Recognition Archives - Green Econome

Two Years Strong: Green Econome Earns 2024 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award

March 26, 2024 admin

Los Angeles, CA (March 26, 2024) - Green Econome is proud to announce that it has received the 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a second consecutive year.

Green Econome Founder and CEO, Marika Erdely reflects on the meaning of this award, “I am incredibly proud to be an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, two years in a row. Since founding this company in 2009 from scratch, to being acknowledged by the EPA for the quality work we do, I am very appreciative of the hard work and integrity of our team, and our clients who entrust us with their business. We have achieved this recognition together.”

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts have saved more than five trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity over the past 30 years. In 2023, Green Econome benchmarked over 1,200 buildings, with 9 buildings earning their first-ever ENERGY STAR certification. Through ENERGY STAR^® Portfolio Manager^® web services, Green Econome introduced custom analytics and client reports in 2023, and is developing a client dashboard, further customizing how clients can view and interact with their building data.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda creates unprecedented opportunity to build a clean energy economy, and private sector partners through programs like ENERGY STAR are leading the way,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I congratulate this year’s ENERGY STAR award winners for their innovation and leadership, in delivering cost-effective energy-efficient solutions that create jobs, address climate change, and contribute to a healthier environment for all.”

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2024 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Green Econome

Green Econome is a woman-owned small business in the dynamic intersection of sustainability and commercial real estate, providing energy and water efficiency compliance, consulting, and construction services nationwide. Our integrated team has over 20 years of combined experience finding energy-efficient solutions that positively affect market valuations, reduce environmental impact, meet ESG and sustainability goals, and ensure regulatory compliance.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR^® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts.

Media Contact:

Karalyn Honea
karalyn@greeneconome.com

Green Econome Earns 2023 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award

March 28, 2023 Karalyn Shima Honea

Santa Monica, CA (March 28, 2023)—Green Econome is proud to announce that it has received the 2023 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Marika Erdely, Founder and CEO of Green Econome states, “Receiving this recognition for our partnership with the EPA and ENERGY STAR program is a significant milestone for our organization. Green Econome was founded to meet the demand for ENERGY STAR benchmarking as local and state energy disclosure laws were put into place over a decade ago. Green Econome is celebrating ten years of compliance services, so earning 2023 Partner of the Year is that much sweeter. We have benchmarked nearly 2,000 properties and pride ourselves on being a leader in accurate reporting and industry expertise. We wholeheartedly invest in ENERGY STAR as a trusted platform that we lean into for benchmarking, building certifications, and now GHG emissions metrics, data management for our client’s ESG goals, and driving reduction targets.”

“As we accelerate historic efforts to address climate change, public-private partnerships will be essential to realizing the scale of our ambition,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I applaud this year’s ENERGY STAR award winners for working with EPA to deliver a clean energy future that saves American consumers and businesses money and creates jobs.”

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis, protecting public health, and creating a clean energy future for everyone.

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. Visit Green Econome's profile page, or for a complete list of 2023 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

About Green Econome

Green Econome is a woman-owned, small business providing energy and water efficiency compliance, consulting, and construction services for commercial real estate. Our Los Angeles-based team of licensed and credentialed professionals takes an integrated approach to finding efficiency solutions that positively affect market valuations, reduce environmental impact, meet ESG and sustainability goals, and ensure regulatory compliance.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR^® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts.

Media Contact:

Karalyn Honea
karalyn@greeneconome.com

Insights Recognition

Benefits of Fitwel building certification

October 5, 2020 Karalyn Shima Honea

Resilience, public health, mental health, collaboration between the public and private sectors, science-based strategies, equity, and trust. Are we talking about the current pandemic or the Fitwel Certification System? We are talking about both. The groundswell around health and wellness at the workplace had taken hold before COVID. Now, a clear set of standards and protocols to keep people healthy is required to open doors again.

Fitwel® is the World's Leading Certification System Committed to Building Health for All™. Using evidence-based scientific research, the Fitwel system is a series of standards and strategies developed to optimize building design and operations, in support of the health and well-being of its occupants. The program is run by the Center for Active Design (CfAD), in close collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

Why Fitwel certification matters

As we reopen, occupant trust and safety are paramount. Fitwel certification makes transparent the strategies used to maximize their well-being. For property stakeholders, Fitwel has recently introduced the Fitwel Viral Response Module, an annual certification of policies and protocols informed by the latest public health research on mitigating the spread of infectious diseases. It offers a comprehensive methodology critical to ongoing response.

Global pandemic aside, wellness is an important differentiator to top companies and those they employ. Talent is attracted to healthy and inspired spaces. When you provide an environment with a sense of place, amenities that cater to a healthier lifestyle, and a building with sustainable design, there are far-reaching effects. Inside, you have thriving tenants who stick. Outside, you create a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of people and the environment. When people can bike to work, emissions are reduced. When there is access to healthy food onsite, people do not get in their cars for lunch. When outdoor spaces are available, both physical and mental health improve.

This is not conceptual. Research used by the Fitwel system shows a direct correlation between workplace design and occupant productivity and health. Temperature, air quality, lighting, and noise conditions are all factors toward performance and employee well-being. With an estimated 90% of a company's capital being its people, productivity and absenteeism matter. Additionally, disease prevention and good health can result in a positive return on healthcare spending. When a company occupies a building designed with the same goals in mind, their healthcare dollars go exponentially further.

What’s in it for me?

Investing in wellness is a sound long-term play for owners. The rising workforce is vested. According to a 2018 Global Wellness Institute report, global wellness is a $4.5 trillion economy, with a 6.4% annual growth. Workplace Wellness is a key sector, projected to grow to $66 billion in 2022. Conversely, 2018 research from the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), shows that illness-related lost productivity costs U.S. employers $530 billion per year.

Used in tandem with efficiency and sustainability certifications like ENERGY STAR®, LEED, and BREEAM, you are investing in the full spectrum of building health and sustainability. FItwel extends beyond the building, to the people. It also extends beyond the commercial site, to community development. Whatever your discipline, Green EconoME can manage and deliver the full spectrum of certifications for your project.

To learn more about Fitwel for your property or community, contact us at info@greeneconome.com or (424) 422–9696.

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Insights Recognition

101-Year-Old Owner ENERGY STAR Certifies Property

May 2, 2020 admin

It’s never too late to get Energy Star Certified! Irvin Grant, a 101 year-old Building Owner in LA recently ENERGY STAR Certified his building with the help of Green EconoME. Irvin built Brentwood Terrace Condominiums, located at 825 S. Gretna Green Way, in the 1960s with his sister. Its eye-catching rounded front has made this building a landmark in the Brentwood neighborhood.

ENERGY STAR is the government-backed, energy efficiency ranking system. For eligible buildings, the tool calculates an ENERGY STAR score on a scale from 1 to 100. For a building to be labeled “ENERGY STAR” certified, it must score a 75 or above. Studies find that ENERGY STAR certified buildings command a sales price and rental rate premium of up to 16%.

Irvin’s building received a score of 93, determined by the Benchmarking Report that Green EconoME generated for the building to be in compliance with Los Angeles’ Existing Buildings Energy & Water Efficiency (EBEWE) Ordinance. With Green EconoME’s guidance, Irvin pursued the ENERGY STAR certification in order to be exempt from Phase II of EBEWE, which requires an ASHRAE Level 2 Audit and Retro-Commissioning.

To learn more about EBEWE, exemptions, or other city/state Energy Disclosure Laws visit Our Services.

To learn more about ENERGY STAR Certification click here.

Or feel free to contact us: info@greeneconome.com or 818-681-5750.

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