COPT: Designing, Building, Operating and Maintaining Sustainable Buildings
We believe that constructing high-performance sustainable buildings is the right thing to do for the environment, our shareholders and our tenants.
COPT has been committed to designing, building, operating and maintaining facilities in a sustainable way since 2003, when we committed to designing and building every new building to meet or exceed LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program of the US Green Building Council) Silver certification standards. In fact, our first LEED Gold building won the inaugural Green Development Award from NAIOP in 2005.
Since that time, we've taken a broader look at our operations and have made further commitments to reduce our environmental impacts:
Base Building Commitment:
We will continue to construct every new building to a minimum LEED Silver certification level. As of August 30, 2010, we have 23 buildings certified totaling 2.6 million square feet (10 at LEED Gold, 12 at LEED Silver and 1 LEED certified) with an additional 30 buildings totaling 3.8 million square feet registered in the program.
Our LEED commitment demonstrates our commitment to quality, efficiency and responsible management of resources. In every new building we develop, we seek to maximize energy efficiency, create the healthiest environment possible, and minimize the building's environmental impact.
Interior Construction:
In 2006, we constructed our own corporate headquarters space to achieve LEED Silver certification. We encourage tenants to design and construct their interiors in an environmentally friendly way, and our interior construction guidelines ensure a more green construction for all interior build-outs. We are also developing a COPT sustainability award for tenants who meet certain COPT-defined green achievements. This will assist our tenants in selecting green options and provide recognition as an alternative to certification through the US Green Building Council.
Existing Building Commitment:
In 2008, COPT further committed to operating and maintaining 50% of all existing buildings to LEED-EB (Existing Building) certification standards by 2015. We established a pilot program for LEED-EB certification and currently have one building LEED-EB certified and two other buildings registered in the LEED-EB program.
Operations and Maintenance Commitment:
In 2010, we began implementing a series of portfolio-wide sustainable operating and maintenance policies, including green cleaning, integrated pest management, recycling, no smoking and tenant/vendor education. We are benchmarking our buildings in Energy Star to identify ways to reduce our energy use and water consumption.
Corporate Sustainability Initiatives:
In August 2009, a group was formed to evaluate all areas of the company and develop a comprehensive, sustainable approach to the company’s operations. “Green Teams” are looking at company-wide policies in all areas of office operations and a Corporate Sustainability Committee is being formed to develop a sustainability roadmap for the company’s future.
 COPT is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council as well as Businesses for the Bay, a voluntary team of companies that support pollution prevention within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In
 2008, we purchased renewable energy credits for our corporate headquarters building, which helps avoid more than two million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
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10 LEED Gold certified buildings
12 LEED Silver certified buildings
1 LEED Certified building
1 LEED-EB Certified building
3 LEED Silver certified tenant interiors
32 buildings and 5 tenant interiors registered in the LEED program
7.6 million sq ft certified or registered in the LEED program
16 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff
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