Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa September 2013 | Page 18

COVER STORY
monitor results. Measuring and reporting provides actual numbers and figures that can produce proof – in monetary terms – that the “green” initiatives are producing results. This not only facilitates buy-in from the financial department, directors and stakeholders, but will also build momentum and keep stakeholders motivated to maintain and improve green initiatives. Furthermore, accurate measuring and reporting will provide indispensible data to keep such a multi-faceted project on track – ensuring that any implementation problems or shortcomings can be identified and rectified. The data collected will also become invaluable in guiding future decisionmaking and capital purchases. From the baseline data, goals can be set across operations to improve performance incrementally. When setting these goals, look for realistic and practical options, taking into account the cost of implementing each option, the potential benefits and how quickly it will deliver results. Also consider potential risks and ways to mitigate them. Your goals should then be broken down into achievable action steps with deadlines, assigned roles and responsibilities, and monitoring and reporting requirements. Ultimately, the aim is to have comprehensive sustainability reports that have been third-party verified.

Win-win-win situation

Start small
You don’t have to invest millions at the outset to start your green journey. Simply look at each aspect of your building and its operations and begin with simple, no cost strategies to green each aspect. This can be as simple as putting up signs asking occupants to turn off the lights when they leave a room, setting double-sided printing as the default on printers, or switching off computer equipment and geysers when locking up. It could entail sourcing greener products – such as environmentally-friendlier paper, paint that carries the ECOKIND™ logo and environmentallyresponsible cleaning supplies. The successes achieved through these simple, no-cost strategies will reduce resistance to rolling out more ambitious undertakings, while the savings will justify – and even fund – more aggressive strategies, such as fitting energyefficient lighting throughout the building or investigating alternative water heating solutions.

In reality, implementing “green” measures aimed at the good of the Planet, often result in cost reductions and higher Profit, while also contributing the social responsibility of the company to the People in the communities in which it operates - the 3Ps that are part of the sustainable tier in the King III report. In fact, they are intricately linked. The more hues of green incorporated into a company’s activities – and the deeper the shade of green of each activity – to lessen its impact on the Planet, the better for the company’s Profit and its social responsibility to the People. Going green is not about taking quantum leaps, such as replacing your entire property portfolio with green buildings, it is rather about neverending, incremental improvement – what the Japanese call Kaizen. Continuous, incremental improvement in reducing your company’s impact on the environment and the overall impact of your operations on society, while achieving measurable reductions in operating costs, is true sustainability. And sustainability means lower risk and greater resilience, which translates to better long-term business performance for your company.