended to enhance re- siliency. Some byproducts of these designs will also improve air-quality, reduce energy con- sumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance health gested, should we be consider- ing all stakeholders – clients, customers, community & en- vironment? 2019 has been referred to as the year the world woke up to a changing environment. With the planet’s record high temperatures, epic fires in Australia, flooding in Venice and Jakarta, and unpredict- able weather patterns; what will this new decade bring? So far 2020 has proven to be unpredictable and the conse- quence of the Corona Virus is yet to be determined.
Lee E. Wasserman
deposited all over Mother Earth during the industrial revolu- tion. Lead was used in fuels, paints, munitions, batteries, makeups, pool cue chalk, candy wrappers, and, as a conse- quence of production, spices, baby foods, liquids, and more. But the next toxic lead Flint, MI situation is not going to be lead in water. But instead, Lead in dust, and it’s anticipated to occur in NYC! The sequence of events to cause the storm goes like this—the EPA, has been under federal court pressure to re-evaluate its lead stan- dards, inclusive of Dust Lead Standards for years! The New York City Housing Author- ity (NYCHA) was identified as falsifying regulatory required lead-based paint inspection and assessment reports. NYCHA and the City itself are placed under substantial media, politi- cal, and governmental pressure to quickly become compliant with HUD’s Lead Safe Hous- ing Rule (24 CFR part 35) and protect its almost half a million residents. On June 21, 2019, The EPA, released its new Dust Lead Hazard Standards (10ug/ft2- floors, 100ug/ft2 sills), but it does NOT simultaneously lower its Lead Dust Clearance Stan- dards (40ug/ft2-floors, 250ug/ ft2-Sills, 400ug/ft2-wells). Ma- jor hiccup #1! The NYCMayor’s office announces NYC will become the most Lead-Safe city in the country and publicly announced it lowered its dust levels to 5ug/ft2 (crazy low) along with some other changes LANCASTER , PA — RETTEW announced the ad- dition of two independent members to its Board of Direc- tors. David Kleppinger and Jacqueline Walke r have joined RETTEW’s Board of Directors. Kleppinger is chairman Emeritus of McNees Wallace & Nurick , having served as chairman of the law firm for 12
continued from page 10B Chatfield Farms takes the spotlight in . . .
tablishment and growth since 2012. Prior to Pacific Edge, Walker held executive man- agement roles at OSspray Ltd. and DENTSPLY Internation- al. She is a strategic, results- oriented, passionate executive with a strong background in P&L management, including a broad range of experience from small start-ups to large global companies. RETTEW appoints two independent board members
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