Overview
As industry leaders for more than a decade, we share our processes and our work freely with experts, our industry, and the government. We are excited to share our inaugural Sustainability Report to highlight our work and plans to continue to set the standard for sustainability in real estate.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
IEQ: Prioritizing Employee Health
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) improves employee health and productivity. We’ve created a program of industry-leading healthy suites to provide tenants with the opportunity to maximize their IEQ, employee recruitment and retention, and their bottom line.
Find IEQ Suites
Empire Building Playbook for Deep Energy Retrofits
Co-developed with NYSERDA and supported by other NYC-based landlords and the Clinton Global Initiative, the innovative guide outlines the step-by-step process for existing commercial buildings to develop a pathway to carbon reduction with proven returns on investment. The work shows how to codify test, refine, and verify the in-building projects.
The industry leading deep-energy retrofit at the Empire State Building served as a blueprint for the Empire Building Playbook, and demonstrated what is possible within the built environment to reduce carbon emissions. Since this groundbreaking retrofit, the Empire State Building has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 54 percent and counting.
ESRT partnered with the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative to drive leadership in action toward climate resilience and a carbon neutral future. The Playbook process sets forth a series of steps that can be achieved with a projected timeline of three to six months:
- Assembly of a team
- Delegation of responsibilities
- Technical analysis
- Development of energy and financial models
- Economic analysis
Designed for all levels of technical understanding, the full Empire Building Playbook is available online at the link below.
Commitment to Operational Carbon Neutrality
Empire State Realty Trust has achieved Carbon Neutrality for its entire portfolio through a combination of its industry leadership in building energy efficiency retrofit work and a new, three-year agreement with 18 Reserves and ACT to support the preservation of close to 9,000 acres of biodiverse forest that will offset 100% of its non-electric fossil fuel usage.
- Target of 80% emissions reduction at ESB by 2030 and throughout the commercial portfolio by 2035, in partnership with a more renewable grid.
- As we reduce emissions through our Empire Building Playbook work, we will offset our fossil fuel emissions through accredited sources until we reach our reduction goals.
Empire State Building Retrofit: Lowering Energy Use and Costs
Planet Re-imagined spoke with Empire State Realty Trust CEO Tony Malkin on the deep energy retrofit of the iconic Empire State Building, which has now become the international model for energy efficiency retrofits in the existing built environment. Learn more about how ESRT is on track to achieve its target of net zero emissions with an 80% reduction in operational emissions at the Empire State Building by 2030 and portfolio-wide by 2035.
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
14
Properties in Portfolio
10.1
Million Sq. Ft
#1
Most Efficient REIT in NYC
100%
Renewable Energy Portfolio Wide
100% of Portfolio WELL Health-Safety Rated
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, INDUSTRY COOPERATION, POLICY ENGAGEMENT
Leadership is a part of Empire State Realty Trust’s mission. We actively engage and hold leadership positions which share information and shape and inform industry standards and government policy.
ESRT’S SUSTAINABILITY EMPIRE
THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, NEW YORK’S SUSTAINABILITY ICON
The Empire State Building, the World’s Most Famous Building, is the international icon of the New York City Skyline. An urban campus within a single building, it is modernized and amenitized for the 21st century.
The Empire State Building is also the leading international model for energy efficiency retrofits in the existing built environment. We have already reduced GHG emissions by 40% over the past decade.
To achieve the deep energy retrofit we focused attention on the building’s envelope, mechanical systems, and lighting.
REFLECTIVE BARRIERS
Barriers added behind each steam radiator to allow heat to better make its way into the building
WINDOW INSTALLATION
Comprehensive reconstuction performed and installed to improve the building’s 6,514 windows’ resistance to heat and cold transfer
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
State-of-the-art lighting, insulation and elevator technology installed to improve energy efficiency inside the building.
$4.4 million in annual energy savings
40% anticipated reduction in emissions in the next decade
500 MAMARONECK AVENUE
Set to be completed in 2023, the new community solar project at 500 Mamaroneck Avenue will serve as a new sustainability initiative which attract and retain employees who value environmental leadership and action.
Local residents will share in the solar project’s benefits, which include electricity cost savings. The project will feature a new parking canopy solar array that will provide year-round elemental shelter for roughly 500 vehicles, an 8.2-MWh battery storage system, and approximately 80 electrical vehicle (EV) charging stations for tenant convenience.
The project is among the first installations in the state to incorporate the innovative mix of community solar, storage, and EV charging.
ESRT’s diverse portfolio benefits from both the Empire State Building and suburban buildings like 500 Mamaroneck Avenue, as this project is set to produce more than double the building’s annual energy usage. This undertaking is yet another way that ESRT innovates to achieve its sustainability goals, which include a target of net-zero carbon emissions for its entire portfolio by 2035.
SOLAR POWER
The solar array is expected to charge 50% of the building’s annual energy, which is equivalent to 3.1 million miles driven by an average car
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Will produce enough power to fuel 2.5x the building’s annual energy usage
MAKING HISTORY
Among the first installations in the state to incorporate the innovative mix of community solar, storage, and EV charging
~80 new charging stations
Solar panel overhang totaling 6,500 panels that will protect 500 vehicles from the elements
Workspace in a healthy building that is leading the way for carbon neutral future
Additional Resources
- Empire State Realty Trust Vendor Code of Conduct
- Environmental and Sustainability Policies and SOPs click here
- For vendors & partners: Sustainability Toolkit
- See ESRT’s President, Chairman and CEO Anthony E Malkin speak on Green Buildings click here
- Learn how the Empire State Building shrank emissions by 40% click here
- Human Rights Policy
RECENT PRESS
- Empire State Realty Trust Joins New York State’s $50 Million Empire Building Challenge with Commitment to Carbon Neutrality
- Empire State Realty Trust Earns 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award for Leadership in Forward-Thinking Energy Efficiency Initiatives
- The Empire State Building and its related buildings are now powered by wind
- Empire State Realty Trust Becomes Nation’s Largest 100% User of Green Power in Real Estate
- Empire State Realty Trust Achieves GRESB 5 Star Rating in First Year of Participation
- Empire State Realty Trust Achieves WELL Health-Safety Rating
