New GREEN UP Program Helps Buildings to Save Money While Reducing Emissions

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed I cover the subject of buildings quite often. Responsible for as much as 40% of global GHGs, buildings remain, for the most part, under the public awareness radar. However, for the companies that own and manage commercial, institutional and residential buildings, the story is a little different. Progress has been made. There are greater numbers of new and existing green buildings. Many Canadian property managers have engaged in a variety of energy, water and waste reduction campaigns. Less energy and water used means a lower carbon footprint.

To continue driving further reduction in energy and water use in existing buildings, the Canada Green Buildings Council (CaGBC) has launched a new program called GREEN UP®. The program includes "a national database and information system designed to improve the energy and environmental performance of buildings in Canada." [1]

How does GREEN UP work?
The following is a brief overview using the steps outlined on the GREEN UP program website:

Step 1: Measure real estate portfolio's energy and water use.

First, GREEN UP users provide program staff with available energy billing data for each registered building. Once inputted, participants are able to track monthly energy use and associated carbon footprint. The program offers access to performance data in office, multi-family, long-term healthcare, hotel, retail, K-12 school, and government buildings.

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Meirav Even-Har is a Justmeans staff blogger. She reports on Canadian CSR issues. Meirav is an independent sustainability consultant and writer working in Toronto, Canada.