One of the most iconic buildings in the United States, the Empire State building in New York and its related buildings are now completely powered entirely by renewable wind energy.
In early February, the Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) confirmed that it had signed a three-year deal with Green Mountain Energy to power its entire commercial real estate portfolio with renewable wind electricity, which includes 10.1 million square feet of real estate and 13 other office buildings.
It is estimated that this change will prevent around 450 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere. This, reportedly, will be the “equivalent of removing all New York City taxis from the road for an entire year.”
With this deal, the ESRT is the biggest user of clean energy in the real estate sector of the United States.
“ESRT is the leader in sustainable operations with a viable example of how to scale carbon neutral technologies, strategies and policies to balance with an effective economic business case,” said Dana Robbins Schneider, SVP, director of energy, sustainability & ESG at Empire State Realty Trust.
“We have purchased renewable power from Green Mountain Energy for the World’s Most Famous Building, the Empire State Building, for a decade. We now expand that to all properties in New York State with an additional Direct Energy contract for our Connecticut properties. We continue to advance our commitment to solutions that reduce our environmental impact. Our tenants now work in carbon neutral offices and the investment community can recognize our leadership.”
However, this is not the first time that the ESRT has taken measures to become more environmentally friendly. A decade ago, major renovations were made to this skyscraper, which was also once the tallest building in the world, that resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in its usage of electricity.
Isn’t this move to green energy crucial now? What do you think about this move? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
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